Your Neighbourhood – The Village

Conveniently nestled between Yorkville to the north, Cabbagetown to the East, the Bay St. corridor to the West and Carleton St. to the South, the “Village” as it is now known is one of Toronto’s jewels.  

Long considered to be Toronto’s Gay neighbourhood, including a history that dates back to when canada was young, it has a lot to offer to anyone, not just the GLBT community.  The community is very strong here and supportive of it’s own residents, including businesses.  You won’t see much in the way of chain stores there as the BIA frowns  on them.  A few coffee shops and pizza places are present, as well as some decent restaurants.  You will see unique shops for clothing, eyeware, art and travel in the area.  There are some nice specialty shops too, like a very good butcher (Cumbrae’s), a bread and cheese shop, and even a chocolatier!  The Village is one of the only neighbourhoods that can still boast an old-fashiond hardware store.  Go into Dudley’s Hardware on Church and you will see how business used to be conducted.   Church Street also has some of the best restaurants in the city with places like Byzantium and Fusion.  If you like a good patio in the summer, then this is the place to see and be seen!  

You might ask if this is a neighbourhood that is just for the gay community, but consider this, a single woman is very attracted to this neibourhood because she is safe there.  There are lots of young married couples with children living there too!  There’s even an elementary school right on the corner of Church and Alexander.  

Culturally, this is the home of the National Ballet School of Canada.  You can often see the students lined up at the various establishments at lunchtime. The Village has it’s own theater, Buddies In Bad Times, which is has put on critically successful productions. Add to this the annual events that take place such as Toronto Pride which attracts around a million people every year and is always a peaceful celebration of diversity. Literature events that require the street to be closed to traffic, intriguing events like the Fetish Fairs are something to indulge in, even if only as a spectator.  Nuit Blanch has this area as an installation site.

Let’s not forget Hallowe’en in the Village is something that has snowballed into a night which allows us all to express our inner Mr. or Ms. Dress-up for people and pets of all ages and ilks! 

The residents in the Village thrive on their community and embrace all who live there.  It’s not an exclusive culture, but a warm and inviting one.  

Largely, the inhabitants of the village are gay men, which makes it a warm, friendly and flamboyant place.  The weekends are lively and it’s not unusual to see a drag queen walking down the street on the way to a gig! 

There are lots of places to live in the Village including quite a lot of condo developments that are both new and a little older.  The newer ones offer the Chic environments with the best updates of today’s condo market.  While the older ones offer larger spaces with healthier reserve funds and they are often renovated so that you get the best of both worlds.

The Pros vs: Cons to buying "NEW"

Lets face it there are advantages and disadvantages when it come to purchasing through a developer whether its a condo or a detached home. 

A number of people out there are buying from builder off plan, rather than pr-existing homes or condos that are ready to move in. Buying off plan is basically purchasing a property based on the drawings and proposals submitted by the developer, usually before  any work on the property has even started.  

Sales from off plan in recent years have flown off the shelves, selling within 72 hours of their release. In many cases, off-plan buyers have seen their properties appreciate significantly before they have been given their keys!

The Pros:

- Buyers get into the development before it even launches which mean lower prices per square foot. The overall price for the property is much lower then it would be then buying it as re-sale.

-Flexible payment structure. Most developers require a minimum of 15% until closing, some even can work a better payment plan. This is also good where you can budget yourself, you have some time to put together each deposit because its not all required at the same time.

-You get to take advantage of developer incentives, could be cash back on closing, 3 years free condo fees, upgraded finishes and much more.

- You are able to choose from a variety of floor plans. In some cases the developer will allow you to add some of your personal touch to the floor plan with some minor changes to the layout.

The Cons:

- Delays in construction- closing can be pushed several months. This could be due to good old mother nature.

-Can be risky, your buying something you don’t see physically.It can be tough at time to visualize. You have to base your purchase by word of mouth and reputation of the developer.

Some other things to keep in mind:

-Read all the documents before signing, especially the sales and purchase agreement, which contains important information about proof of ownership, resale restrictions, penalty clauses, and building delay penalties. Buyers should be clear about the details of all of these provisions.

-Research the developer, find out what other developments they have completed and what the overall satisfaction is.

mls.ca

MLS.ca is a fantastic way to start yourself into the Real Estate market. You get to see whats new and available on the market, check out photos and neat virtual tours.You are able to get information on different locations and neighbourhoods. Find out whats close by and what are all the hot attractions and entertainment hot spots.

The downside of the system is that is not updated on a regular basis.Some homes you may be viewing may have sold 3 months ago. Or a home you have your heart set on may have a had price reduction and you had no idea. This is why its a good thing to hook up with a REALTOR in your local area. They have there own mls system that is updated every minute of the day, if there a price reduction or any status change they will be the first to know!

Another great feature is the “prospect match” your REALTOR can set you up on this system where you will get a report almost everyday at midnight with all the new listings, and updated information, this will also save you lots of time instead of sitting on the computer looking through 20 pages of listings that are all outdated. All you need to do is sit down with your representative and outline your buying criteria( price range, # of bedrooms, parking,square footage, balcony etc). He/she will then input this into the system and you too will be the first to know of any changes. Its really easy and if you come across a listing you are interested in viewing, all you need to do is contact your real estate salesperson and give them the “MLS number”, they can pull this listing in a flash and book you a private viewing right away. This will also give you a good sense to what is out there in market and any activity.

