Liberty Village ($280k-$650k) C01

NB: we're now downtown and parking is not always superb, so before you set out try and check out this site for a nearby Green P:

www.greenp.com, this site is great, it will even provide you with hourly parking rates!

What can I not say about this area. The area has done a 180 since the early 90's when the only "real" loft I remember was an illegal one in the King and Dufferin area where friends used to live. Still by far one of the coolest real lofts I've seen. Yes, there was a time when it was not a good idea to take your French bulldog for a stroll in this hood. Now, it's all changed. When the townhomes on Sudbury Street went up around the late 90's early 2000's, it was really the only project there. It was quite desolate and boring. Forget grocery stores and gyms, there was nothing. I couldn't beg a young client to even take a look at anything on Sudbury nevertheless anything further west. The response was always "ickk".  Slowly more projects started to crop up, 1001 King Street West, the original DNA buildings (1005 King Street West, 1 Shaw Street as well as the condo lofts on the north side of King West east of Shaw, 1000 King West) About six years ago, around where the old Barrymore furniture factory used to be (now home to West Elm furniture), a whole new plaza emerged with a 24hr Metro grocery store as well as other ammenities. It looks really great. There's even a Starbuck's. That could be good or bad:)

The demographic as one would surmise is made up of mostly young professionals. Liberty Village stock serves as a first time buyer destination.

As far as condo stock, this is the place to be if you still want that downtown vibe without feeling like you're living in an office tower at Yonge and Bloor or stuck in clubland. You have you have a variety of townhomes from the larger units to the stacked units on Sudbury to the neat Massey Ferguson lofts on the south side of King West near Strachan Avenue and everything in between. As far as prices you can expect these days to be paying at least $280k for a junior 1 bedroom and that's minus parking. It's still quite affordable in this area as opposed to places around the King/ Spadina corridor. In Liberty Village you can still easily find places below $500/psf threshold.

Currently, the former Jeep/Chrysler dealership on the north/east corner of Shaw and King West is slated for condo development (DNA3). In addition, as you travel west on King West past Sudbury you will find a recent development of decent townhomes on what is known as Joe Shuster Way.

This area has changed remarkably, it's not just the graphic designers district of King and Dufferin. Take a drive and see what you think. For those hipsters out there (ya'll know who you are, yes you in the Canada Goose jacket, I kid I kid..) you can even venture by foot to the Drake or Gladstone if that's your cup of tea.

Definitely a great neighbourhood not to miss during your search!

Trinity Belllwoods ($575k-$950k...depending...) C01

Another fab neighbourhood just north of Liberty Village that's bordered by Shaw Street to the west, Bathurst to the east and going north towards College Street can be deemed Trinity Bellwoods. This is and has been such a vibrant and cool hood that you can't help but have a smile on your face whether you're stuffing your face with baked goods from Clafouti or attacking a dish of pasta at Noce or visiting Timmie the doggie boutique or again stuffing your face at good ol' Dufflet pastries. I swear I could turn into Slimer from the Ghostbusters the moment I walk in there and I'm not even a cake person!! Enough of this food sideline, perhaps you get the picture.....Oh, I almost forgot the Trinity Bellwoods park. I once did an experiment with my handsome cousin and my fluffy dog to see if the combination of cute dog and cute guy can get any attention from the opposite gender. My non-scientifically based experiment worked. So NB to single men looking to buy in the area, a cute non-threatening dog is a must. Good grief, I seriously digress. Back to real estate now.

As far as demographics, I won't start psychographically segmenting the folks that live here as I would be digressing even more. Generally, this area attracts cool, educated professionals that want to be downtown yet in a community that appreciates all the independent merchants as well as respecting the architectural intergrity of some of the more Victorian styled homes in the area as well as others.  These folks want to be in walking distance to all that is relevent to them and they don't want to be in what they would consider cookie cutter type housing.

This area offers decent fashion, great food, great gift shops, a park and access to public transportation, namely the red rocket as you're not on the subway line.

As far as condo/ loft stock you have the iconic Candy Factory, 993 Queen Street West (south/east corner of Shaw Street and Queen Street West),  FYI..this building was kinda one of the first proper hard lofts in Toronto. I remember getting a postcard flyer in the mail advertising the Candy Factory, was very excited....On the next block you have the Chocolate Company Lofts, I sense a food theme. This building is located at 955 Queen Streeet West and features some pretty decent units. A bedroom and den might set you back around $400k and that could be without parking. Further west past Massey Street you'll find again on the south side 901 Queen Street West. This is the L-shaped building that wraps around a heritage structure. You don't really find more condo/lofts along Queen West until you get past Bathurst and that's a different ball of wax altogether.

