Are you looking for a friendly Toronto real estate team to inform you about how the selling process works in our current market conditions without undue pressure or obligation?
Are you seeking an informed experienced property group collectively committed to making the process as effortless as possible for you while garnering top dollar?
I’m Steve Fudge and I’ve been a Top Producing Realtor in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for over 30 years. Having executed hundreds of transactions representing both Buyers and Sellers of freehold and condominium housing across the original City of Toronto I lead an exceptional team of realtors & marketers who are committed to getting your property Sold!
When you enlist the Urbaneer Team, we create a custom sales program tailored to showcase your property in its optimum light, including informative online content specific to your property that we feature on multiple platforms using multi-faceted promotions. And best of all – it’s custom-created by us to attract qualified buyers specifically interested in your neighbourhood, your dwelling type, and all of the architectural and design features unique to your property.
To give you an example, although the Toronto real estate market has seen property values drop, as I wrote in this post –> Topsy Turvy: Insights From The Toronto Real Estate Trenches – we recently sold a loft condominium on the downtown east side in just 5 days!
Here’s how we did it.
Prioritize, Prepare & Promote @ Broadview Lofts
We recently had the privilege of selling a 1434 square-foot unit at the Broadview Lofts in Riverside – the neighbourhood situated just east of the Don River between Corktown and Leslieville where The Broadview Hotel on Queen Street East is located. The property – an authentic brick and beam loft located in a former pharmaceutical warehouse at Broadview and Eastern Avenues – looked like the kind of place a sexy detective investigating a missing heiress and a diamond heist in a movie might live. Perched on the southwest corner of the original warehouse overlooking a clover leaf onto the Don Valley Expressway and the Big City Bright Lights beyond, this open plan space featured five factory-sized windows, exposed brick walls, rustic wood columns & beams, 10-foot ceilings, spiral metal ductwork, and polished concrete floors.
One of the first things we do is walk through a property with our clients to collectively assess the opportunities and constraints of the dwelling and its location, determine how to best elevate its features and minimize its limitations in person and in positioning, and identify ways to elevate the property’s presentation and maximize their return on investment. This includes helping our clients prioritize what deficiencies should be tended to, if any, summarize where and what they should pare down and pre-pack in advance of moving, and, as part of our Urbaneer Style Enhancement Service, we recommend what existing contents should be removed – due to size, condition, or utility – in advance of listing to ensure their property presents its spacious best. This is an important consideration and distinction for homeowners to understand because, as I wrote in Why Staging Is Important When Selling Real Estate ‘how we present a dwelling for sale’ and ‘how we live in our home’ are two distinct processes and experiences. Even when our objective is to keep as much of our client’s belongings in place – which is much easier and less intrusive an undertaking than hiring a professional staging firm – editing a household of some of its contents is inevitable. Why? Because the place in which one’s domestic affections have been grounded, particularly by one’s chosen family over a period of years, is typically full of objects and tokens with meaning and memories that have been endearingly collected over time and unintentionally cluttered by sentiment. And please understand as I write this, we genuinely adore a house that has the patina of a well-loved home, and we make every effort to capture and distill its essence when we’re preparing a property for sale.
However, our profession is in the shelter industry, and our business is maximizing the financial gain of our client’s bricks-and-mortar investment. Because of this, the process of presenting a dwelling for sale is dramatically different than making a home. But this doesn’t mean we’re disinvested in honouring its history. In fact, given the contents of a home tell the story of its occupants, we keep the pieces that align with the character and presence of the home, while the ones we select are symbolic placeholders representing the next owner. In this respect, although we’re acutely aware of the fashion of housing, we’re highly attuned to the power of place. Instead of filling a property with over-the-top stuff that draws too much attention, the items we carefully choose serve to support the domestic stage, where the dwelling itself is the star of the show. In this respect, we use furniture and contents as tools to communicate the scale and proportion of a room, to complement or contrast a dwelling’s architectural embellishments, to marry the history of place with this moment in time, and to convey aspirational status and offer biographic cues to help nurture the desires of the property’s target Buyer markets. We edit a client’s home so prospective purchasers can navigate easily through the space and not consciously around contents, and we incorporate a few select pieces from our own curated cache that speak to form and function, are identifiably on-trend, and provide intentional cues. After all, the key to successfully executing a place with pop is not limited to its appeal on Instagram, but to taking the target market crossing the threshold on the journey to domestic desire. This means putting them on a space plan path that flows effortlessly, is carefully revealed, is elevated yet accessible, and purposefully presented so Buyers can see how the property will support and enhance their personal lives.