So if your looking to purchase, find a REALTOR in local area and ask them to put you on a prospect match! With the help of a REALTOR you will be well on your way finding that dream home!

Your Neighbourhood – Entertainment District

We hear about it on the news, all the partiers reveling and exiting the bars in the area and wonder, what kind of neighbourhood is it really? Well, it hasn’t stopped the developers from going into that community to build! Why? Simple, it’s not about the Entertainment District so much as it is about culture and location. Culture includes those nightclubs but it also includes other places of more refined culture such as the Four Seasons Center for the Performing Arts, Roy Thompson Hall, The Princess of Wales Theatre, and all the great restaurants along King St. West.    Let’s not forget the sporting venues like the Rogers Center and the ACC!

There is another thing that is overlooked in this area, it’s proximity to the downtown business core. There seems to be an invisible line down the center of University Ave. that separates the two communities, while one has a reputation of being wild and crazy, the other has the opposite attraction, just business. The real deal is that the people who live on the west side of University are also crossing the street to work in the big towers. For them, they have the best of both worlds, walk to work, minimal commute time, and no need to drive after a few drinks.

Now, we’re seeing prestige enter the hood with new ultra-luxury projects like Ritz-Carleton and Living Shangri-la, which is going to be one of the most impressive new buildings to grace the Toronto skyline!
Think about this, if you own a relatively new condo in that area in the middle price range, a few years from now, when you find yourself nestled among the extreme wealth of ultra luxury condo owners and high end world travelers, the value of the little one bedroom suite that you bought is going to leap. Think of how Yorkville has been transformed from a hippie-den in the 60’s to what it is today? Property values there are astronomical, and why? Because the area has neat little boutiques, like Queens St. West does, great restaurants, like King St. West does, big luxury hotel chains such as Four Seasons…get the picture?

There is inventory on the market in the Entertainment District, and it’s going to be very valuable very soon! It takes some balance of pro’s and con’s but in the end it’s about the investment, and the future of the neighbourhood.

Tips to get a SOLD SIGN on your front door step…ON A BUDGET

When you decide to put your home on the market there are a couple things you should do first. Take a walk through your home an jot down some things that need some TLC. In most cases those minor little improvements you make may make your home more appealing to potential buyers and get a “sold” sign on the lawn sooner.

So you take walk through the kitchen, whether your have $150.00 or $6,000 dollars a little can go a long way. For example, change the hardware on your kitchen cabinets. By replacing them with a more modern clean handle this simple inexpensive improvement can give the kitchen a totally different look.

$200.00-$500.00 do a little DIY and install some nice undermount lighting, new updated kitchen faucet, or some snazzy pendent lights over the kitchen island. Adding light gives the space an airy open feel, this will really grab the buyers attention.

$3,000- $5,000 cabinets look a bit dull out dated? try painting them! Old clunky appliances go out and check out some new stainless steel appliances. Just by painting and adding new appliances it can really take a traditional kitchen and make it modern and sleek looking.

Take a walk into the bedroom…The number one thing noticed when you walk in is the BED.

$150.00-$250.00 go out and buy some new fresh linens and bedspread. If you go with a plain duvet, jazz it up with some colourful pillows or throw and tag along a nice crisp bed skirt.

$200.00-$250.00 try and find a nice leaning wall mirror of a clean simple mirror you can put above the bed. This will give the room an illusion that it is larger.

$200.00-$250.00 Give the bedroom a fresh coat of paint. Try keeping it a warm neutral colour.

Revive your laundry room, there’s nothing worse then walking into a laundry room that is cluttered and unorginized.

$100.00-$200.00 give the laundry room a fresh coat of paint, make it look fresh and clean. Stay neutral and use a calm soothing colour.

$300.00-$500.00 replace the old aged floor with some nice new ceramic tiles or stone use a material that is easy to clean and is durable.

$500.00-$1,000.00 add some nice custom cabinets and shelving. This way you can keep all your cleaning supplies all tucked away and have none exposed. This will make it a real functional space.

The exterior is next, first impression does count! this is the first thing potiental buyers will see. If you have dead plants, over grown shrubs, cracked driveway etc it wont look good and some buyer may just walk away.

$200.00-300.00 give the garage doors a face lift with some fresh paint, re- paint any window shutters etc. Cut back all over grown trees and shrubs. Plant some nice flowers and maybe place a nice potted plant at the front entry. Try laying some dark red wood chips all aorund the garden area, it will give it a nice clean pop of colour.

$300.00-$500.00 add some curb appeal buying replacing that old light fixture and put a nice new one. Change the numbers on your house with a more modern style. Place a nice new doormat with a hint of colour, you have to try and give your home a nice welcoming entrance.

So if your thinking of selling, take a stroll through the house and before you put out that For Sale sign on that lawn. Make sure you make those small minor improvments in most cases it may get you an offer quicker then you expected.

Good Luck!