The Montreal Real Estate Blog

“The Conservatives have no plan for the city’s waterfront, but they announced a ‘land-assembly’ project nonetheless

L. IAN MACDONALD, The Gazette

Published: Monday, April 23, 2007

The hardest part of any big real estate deal is usually assembling the land before speculators get wind of it.

That’s in the private sector.

In the public sector, as in the crown land along the Montreal waterfront, the biggest challenge is settling turf wars among multiple stakeholders within the federal government.

Or even, as in the case of Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon and Public Works Minister Michael Fortier, getting two people in the same room as they were at the Montreal Board of Trade last Friday.

Cannon and Fortier shared the same stage, but stood at different podiums as they announced that nearly 5 million square feet of federal land on the waterfront would be “rehabilitated and developed” by the Canada Lands Corporation. Fortier acknowledged that the setup of twin podiums looked more like a debate, but assured the audience he agreed with the announcement.

The sensibilities in orchestrating such a joint appearance can only be imagined with their offices, where when staff refer to “the minister,” they mean their guy, not the other guy.

Let’s see. Cannon is the Harper government’s Quebec lieutenant, meaning he’s the senior political minister for the province. This means nothing is supposed to happen here without his signoff. And as transport minister, he has 17 crown corporations reporting to him, including Canada Post, the Port of Montreal and the Old Port of Montreal, all of which figured in the land assembly announced Friday, but none of which talk to each other on a regular basis.

Senator Fortier is the minister responsible for the Montreal region, which means nothing happens here without his say-so.

A redevelopment plan for the Montreal waterfront usually involves a grandiose scheme for the Bickerdike Basin next to the Port of Montreal headquarters on Cite du Havre. For years, there has been a steady procession to the port’s president and CEO, Dominic Taddeo, who always explains that Bickerdike is an important part of a $2-billion-a-year business.

But this time Taddeo was prepared to part with three non-strategic assets, the Pointe du Moulin north of Bickerdike, the Rue des Irlandais at the foot of the Victoria Bridge and the restored waterfront segment of the Lachine Canal.

In addition, CMHC is prepared to sell some fallow land on Cite du Havre and Canada Post has agreed to unload a disused mail-processing plant and parking lot on Ottawa St.

Canada’s New Government, as the Conservatives still style themselves after 14 months in office, call this land assembly “Montreal’s New Harbourfront.”

Harbourfront? That’s a Toronto turn of phrase, and not necessarily a felicitous one. The redevelopment of the Toronto waterfront has mostly been a series of high-rise condos, which obstruct the views of Lake Ontario from a city already cut off from the water by the elevated Gardiner Expressway.

In Montreal, there are enough stakeholders to fill a Chamber of Commerce lunch to overflowing. There’s the city of Montreal, the province of Quebec, the CN and CP railways, the Port of Montreal and the Old Port, developers, lawyers and lobbyists, not to mention community activists in the southwest part of town.”

source: Montreal Gazette

That gentle spring rain is great for your garden, but it’s not so nice when you’re dealing with a leaky roof. If you’ve noticed peeling wallpaper, cracked paint, stains on the ceiling or actual drips that you have to catch in buckets or pots, you need to think about fixing your roof.

A few things you should know about roof repairs

The best-case scenario is that a section of your roof will require patching or repair. The worst-case scenario is an expensive recovering or replacement of your entire roof. When determining which scenario applies to your roof, interview some quality roofing professionals and consider these facts:

- A roof needs to be replaced every 20 to 30 years, on average, depending on materials, installation, weather and maintenance
- Finding the source of a leak can be challenging, even for roofing pros, and repairs can get pricey if you have to keep calling them back for additional fixes

When a new roof is your only option

Your chosen roofing professional has advised you need a new roof. Now, you have a number of new questions to answer: Read more »»

Highly recommended for first time buyers (and even the experienced ones!),
Keep up with new brokerage laws and stay informed in order to buy wisely.

This is a free buyer’s guide given by the Broker’s Association (ACAIQ) where you can learn valuable information that will increase your knowledge of a real estate transaction.

The Real Estate Brokerage BUYER’S PRACTICAL GUIDE. (Revised edition)
It comes in a PDF file, free to download and review.

Happy reading!

Remaining objective can be a difficult task when viewing an open house. It is easy to fall in love with a home’s appearance, blind to problems that may make it unsuitable. While aesthetics can be an important consideration, it is necessary to look beyond window-dressing.

A qualified home inspector should be hired before purchasing a home, but there are areas that consumers can examine on their own. This will shorten your list of potential homes and reduce the likelihood that a home inspector will reject it as unsafe or unsuitable. Here are some considerations and common problem areas to look for when touring an open house: Read more »»

Some homeowners are tempted to try selling their property without the help of a real estate agent (this is called FSBO: For Sale By Owner). The reality is that selling real estate is a complex and highly specialized field.

If you are like most, your home is your biggest asset. An agent will help steer you clear of the many pitfalls, and most importantly, will save you time and money. Here are just a few of the advantages of working with an agent: Read more »»

If you’re thinking of selling your home, you need a marketing plan. Just like any other product people buy or sell, a home’s value must be communicated to the proper audience to ensure the seller gets the best possible price.

Marketing your home means more than putting up a lawn sign and sticking an ad in your local newspaper. You need to have a complete marketing plan that takes into account your home’s unique qualities, your objectives and details the specific resources available to you.

Your planning should begin as soon as you choose a Realtor, and often even before that. Part of your marketing plan will involve pricing your property, deciding when to list it and what features need to be cleaned or repaired. At this stage it is essential that you are completely honest with your Realtor about the condition of your home, your financial needs and any time constraints.

Once you have the basic information established, you need to get to the “guts” of the marketing plan, or determine how best to let people know that your home is for sale and get them excited about it. You need to keep in mind when you are planning that there are two key target audiences: home buyers and other real estate agents. You will need different marketing vehicles to effectively reach each audience. Read more »»

[Prospective Buyers and Your Neighbours DO notice]

The summer months are the perfect time to freshen up the exterior of your home. Whether it’s for your pleasure or to impress potential buyers, you’ll boost your home’s curb appeal with these good old-fashioned cleaning tips:

- Edge the gardens, clean out debris

- Pull the weeds and rake the leaves

- Prune the plants and wooly shrubs

- Plant some urns by the entrance and flowers to the beds

- Tidy the garage of winter trappings

- Dispose of rusty broken garden decor

- Put out a fresh welcome mat and oil the front door

- Paint the windowsills, mailbox, and anything else that is looking tired

- Place clear light bulbs in exterior fixtures, and ensure burned out bulbs are replaced

- Reseal the driveway

- Hide the garbage cans

- Sweep the step

- Fix the saggy gutters

Who says cleaning has to hurt? Get the kids involved! Borrow or buy a power washer and have fun cleaning siding, windows, sills, railings, decking and patio furniture.