March 2015 - Ottawa's CondominiumsOttawa's Condominiums

Monthly Archives: March 2015

Parking Spots are Falling out of Favor with Many Condo Buyers

Mar

Parking Anyone??

Parking spots are falling out of favour with many condo Buyers, thanks to the proliferation of car-sharing services, a greater emphasis on transit and walkability by city dwellers.

Louie Santaguida, president and chief executive of Stanton Renaissance, had planned to build up to four levels of underground parking at his On The GO Mimico project, a condo development under construction in the western part of Toronto. However, Santaguida says most buyers snatching up the units pre-construction aren’t keen to shell out for parking spots, given that one of the building’s selling points is that it’s situated right next to a GO Train Station that can transport residents downtown in minutes.

Santaguida is planning to apply to the city to have the building’s parking spots requirement reduced.

“We’re hearing more and more about developments that are coming up along good transit nodes that are actually asking for leniency around no parking spots, or minimal parking spots,” he said. “The trend is moving away from vehicle ownership, especially in urban centres like downtown Hamilton, downtown Montreal, downtown Toronto and downtown Vancouver. Because there’s adequate infrastructure to get you where you need to go on a timely basis and quite frankly, in most cases, sooner than you can using a vehicle.” – Louie Santaguida

Vancouver developer Jon Stovell, president of Reliance Properties, says the City of Vancouver has been encouraging developers to reduce the amount of parking that they build, in order to reduce traffic congestion and encourage other forms of transportation including walking, biking and public transit.

“The parking ratios have been going down steadily for a long time, and they’re getting to some really low levels now.” – Jon Stovell

He also noted that developers used to build up to two parking stalls per unit. Now, many are only building one parking stall for every two, condominium units.

In Toronto, Tribute Communities has erected a 42-storey condo tower with no permanent resident parking — just nine spots reserved for a car-share service. Knightsbridge Homes is proposing a similar development in Calgary.

Mar

Gotham Condos Ottawa is Move-in Ready

The countdown to occupancy in on!

Gotham Condos Ottawa is move-in ready for even the pickiest of condo connoisseurs. Built by Lamb Developments, the highly anticipated Gotham Condo Ottawa development is set to occupy this coming April 2015. I had the pleasure to walk through the project last week (March 15th, 2015) and the project is certainly everything it was cracked up to be after all the hype three years ago when the building sales launched.

The attention to detail throughout this building is without a doubt, pound for pound the best in the city. With the prevalence of builders consistently fighting to keep costs down, it is a breath of fresh air to see all of the extras that the Gotham Condo Ottawa is offering. From the subtle accents, elevator ceiling heights of 10+ft, gas appliances, tinted exterior glass with a bluish hue, gas lines on all of the balconies and terraces, solid core doors, details in the casings and door trim, to the in your face 10ft glass doors that usher you into the building, you will have no choice but to appreciate that Ottawa’s condo scene is growing up.

In terms of availability, the building is mostly sold out, but units will come up for resale in the coming years. The select units that remain unsold are a combination of builder units and assignment units. These unit are set to be ready to view and/or occupy in the next few weeks. My Coles Notes to keep in mind if you are considering a purchase in this building:

The 4th floor offers an extra foot of ceiling height; and
Contact us for more information 😉

Gotham Condos Ottawa is move-in ready and priced from the low $200k’s up to the Mid $600k’s. The floor plans offer from 400 sq ft to over 1.400 sq ft of living space, plus balconies and/or terraces.

The photos attached to this blog feature a couple completed units that I walked through as well as the buildings party room with outdoor terrace. Gotham Condos Ottawa is move-in ready, so what are you waiting for?

Check back in for an update!

Mar

The Hideaway Condo Ottawa

Hideaway Condo Ottawa or ‘Hideaway at Central’ is now gearing up for final closing and title transfers. This is when the units are officially transferred from the Developer to the Purchaser. The latest updates from the Developer are estimating a registration and final closing date of April 25th, 2015. Hideaway Condo Ottawa has been in interim closing since November 2014. Interim closing is the time in between when occupants begin moving into their units and when they officially close on the unit (title transfer date). During this time the soon to be Owners pay the Developer a fee for access to their units. This fee is a sort of rent and is comprised of property tax, interest, and condo fees. This fee is not credited back to the Purchaser on title transfer date.

