If you are planning on investing in a condo in 2011, there are many obvious factors to consider: builder track record and reputation, location, price per square foot, building and suite features, layout/floor plan etc. There is one factor that I always consider when buying real estate and that is neighbourhood infrastructure (specifically transportation and […]
The spring market doesn’t officially start until, well, spring. But anyone who is shopping for a condo (or a house) in Toronto knows that the market is H-O-T right now, and multiple offers are not the exception, but the norm. Over the years of working with buyers and sellers in multiple offer situations, you learn […]
Hype-driven marketing seems to be at an all time high in the pre-construction condo market. I am finding it harder and harder to find quality investment opportunities to recommend to my clients. This at a time when a new condo project is launching almost every week. Prices are soaring. Suite sizes are shrinking. Every agent […]
The above chart shows the latest data on downtown Toronto condo sales from the Toronto Real Estate board for March 2011 as it compares to March 2010. C01 is considered ‘downtown west’ and C08 is considered downtown east. A few observations: Downtown west is always the most relevant data to look at when gauging the […]
The sales statistics for the month of May are in from the Toronto Real Estate Board for the resale market. As usual, I am only concerned with looking at the downtown condo sales as the stats for a metro area of 5 million people tells us nothing really about the downtown condo market. My observations […]
Is Toronto on its way to becoming just like Manhattan? This question has been asked for years now, and the comparisons can be made that Toronto is a sort of ‘mini New York’ – a major financial and cultural centre, the heart of a mega-region, and home to some really expensive real estate. But are […]
NOTE: the following blog post is not to be considered legal or tax advice. I am not a lawyer or an accountant. I’m writing this strictly for informational purposes only. Always consult a lawyer when purchasing pre-construction real estate. ANOTHER NOTE: If you find this article confusing, good. That’s the number one point I’m trying […]
There are dozens and dozens of units available for sale at Festival Tower. Most have been sitting on MLS for months as assignments (tricky to sell at the best of times), but now that the building is registering in a matter of days I expect these units will start moving quickly. I noticed something quite […]
June’s sales figures were just released and wow, what a difference from the last two months! When comparing June 2011 with June 2010, sales are up BIG downtown and prices are up too. Remember that June 2010 was the last month before the HST kicked in, and many buyers and sellers were still scrambling to […]
The Importance of Infrastructure
March 8, 2011 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
If you are planning on investing in a condo in 2011, there are many obvious factors to consider: builder track record and reputation, location, price per square foot, building and suite features, layout/floor plan etc. There is one factor that I always consider when buying real estate and that is neighbourhood infrastructure (specifically transportation and […]
Read more
One Came by Fax
March 3, 2011 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
The spring market doesn’t officially start until, well, spring. But anyone who is shopping for a condo (or a house) in Toronto knows that the market is H-O-T right now, and multiple offers are not the exception, but the norm. Over the years of working with buyers and sellers in multiple offer situations, you learn […]
Read more
Quality Investments in Pre-Con Becoming an Endangered Species
March 10, 2011 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
Hype-driven marketing seems to be at an all time high in the pre-construction condo market. I am finding it harder and harder to find quality investment opportunities to recommend to my clients. This at a time when a new condo project is launching almost every week. Prices are soaring. Suite sizes are shrinking. Every agent […]
Read more
Market Snapshot March 2011
April 5, 2011 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
The above chart shows the latest data on downtown Toronto condo sales from the Toronto Real Estate board for March 2011 as it compares to March 2010. C01 is considered ‘downtown west’ and C08 is considered downtown east. A few observations: Downtown west is always the most relevant data to look at when gauging the […]
Read more
Market Snapshot: May 2011
June 6, 2011 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
The sales statistics for the month of May are in from the Toronto Real Estate Board for the resale market. As usual, I am only concerned with looking at the downtown condo sales as the stats for a metro area of 5 million people tells us nothing really about the downtown condo market. My observations […]
Read more
The Manhattan Theory
June 16, 2011 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
Is Toronto on its way to becoming just like Manhattan? This question has been asked for years now, and the comparisons can be made that Toronto is a sort of ‘mini New York’ – a major financial and cultural centre, the heart of a mega-region, and home to some really expensive real estate. But are […]
Read more
The Elephant in the Room: HST
June 17, 2011 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
NOTE: the following blog post is not to be considered legal or tax advice. I am not a lawyer or an accountant. I’m writing this strictly for informational purposes only. Always consult a lawyer when purchasing pre-construction real estate. ANOTHER NOTE: If you find this article confusing, good. That’s the number one point I’m trying […]
Read more
How to make $100K in 3 Months
June 24, 2011 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
There are dozens and dozens of units available for sale at Festival Tower. Most have been sitting on MLS for months as assignments (tricky to sell at the best of times), but now that the building is registering in a matter of days I expect these units will start moving quickly. I noticed something quite […]
Read more
Condo Sales and Prices Up in June
July 7, 2011 / by Andrew la Fleur / Insights
June’s sales figures were just released and wow, what a difference from the last two months! When comparing June 2011 with June 2010, sales are up BIG downtown and prices are up too. Remember that June 2010 was the last month before the HST kicked in, and many buyers and sellers were still scrambling to […]
Read more