Buying a New Condo: The Pros and Cons

You can buy a new condo from the developer before or during its construction and also before the condo corporation is formed. A developer may have some unsold units available after the condominium has been completed and registered.

In some markets, the developer may wait to sell a large percentage of the units before registering the condo corporation or even starting construction.

Usually, a deposit is required to secure or reserve, a condo unit in a new development.

Buying a new condo. The Good Side:

• New home warranty protection. (Up to five years)
• You have more choice of locations within the building; floor level, different views, etc.
• Customized design (in some cases); more options and upgrades to choose from.
• Newer buildings have less risk of having to undergo costly repairs and renovations.
• The purchase price could be lower than resale market condos. Especially in pre-sale phase of the construction.

Buying a new condo. The Bad Side:

• If the constructions have not started, you cannot physically see what you are buying and have to rely on floor plans and sketches that are subject to change.
• Your initial deposit will be locked up for the duration of construction.
• Some banks may refuse to give you a mortgage if the condo corporation has not been registered.
• The construction of the units may not be completed by the expected date. And the delivery date can be a lot later than originally agreed.
• It’s possible that you may move into your unit while construction continues in others.
• Last but not least; More taxes. New constructions have to pay GST and QST. (Not the same as the Land Transfer Tax) But, the good news is: you might be eligible for a housing rebate.

So there you have it. The choice is yours.

Still want to buy a new condo? Send us an email. Perhaps we can help you.

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Montreal’s most expensive condo. Whoa!

As you already know, Montreal’s first quarter market reports were released last week, and the average price of a condo is now $205,000, a 2% increase from last year. Well, a price like that won’t get you much in Montreal’s hottest spots.

If the average price is 205k, what’s the most expensive apartment for sale at this moment? We searched online for properties over 3 million in the metropolitan area, and came up with 3 winners. But this one gets the cake:

It’s located in Old Montreal. The asking price is over 4 million, Read more

Condo Market Forecast: Montreal and Quebec City.

Condo markets in Montreal and Quebec City will post moderate price growth through 2012, offering solid opportunities for first-time homebuyers and feed the need for accessible, affordable housing in Quebec, according to new data released today by Genworth Financial Canada, a subsidiary of Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE:GNW).

Genworth’s Winter 2008 Metropolitan Condominium Outlook reports that Montreal’s average resale condo price will rise from $175,555 in 2008 to
$203,591 by 2012, while in Quebec City resale condo prices are expected to climb from an average $134,872 in 2008 to $154,304 by 2012. Prices will increase, on average, 3.5 per cent a year in Quebec City and 3 per cent a year in Montreal between 2008 and 2012.

“Condos remain an affordable and attractive option for first-time homebuyers. With the average price for a detached home in Quebec expected to exceed $269,000 this year, the condo market remains an important entry point for first-time homebuyers,” said Peter Vukanovich, president of Genworth Financial Canada.

Read more

The right of undivided co-owners to exclude a potential buyer

The buying of undivided co-ownerships is getting more popular in Montreal, specially in the Plateau area. And it’s quite understandable why. There are advantages over the divided co-ownership (condo), specially when talking about Condo fees.
When buying the undivided, this is an important piece of information to have, both for real estate agents, as well as buyers:

“A real estate broker or agent entrusted with the sale of a co-owner’s share in an undivided co-ownership property must know that the other co-owners have the right to exclude a potential buyer.

In this regard, it is important first to take a look at the indivision agreement that governs the relationship between co-owners. These agreements often require that a co-owner offer his share to the other co-owners before offering it to a third party, or provide for the other co-owners to be able to match the third party’s offer for this share, following the terms of the agreement. A seller who decides to ignore these terms exposes himself to legal action and potential liability for damages.

(…) Whether resulting from the indivision agreement or the Civil Code of Québec, it is important that the seller and any potential buyer be informed of the rights of the other co-owners and their impact on the transaction under consideration. In order to minimize the risks, it is recommended that a waiver of this right be obtained from the other co-owners as soon as the brokerage contract is taken up. This waiver should be drawn up by a lawyer. If it is not known whether such a waiver exists, it is suggested to make any promise to purchase conditional to the seller providing copy thereof to the buyer.”

Source : ACAIQ. Read the original article