All in all, whether it's a loft, semi-detached, detached or attached row home, you'll find it here in Trinity Bellwoods.

Downtown Core  C01 ($300k++)

For the sake of this section, I'll begin by talking about all that is south of Bloor Street West and east of Bathurst up to Yonge Street (fyi: the downtown district of C01 is bordered by Yonge Street to the east, Dufferin Street to the west and Bloor Street West to the north). Frankly so much has happened to this chunk of downtown in the last 5 years, the last 10 years.....that at times I don't even recognize the landscape. This part of the city has experienced the most building intensification in the whole of the GTA. Parking lots that I used to park in downtown have all given way to condos. Much of this building began slowly in the early 2000's and later in 2005 started to take off. Much of this demand was and continues to be fuelled by both foreign investors as well as downtown professionals looking for a pied-a-terre or young people looking to get into the property market for the first time as well as empty nesters looking for a paired down abode. There are so many projects to talk about here that I could drone on forever but I promise I'll try and do an executive summary of sorts.

Starting south along the lake around Fort York Boulevard and going east towards Bathurst you'll find a whole new community of condos on what used to be one of the sites of Molson Breweries. Opposite, in the early 2000's, builders created a fab loft from the old Tip Top Tailor building. South of that building, townhomes were built by the water in the early 2000's and recently another project was built directly behind the Tip Top place. The whole of Queens Quay has experienced a bit of a renaissance to say the least during the past years. Many quality buildings from the past remain as do new ones mainly on the north side of the street and closer towards York Street. All in all, it would be unfair of me to name buildings that I think are better then others. These days with the proliferation of downtown properties it's a question of which niche building will suit your lifestyle needs best. In addition, you may think about being in building that fits into your demographic. For instance you may or may not depending on your age want to be in a building with many 20-somethings as some of these places sound and look like adult dorms. This actually appeals to some but not to others for obvious reasons. 

I can't avoid mentioning the City Place maze of buildings as the aim of the builiders, Context, was and is to build a condensed community of 15,000 or more moving westward towards Bathurst.  A kind of condo utopia of sorts? Anyhow, the first series of buildings were built between Blue Jays Way and Spadina along Front Street  in the early 2000's and were considered a big deal given the ammenties that included an indoor basketball court, great enterainment rooms and smart-wired units among other features. Needless to say these buildings found their market and more were built to the south on Navy Wharf Court, Bremner Boulevard and Mariner Terrace. These are the buildings that surround the Skydome, oops...it's the Rogers Centre now (too bad, I'll always call it the Skydome). This building bonanza continued west of Spadina and still south of Front Street West on what used to be the city's only downtown driving range, that was pretty cool. Now this site is home to more buildings on streets named Brunel Court, Telegram Mews (who named this?) and Capreol Court and of course something familiar, Fort York Boulevard.  These buildings generally cater to a younger demographic that works and plays in the core.

As we move north of Front Street West towards Queen and King West, yet another building renaissance has taken root. Many fab buildings have emerged along Bathurst towards King West. This area is now home to the soon-to-be luxury Thompson boutique Condo on King West behind the existing hotel located at 550 Wellington Street West for the Conde Nast Traveller type that likes all things shiny and uber stylish. Nothing wrong with that. The hotel part is in full stylish swing. This hotel represents the extension of this American hotel brand now north of the border with existing hotels in LA, New York, DC and Chicago. This ain't no Super 8.  

In addition, some decent buildings line Stewart Street as well as Portland. 

There is also plenty of decent stock between Niagara Street and Bathurst both on the north and south sides. Recently Minto has started to build it's new project, The Minto at 775 King Street West on the south-west corner of King West and Tecumseth on what used to the former Paul Wolf Electric supply store site. This new project will be located beside what are the Gotham lofts. From this location you can walk to Queen West restos and shops as well as saunter along King West for more goodies. If you have a car, you'll appreciate Planet Car Wash at King and Bathurst on the south side opposite 700 King West. They'll clean you up real good!

Wait.....can't find a certain hood? There are more area profiles coming! It takes a bit longer as I write these myself. I try and not flaunt my bias around:)

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