Blog : Stephen Pryce

Opportunities for first time condo buyers!

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Considering everything we have experienced this year, there are a few bright spots. One is the housing market in Toronto and surrounding areas. We have witnessed daily the pain small and large businesses are experiencing in an economy propped up by the federal government but the strength of the housing market also tells another story of an economy that is still growing and is resilient to an overall wobbling economy. In the last recession the Toronto housing market faired very well compared to other parts of the country and now Toronto is demonstrating that again. There are bright spots for first time home buyers interested in buying a condo. In the 416 condo apartments have declined 3% in price. The other bright spot is for first time condo buyers. The First Time Home Buyer Incentive will be increased for specific markets including Toronto. This incentive may get you… View Article

We had a hot August!

Date: September 2020 / Source: MLS Data/Stephen Pryce

August in Real Estate is usually a sleepy month. This is a time where families are concentrating on vacation’s more than buying a new home. This year everything is different because of Covid. We had our Spring market start in June and has carried on through August. The fall market is now here and I am sure September will be a busy month for properties coming to market. Will buyers be there to purchase? I believe so! One of the reason’s is families are looking for more room. Working from home has taken on a whole new aspect to a home’s function. Many condo dweller’s are especially feeling the squeeze for space and will be looking to move into the freehold market. There are many buyer’s waiting for the market to correct (prices reducing). I don’t see this for freehold but there… View Article

Don Mouth naturalization and Portlands Flood project.

Date: Aug. 2020 / Source: Stephen Pryce / Waterfront Toronto

Over the last few decades the Don River has become a go to place for people to exercise, get away from the concrete jungle and to have a good time with their time off. The mouth of the Don River where it flows into lake Ontario is an industrial eyesore. It’s not just an eyesore but also has become a flooding issue when we get major storms. When the Don floods so does the Don Valley Parkway and Go transit tracks and surrounding areas. When it floods, it really floods! With future development to the north and south of Lakeshore Blvd, a plan was developed to capture this water overflow and debris. Also, to naturalize the mouth of the Don River. This is a very big undertaking! Currently water flows from the Don into Keating Strait, then into Lake Ontario…. View Article

Strong market sales!

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Year over year stats can be misleading especially this year with Covid-19. Covid-19 delayed what would have been an extremely busy spring. Our spring market this year started in mid-June and continued through July and I am sure to some extent will continue into August. Traditionally July and August are slower months compared to other months for the real estate market. These current sales stats will show year over year sales have had a big swing but it’s all relative to what the market does normally for this time of year. Important info here is home prices are still climbing even though there is a large volume of leases available. To date, this has not affected the housing market with particular focus on condominiums. Investors are taking short term pain hoping for long term gain. Will this change when mortgage deferrals end?

No one has a crystal ball!

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but, Real Estate data can point us in the right direction. Covid-19 really made a mess of people’s plans to buy and sell property during the spring market. The spring market is the busiest time of year for Real Estate. Now that Toronto is slowly reopening, the Real Estate Market is picking up steam! Overall listings year over year are down for freehold houses and condos. What happens when you have less supply on the market? There is more demand for the properties that are on the market! June stats show year over year prices have escalated. Has Covid-19 affected the Real Estate market? It has in a big way and the entire reality of Covid-19 has not been fully played out. The alarming part of these stats are lease listings. As I write this newsletter there are over 5700 condo units… View Article

My basement renovation

Date: April 2020 / Source: Stephen Pryce

Any renovation you do needs to answer a few basic questions. Why do you want to renovate? Are you maximizing your space? Is there value in the renovation? If you honestly answer these questions you will know right away if you are wasting your time and money. I have seen many basement reno’s that kinda suck. The only reason they suck is they didn’t maximize their space and throwing money at a bad idea is like flushing money down the toilet because the reno did not add value to your property. This is how I answered my basement reno questions. 1. To add a guest bedroom and entertainment area in the basement. 2. The floor plan has utilized every inch of space. 3. This basement renovation adds real value to this 2 bedroom home by adding a 3rd bedroom and… View Article

Queen’s Quay East Redevelopment

Date: Dec 2019 / Source: Stephen Pryce

This video is focused on the redevelopment of Toronto’s east end waterfront. Toronto’s growth in 2018 was over 77,000 people. This population growth explains why Toronto has over 120 cranes in the air. Queen’s Quay East is seeing and will see massive change. The redevelopment of this area is well thought out and has brought the biggest property developer’s in Canada to build new condominiums to satisfy the future growth of Toronto. Toronto is now North America’s 4th largest city! This city has a lot to offer and a high standard of living.

First-Time Home Buyer Incentive is ready to go!

Date: August 2019 / Source: Stephen Pryce/ Government of Canada

The First-Time Home Buyer Incentive is ready to go for September 02, 2019. The first closing on properties will take effect on November 01, 2019. What’s a “closing”? This is when the property title is transferred to your name making your property purchase official. Do you qualify? Maximum property purchase price is $565,000 You must be a first-time home buyer. This program will require a buyer having a minimum of 5% down to a maximum of 20% down for a property under $500k and a buyer having a minimum 10% down to a maximum of 20% down for a property over $500k. The household’s income must be under $120,000 and the mortgage and incentive amount together can’t be more than four times the household income. Your mortgage will need to have mortgage insurance through 1 of the 3 mortgage insurers in… View Article

Kiss the 70’s goodbye!

Date: July 2019 / Source: Stephen Pryce

As with a lot of Toronto, Galleria shopping Centre is on the way out and a huge development called Galleria on the Park is on the way in. Included in the development by Elad and Freed will be Wallace Emerson park and community centre. This is a 12 acre development that will start building later this year. The development is aiming for a 2030 finish date. When finished there will be nearly 3000 residential units. Over 300,000 sqft of retail space and 21,000 sqft of office space. Over half of the 12 acres will be park space with a new community centre. There will be a new road that will run diagonally from Dupont to Dufferin split the park from the proposed condos. This will give the park the needed access to breath new life into it. All the buildings… View Article

Laneway Suites: Sweet condo alternative!

Date: June 2019 / Source: Stephen Pryce

Over the last few years City council has been working on laneway suites. Now property owners are starting to pay attention to the advantages of having a rental property that is not in their principal property. Laneway suites can come in different styles and layouts but there are lots of rules that govern laneway suites. Most of the rules revolve around property rights and safety. What’s the advantage for renters? This is a condo alternative. Not everyone likes condo buildings. With this unit there’s no waiting for an elevator. Laneway Suites will help reduce the need for rental housing and will enhance neighbourhoods with large lots. This is a great idea and I am sure all will benefit from this idea.

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