In this circumstance, because the loft was one large open space save for the washroom, comprising a volume of space with dimensions that are unusual in domestic architecture, we knew it would be challenging for some Buyers to understand this ‘room’ had more square footage than a typical 2-storey 3-bed Edwardian houses constructed along The Danforth, in Seaton Village, St Clair West, and Roncesvalles Village through the 1910s to 1930s. To reinforce this truth and help Buyers connect the visual dots, we commissioned a floor plan from Property Pandas showing its current open plan layout accompanied by a second version delineating the loft into a proposed 2bed + den layout, and concurrently purchased 6 large clean-lined floating partition screens and placed them in the spots where new demising walls could be constructed to create the same 2 bed + den floor plan. This was an effective way to market both the possibility and potential value-added benefits without compromising the existing appeal and authenticity of the loft aesthetic.
Why did we do this? We always research and identify the target Buyer profiles who are the most likely candidates to purchase our listings. This includes using recent City of Toronto ward profiles constructed from census data, sleuthing information on the building profile by engaging the property management firm and concierge, casually engaging in conversations with current residents, plus relying on our experience living in the neighbourhood (see Realtor Steven Fudge Has A Nose For Leslieville, On Toronto’s East Side) and history in the development and sale of adaptive reuse conversions over the past 3 decades, including my own pscyhographic analysis on loft residents when I was completing my Graduate Degree in Environmental Studies at York University (see What Is The Difference Between A Hard Loft And A Soft Loft?).
In this case, we anticipated prospective purchasers would want to reconfigure the space plan to suit their own particular wishes, wants, and needs, particularly given the byproduct of living in a lockdown during the pandemic was the trend to convert open space plans into multiple private rooms by households with 2 or more residents. Otherwise, we pegged the Buyers as liberated progressive non-conformist urbanites, who were university-educated professionals working in finance, health care, information services & systems or technology (one in the downtown core and the other remotely), with (possibly) or without (more likely) children (albeit increasingly feasible today given the rise of raising kids in condos), and either in the career-pathing demographic of 35 to 55, or downsizing boomers seeking a pied-a-terre that was both accessible to arts, culture & entertainment venues as well as the major highways. The Buyers also prioritized purchasing a centrally-located turn-key condominium residence (over a house) that was in proximity to Mom & Pop retail, contemporary arts & food cultures, and convenient to parks & recreation. They would be placing a high priority on natural light and views, desired an open space plan for entertaining, and would consider its factory pedigree, its glittering CN Tower vista, and its proximity to the Broadview Hotel as subtle status markers. These assumptions served as the basis for our marketing campaign.
We Create Context By Sharing The History of The Location & Building In Our Information Packages
We believe it’s really important to tell the story. Even when it means our Feature Sheet will total 17 pages of artfully infused professional photographs, floors plan visuals, and custom copy promoting the benefits of the neighbourhood, the history & amenities of the building, the features, upgrades & operating expenses of the unit, and even a Note From Our Seller sharing what they’ve loved about living in the space which really adds a nice touch, if we do say so ourselves!
Before we came to market as Live Bold & Beautiful At The Broadview Lofts In Riverside we began posting and promoting our ‘Coming Soon’ teaser reel of the loft on our website, Facebook, and Instagram, boosting it to our followers, target audiences, and beyond. Along with the teasers we created in-house, we engaged the services of Silverhouse – our go-to of expert real estate videographers – to capture this authentic brick & beam pad on film. Using a combo of still, motion, and drone footage – plus an interview with Steve in the loft showcasing the features of the space – Silverhouse delivered two versions of the video (extended and truncated) that we premiered when the property hit MLS.
We also executed our print promotion campaign, including letting all the residents in the building know about the listing on the community bulletin board, as we’ve had a lot of success in the past generating leads that have converted into sales using this traditional ‘old-school’ methods of marketing.
Throwing The Door Wide
Given the state of the market-in-flux, that there were other lofts for sale in the building that had been listed multiple times, and because many units took several weeks to sell, we came to market on a Wednesday receiving offers anytime.