In case you are not familiar, Hideaway at Central is the final part of a three-phase condominium building developed by Urban Capital in Ottawa, ON Canada. The building is jam-packed with amenities and located in the trendy Centretown neighbourhood. The amenities include an outdoor pool with cabanas, a large BBQ at the terrace, a gym, media room, concierge and a party room. Hideaway at Central is the third phase of the Central condominium development in Ottawa. Central Phase 1 Condo Ottawa is freestanding building between Gladstone Ave and McLeod St. Just across McLeod St, Central Phase 2 Condo Ottawa and Hideaway Condo Ottawa stand. Central Phase 2 Condo Ottawa and Hideaway Condo Ottawa are connected. Despite the buildings being separate and unique condo corporations, Central Phase 2 Condo Ottawa and Hideaway Condo Ottawa do share a few common elements. Namely the outdoor swimming pool and the common terrace. These shared elements are documented in the condo bylaws.

Units are priced between $220,000 and $420,000 and typically rent in the range of $1400 – $2300 per month. In the Hideaway Condo Ottawa, the smallest one-bedroom floor plans are branded as the ‘Blue Palace’ units at 410 sq ft. One of the more mid-size and likely the most popular floor plans are the ‘Lalu’ units at 609 sq ft.

There are always units for sale and also for rent popping up between these three buildings. If you or anyone you know is interested in these developments, please reach out to us!

Mar

Opportunities in Understanding Zoning in the City of Ottawa

Opportunities lurk… with this, there are many Opportunities in Understanding Zoning in the City of Ottawa. As part of the city of Ottawa’s attempts to re-intensify (increase density) in the city centre, they published new zoning by laws and regulations in 2011. These bylaws can drastically affect the highest and best use of properties. Hence, knowing and understanding these by laws opens doors to the possibility of extracting value where it was not before, or others do not know exists.

Residential zones in our city are divided into 4 main zones. R1, R2, R3, & R4. Each of these zones have sub-zones that further classify the usability of the subject property that you may be interested in.

City of Ottawa R3 Zoning

Click here to learn more about my favourite money-making zone – R3. This Zone is not overly complex, the barriers to entry are relatively achievable, and scope of understanding/proficiency needed to navigate profitably is definitely attainable. As you read through the zone, you will find yourself looking at a chart that outlines the available uses of a specific parcel, as well as lot area requirements, minimum frontage requirements, set back requirements, etc.

At a glance, this may seem like numbers on a page. If you look closer and really try to absorb this information you may find yourself (as I did) driving up and down streets in mature R3 zones. You will be looking for large side yards that may be severable and sellable, side by side duplex’s that may be able to be subdivided and sold separately, the list goes on and on.

In summary, opportunities are out there. Understanding zoning regulations will definitely help with making smart real estate investments. Even if you are just purchasing your primary residence, understanding that there may be fall back development potential can turn out to be a huge financial gain. Increased knowledge reduces risks, and I would say, understanding zoning is a must.

As always, feel free to shoot me any questions you may have, whether about opportunities in understanding zoning in the City of Ottawa, condos in Ottawa, or anything real estate.

Jeff

Mar

Residential Negotiations 101

Deal-making is at the center of a Real Estate Professionals job every day when taking part in residential negotiations. With this, there have been noticeable similarities and common denominators present in the majority of residential properties that our Buyers have picked up at what can be viewed as a “steal”.

The three most critical pieces of information that need to be understood prior to entering into nonemotional residential negotiations are:

Don’t even consider a negotiation without this piece of info: “How much did the seller pay for the property and when did they buy it?” Thinking rationally, it should not matter what the Seller bought a property for because in a perfect world market price would find itself. But since the world isn’t perfect, if you are a deal seeker and you combine a property that was purchased 10 years ago for $200k that is now worth $315k with a Seller that is motivated a deal COULD be on the table at $300k or north. The thought of cashing out or moving on, combined with a nice profit, will typically help facilitate the transaction. Versus the exact same property, except the Seller just purchased it last year for $298k and would be taking a loss at $300k. The second Seller may be more inclined to sit tight and wait for $315k to cover their loses.
How many days has the property been on the market for? This element is pretty obvious – Days on market combined with motivating mitigating factors can often lead to a low ball offer being looked at more seriously than if the property had been on the market for two weeks.
Has the Seller purchased another property yet? Or any other motivating factors for them to move? The thought of carrying two properties can lead consumers to act irrationally. If possible, look into this. Even if the Seller holds their hand close, have your Agent test their position with the old ‘offer and walk’ technique. This approach will likely lead to a call back in a few days and a possible deal!

Deals are in the details!

Monthly Archives: March 2015

Parking Anyone??

Gotham Condos Ottawa is Move-in Ready

The Hideaway Condo Ottawa

Opportunities in Understanding Zoning in the City of Ottawa

City of Ottawa R3 Zoning

Residential Negotiations 101

The three most critical pieces of information that need to be understood prior to entering into nonemotional residential negotiations are:

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