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Happy Summer! Are you looking for seasonal commentary on the Toronto real estate market, including a forecast of what’s to come in the Fall? Bookmark the Urbaneer Blog! We’ll keep you informed!
Here is what you’ll find inside our July 2019 E-Newsletter:
First, we share our Homewatch News contribution, ‘How To Determine If An Open Concept Space Plan Is For You‘. Clearly, the madness of the property market in Toronto over the past decade has, among other things, changed the shape and direction of the traditional property ladder. With rising prices, a lack of available stock, along with demographic pressure (i.e. Baby Boomers not vacating their homes at the same rate as first-timers are trying to get a foothold in the market), we’ve collectively had to rethink the progression of property ownership. That said, even with this shift (and depending on your individual situation), now may be the ideal time to make your play up the ladder in a more traditional climb. Additionally, there are certain criteria that all potential property ladder climbers should determine before they make their move up. Our Homewatch Newsletters specifically isolate content from our informative blog and our growing social media presence on Facebook, Google+, Instagram and Twitter, that directly address the homeownership experience, particularly what follows after a completed real estate transaction: the ‘living’!
Each month we share the tale of what one of our buyers have recently purchased in our Home of The Month feature. In this installment, we follow a creative millennial who, when he contacted me, was living in his first property purchase – a 470-square-foot soft loft in River City on Lower River Street near King Street East. As smart and stylish as the condo and complex was, during my client’s three year tenure there he discovered he didn’t fully sync with the environment. He found the modern architecture too placeless, the property management too constricting, and his suite – facing the 11 storey sister building – lacking the privacy he desired. Thus began his search for s dwell that better suited his style and energy. Continue the journey here!
July’s installment of our Dear Urbaneer series is entitled, ‘Should I Replace My Vintage Windows When My House Is Considered A Teardown‘, and discusses the issue of how to efficiently and smartly care for aging housing stock. In Toronto, where so much of our existing housing will soon be considered obsolete, many owners are trying to balance the necessity of repairing and maintaining their property (including windows) for personal comfort and enjoyment, without over-spending on improvements the next buyer may deem to have little to no value – especially if that buyer will like raze and rebuild. Here is the client query: “After weathering many years, the original 1960s feature five-by-five pane bow window in our living room overlooking our wooded ravine garden has been causing some headaches. Several of the seals are broken, which has resulted in condensation, fogging, paint damage and seemingly more maintenance than is worthwhile. We are considering replacing this window, which I love, but it seems the only option available is unappealing, in part because the proposed window solution fails to complement the architectural integrity of our house, and because the new window frames are substantial which reduces the amount of glazing and obstructs our panoramic view. Do you know of any alternative suggestions? We’ve been advised when we sell the house and downsize, within the next 5 to 15 years, the buyer of our property – which is located on a generous 25 x 255 foot treed ravine lot in an established downtown east neighbourhood – will likely tear our house down and build a luxury residence.” Read my advice here.
Urbaneer team posts a bunch of blogs each week, where we share our love of all things real estate and Toronto! According to Urbaneer.com’s monthly statistics, our most read blog was ‘Urbaneer’s Picks For The Best Beaches In Toronto‘. This piece was a fun one! We began writing about the beaches closest to one of our listings, but we felt bad leaving out some of our other favourites! Though it’s not exactly real estate writing per say, we know that we’re very lucky to be able to live in the fantastic city we work in, and being able to offer our clients experienced-based opinions on Toronto’s neighbourhoods and amenities is invaluable! Looking to dive into summer? Check out the beaches that make the biggest splash with us – and why!
The second most popular post was ‘Toronto Real Estate, Yellowbelt Zoning & The Missing Middle: Part One’. This piece strikes a more serious chord, examining how a lack of variety in the city’s housing stock, along with restrictive and antiquated urban planning policies, contribute to Toronto’s housing crisis. The affordability issues challenging the majority of low- and middle-income households in both the ownership and rental sectors are not unique to Toronto. This is a global problem affecting many urban centres and metros across the world. If you’re itching to know more, we recommend seeing a documentary called ‘PUSH’, which wrapped up last week up at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema and is now working it’s way across the country in a series of festival premieres.
Browse the July 2019 Newsletter here!
And – for lovers of unique urban spaces – don’t miss our sensational Toronto real estate listed for sale or lease on our site for your consideration!
We LOVE Toronto real estate!
Steven & The Urbaneer Team
Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage • (416) 322-8000
http://www.urbaneer.com • info@urbaneer.com
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*Love Canadian Housing? Check out Steve’s Student Mentorship site called Houseporn.ca which focuses on architecture, landscape, design, product and real estate in Canada!