From the moment we went to market on MLS, every Buyer who viewed the property received a digital promotions package. We also had the Status Certificate and the associated Condo Documents – including a comprehensive summary of the building operations, expenses, and proposed imminent upgrades and improvements – available for interested parties. After all, why delay in having this critical information available when the objective of the Listing Realtor is to convert prospective Buyers into active Bidders. We seriously have no idea why so many realtors delay having this information ready, given its lack means the possibility of a lengthy conditional period and the opportunity for the Buyer to get cold feet and second-guess their purchasing decision.
Targeting Buyers By Promoting Location, Loft Living, & Area Amenities
Although this property was only for sale 5 days, here is the custom content we created, published, and promoted to expand awareness about this stellar loft. We believe it’s a testament to being both well-informed and well-prepared:
Live Bold & Beautiful At The Broadview Lofts In Riverside
Toronto Loves The CN Tower (And So Do I!)
If You’re Feeling ‘Hangry’, Bonjour Brioche In Riverside Is the Cure!
Exploring Vintage Brick & Beam Factory Conversions & Concrete ‘N Cool Contemporary Lofts In Toronto
Up-And-Coming Or Over-And-Out? Cadillac Fairview’s East Harbour Development In Toronto
Revitalizing The Port Lands On Toronto’s Waterfront
Does the realtor you work with create articles like these that end with a ‘call to action’ to view the listings they’re representing and then promote them on a variety of social media platforms?
If they don’t, consider calling us so we can introduce our services.
We would love to be your value-added realtor of choice.
This exceptional property received its first offer after being listed for 3 days. As all parties negotiated the Agreement of Purchase & Sale, the Buyers also completed their due diligence with respect to the affairs of the condominium corporation, such that this authentic brick and beam loft became a firm and binding sale after just 5 days!!
The successful Purchasers received our comprehensive digital package and viewed the property twice before proceeding with the purchase. The Buyer’s offer was accompanied by a sizable $75,000 deposit, and included a completion date convenient to both parties!
Rest Easy – We’ve Got You Covered & Comfortable!
Although almost any realtor can sell a property, finding the right Buyer – including those who live outside the city and may never cross the threshold of your dwelling – requires a company that understands the nuances of your property type, where it’s located, who the Buyer profiles are, and how to be effective in capturing their attention and convincing them it has all the qualities they’re seeking.
It’s also about meeting the individual needs and criteria of you, the Seller. Whether you’re looking to facilitate a quick sale, find a Buyer who will complement the fabric of the community, or you’re wanting top dollar, at Urbaneer.com, we welcome facilitating your particular needs and requirements. We do not subscribe to the one-size-fits-all approach to the sale of real estate!
Want to learn more? At Urbaneer.com, we offer a strategic sales program derived from data, comprehension, and historical knowledge gleaned from decades of experience. Check out our approaches and strategies to marketing properties in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in:
Marketing Your Toronto Real Estate With Urbaneer’s Steven Fudge
Marketing Your Home With Urbaneer: Social Media
Psssst… it works!
Here are a selection of other properties we sold – and exactly how we did it!
How Urbaneer’s Custom Marketing Program Sold This Handsome Edwardian Residence In East York
How Urbaneer’s Toronto Real Estate Marketing Program Sold This Sun-Soaked Semi In Swansea
How Urbaneer’s Toronto Real Estate Marketing Program Sold This 1930’s Swansea Bungalow
How Urbaneer’s Toronto Real Estate Marketing Program Sold This Roncesvalles Duplex In The Pandemic
How Urbaneer’s Tailored Toronto Real Estate Marketing Program Sold This House During The Pandemic
How Urbaneer’s Tailored Toronto Real Estate Marketing Sold This Condo During The Pandemic
Are you planning to sell your property now or one day in the future? We have a sterling track record as one of Bosley Real Estate’s Top Producers spanning 30 years. We are committed to excellence.
With three decades of experience navigating the ever-changing Toronto real estate market, a commitment to promote the sale of properties like yours with interesting and relevant information, and the ability to guide Buyers with credible insights and well-informed guidance, the Urbaneer Team help without pressure or hassle.
Thanks for reading!
-The Urbaneer Team
Steven Fudge, Sales Representative
& The Innovative Urbaneer Team
Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage – (416) 322-800
– we’re here to earn your trust, then your business –
Celebrating Twenty-Eight Years As A Top-Producing Toronto Realtor
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