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Condo Market About to Explode

If you have been reading this blog and following the Toronto condo market for any length of time you know that sales are up, prices are up and generally everyone is feeling and acting very bullish on the market right now. Traditionally, this time of year is when the market starts to slow down and go into hibernation for the winter. I don’t see that happening anytime soon. If anything, the market is actually gaining momentum going into the winter months.

Some quick thoughts on the resale market:

• Inventory levels are still dramatically lower than any other time in the last several years
• Sales are up dramatically over this time last year, but remember that this time last year was when the market began to tank. Still, sales are at all time highs
• Buyers are falling into the trap of over-paying for condos because there is nothing else to choose from on the market when they are buying. Be patient! Keep your head on straight in multiple offer scenarios.
• New pricing precedents are being set in buildings all over downtown as a result of this inventory shortage and buyer behaviour.

Some quick thoughts on the new condo market:

• Over the next 6 months I expect to see at least half a dozen major new condo launches – X2, River City (West Don Lands Phase 1), DNA3, Number One Bloor, ICE 2 (already underway), U Condos Tower 2 (already underway), and more!
• Line ups and camping out for weeks will once again become commonplace as buyers rush in to invest in this next wave of development in Toronto
• Buyers need to keep their heads on and compare existing projects’ remaining inventory with these ‘new’, ‘flavour-of-the-month’ condo projects. Just because it’s new, doesn’t make it better than the building next door that is 90% sold out. BUY VALUE!

Some of you might write this off as more drivel from a real estate agent / blogger-hack who is just doing his part to artificially inflate the market, but my loyal readers know that I tell it like it is. Questions? Thoughts? Leave a comment or contact me direct.

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REVE Sells 270 Units in a Weekend

Have you heard of REVE? For most of my readers the answer is probably ‘no’. You’d probably be surprised to know that REVE is a new project by Tridel (Canada’s largest condo builder), that it is located downtown, and that over the weekend they completely sold out of all 1 and 2 bedroom units and have a massive waiting list for any rescissions.

Tridel was very smart. They saw a massive shortage in the marketplace for units priced under $300K. They packed the building with small 1 bedrooms and studios and the market responded loud and clear. They launched this project with almost no marketing, using only the momentum of the market, word of mouth, and a simple formula of giving the people what they want.

REVE will be located at 560 Front St West, just west of 550 Front St (a mid-rise condo building), and just east of Front and Bathurst. Not the most glamorous location, but still a short walk to the King West epicentre – King and Bathurst. Prices were in the $500 per square foot range which for a Tridel project downtown, is a pretty good deal.

The project is already under construction and is to be completed by next year. The site was originally going to be a hotel, but Tridel bought the site over the summer and will build a condo on the existing floor plate. This may explain why many of the floor plans were quite unusual – the floor plate was never designed to be for condos.

To view floor plans for REVE, click here. 3 Bedroom units are still available. Contact me for more info.

Those of you who have put me on your Radar should know about REVE, because I sent out a Radar Pulse about it last week. The market moves so fast that I couldn’t possibly write a separate article for every single project launch, special event, or investment opportunity on this blog. Put me on your Radar today and stay informed! (We are almost at 25 users of Radar. Once we hit 25 I will do a random draw for a $50 Best Buy gift card!)

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Cityplace Offers 20% Off Units*

*I had to put an asterisk right in the title of this post because of course there are plenty of stipulations on this promotion from Concord Adex. It may sound too good to be true…but it’s not entirely.

It’s starting to feel like 2007 all over again as would-be buyers have been lined up at Concord’s sales office near Front and Spadina for a few days now to take advantage of this sales event happening this Saturday at 12 noon. It is in celebration of Concord’s 20th anniversary in Canada.

The conditions:

• 20% off is applied as a cash rebate at final closing (so you pay $300K for the unit and Concord promises to rebate  you $60K at final closing)
• Only applies to the first 20 purchasers in line on Saturday March 28th at noon (First unit purchased will receive the 20% cash-back, any subsequent units purchased by the same person will get 15% cash-back)
• Only applies to units at Parade Tower 1 for Cityplace, and for buildings A,B and D at Park Place (Concord’s other mega-development at Leslie and Sheppard)
• Subsequent purchasers who buy units on March 28 will receive a 15% cash rebate – not a bad consolation prize

The first 20 spots are already locked up by people who have been camping out at the sales centre, but if you are an investor or first time buyer looking to get a good deal, the 15% off could be a great opportunity. As long as you are not too picky about what suite you purchase, because most of the prime suites are long gone from Parade 1.

If you would like more information on this promotion from Concord feel free to contact me.

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New Condo Sales Still Down; Prices Still Up

[**CHART REMOVED DUE TO COPYRIGHT CLAIM BY REALNET CANADA INC.**]

Realnet has released the sales figures for new condos for the month of January. Prices are still increasing despite the fact that the number of sales continues to be significantly lower than a year ago.

Prices are up 8% for high rise condos while sales were down 64% compared to January 2008. 

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