Montreal Real Estate Blog » Development & Construction

VIDEO: Micro Condos – Radio Canada Documentary

Deya Bautista — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:37:59 +0000

On the topic of Micro Condos in Canada and the United States, Radio Canada made a documentary covering the different condo markets in the cosmopolitan cities of Montreal Vancouver and San Francisco. It shows us the differences between our (montreal) micro-condos and what they have to offer in space and layout in comparison to the ones in San Francisco, for example.
A snapshot of the micro-condo owner’s minimalistic lifestyle, the way their unit’s layout and furniture is used to maxime the space available is quite interesting, even for those who own larger units.

If you’re wondering what the hype about Micro condos is about or whether or not small units are for you, then this is a must watch! – This version is in french. We’ll be publishing an english one as soon as we know of its existence.

Enjoy,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COQePZ9ttis

Source: McGill Immobilier

Posted By: Deya Bautista - Real Estate Broker working as part of the McGill Immobilier team. Specializing in high end condos in downtown and Old Montreal. For buying or selling contact Deya at: 514.917.7889 http://montrealrealestateblog.com/

Under Renovation: Building on Ave Des Pins and St Laurent

Deya Bautista — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:14:33 +0000

Photo taken on Dec 2008

Finally, the burned down building over at St Laurent and Ave de Pins it’s beings getting restored.

It’s been a few years since the building was shut-down due to a fire and without any signs of future renovations. It remained abandoned for the longest time. Doors closed, windows boarded up. You would think that being located at such a great corner [ St Laurence and Des Pins], someone will quickly get the place back in shape and get the commercial units rented again. Nope, not for this building anyway. The first picture was taken in December 2008. The good news: Someone finally took charge of this building.

Check out the ongoing renovations

Continue reading: Under Renovation: Building on Ave Des Pins and St Laurent

Montreal French Super Hospital CHUM Keeps On Growing

Deya Bautista — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:32:05 +0000

Last time I wrote about CHUM, the site was being prepared for the new building. The old structure was being demolished. Now, look at it all grown up.

In a matter of just..what? 20+ months, this project went from (its previous building) being demolished, having the foundation done in the summer of 2010, then to this (see image below)

And now, what you see here is the building facing Viger/st Denis…

You can see the glass walls are up and they are working pretty darn fast to get the job done.

Meanwhile…

Continue reading: Montreal French Super Hospital CHUM Keeps On Growing

On Montreal Ritz Carlton, Condos and Diamonds

Deya Bautista — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:18:28 +0000

Remember the Ritz Carlton closing in the summer of 2008? Two weeks ago it was announced that the Project – estimated for 150 millions, with 130 rooms and 48 luxury apartments, will be delivering by December 2011 or January 2012.

And, get this: More than HALF of the units are already sold AND the majority of buyers are QUEBECERS.

The Ritz’s CEO expected less local buyers. And I admit, I did too.
A friend once said (about the project): There is no way that Montrealers are jumping to buy a 2 to 12 million dollar condo when they can get a house for that amount (I listened and softly disagreed). And he continued: Even the ones who have that amount of money won’t do it. Only New Yorkers do that kind of purchase.

New yorkers and Torontonians. At the time of that conversation, there was no news about multi-million condo purchases like the 28 Million dollar condo in Toronto.

Back to the Ritz Carlon Condo- and before I forget to mention: The jeweler Tiffany will be opening shop in the Montreal Ritz. Good enough reason to purchase a 12 Million dollar condo? You tell me.

In the market for a condo? Contact me to view the best units in town!

How to Protect Yourself When Buying New Construction

Deya Bautista — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:20:51 +0000

Following up with the article: New Condo Building Collapsing. Another great article by William Marsden from the Gazette, on how to protect yourself when buying new construction. The tips are quite interesting, I will add my own comments between the square brackets [ ]

The New Home Guarantee covers new condos that are part of small, one-to-fourstorey condo buildings. Highrise condo buildings are covered by private insurance plans.

Like all insurance policies, it’s important to understand fully the conditions of the Quebec government’s plan so you can protect yourself at every step during and after the construction process.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS:

1. Check with the Régie du bâtiment that the contractor is properly licensed and check his experience. Just because he holds a licence to install a foundation doesn’t necessarily mean he knows what he’s doing. [ Very Important!! - also check for any awards won by them, written articles and reviews about their company etc]

2. Make sure you read the entire condo purchase agreement so that you know exactly what you are buying and so that you understand your rights and liabilities relating to your condo and your building’s common spaces. This will help you make sure that at the end of construction, you get exactly what you were promised and that you are not liable for unforeseen payments to, for example, unpaid subcontractors.

3. The warranty covers up to $39,000 as a down payment. So don’t pay more than that. If the contractor goes bankrupt, you will probably lose anything above that amount. [ Again, do your homework about the previous work from the company to establish their credibility, financial strength, etc. Some units, depending their price, will require more than 39K as a downpayment

Continue reading: How to Protect Yourself When Buying New Construction

Interesting: Développements McGill Family Investment Program

Deya Bautista — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 17:00:08 +0000

I came across this great new program for young buyers in Old Montreal, specifically for students (and their parents) wanting to purchase a condo with low downpayment. Développements McGill created a new Family Investment Program that offers a fantastic purchase options. Here are the details:

“We have formed an partnership with the Royal Bank (RBC) to enable families with children aged over 18 studying or working in Montreal to enrich their family assets by buying a new condo in a booming neighbourhood with one of the highest value appreciation rates on the Island of Montreal,” said Stéphane Côté, President of DevMcGill.

The partnership lets DevMcGill offer first-time buyers very advantageous terms, including:

joint mortgage application by parents and children, if desired, making it easier to get a pre-approved loan;
the child’s name only on the property deed, qualifying the condo as a principal residence and exempting it from capital gains tax when it is resold;
very modest down payment (starting at 5% of the selling price);
guaranteed interest rate until construction is completed to shelter the buyer against any rate increases;
$1,000 rebate on notary’s fees when the transaction closes.

To read the full press release visit their website: English version. Version Français

For more information on the Family Investment Program and the M9-3 project, visit the sales gallery at 800 Wellington St. in Montreal or the DevMcGill.com site.

About Développements McGill: For 10 years, Développements McGill has been building intelligent living spaces for tomorrow. Its award-winning projects, including Le Couvent Outremont at the base of Mount Royal, Le Caverhill, Le 777 and Le Orléans in Old Montreal, and Square Benny in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, speak to the imagination.

Checking up on Swatow: Chinatown’s Newest Development

Deya Bautista — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:23:56 +0000

Photo: Deya Bautista

We were due to give you an update on the latest (and best looking) chinatown construction. So, here you have it: The all new and completely finished Swatow Plaza. Looking sharp, looking proud. It even looks sexy, if that can be possible for a building. There is only one tenant moved in, and so far it looks like the rest of the building is pretty much empty. Not sure what kind of shops will be occupying the shopping plaza, let’s just hope it isn’t going to be another import-type of business. Looking forward to new restaurants, boutiques and whatever higher-endish business they can come up with.

This is a sneak peek of the first tenant, an antique furniture store. Not yet 100% settled in, but the owner Mr Cheung seems quite accommodating.

Will be posting on the new shops as they move in. Any additional info you may have on the new shops coming to the Plaza please share them on the comments section!