Move-Up Buyers See Substantial Increase in Values at College Park

ReMAX Condos Plus Corp. Brokerage, one of the top real estate companies in Toronto, released their monthly condo market report today that highlighted units at College Park Phase 1 (a very successful Canderel Stoneridge condo development) on Bay Street in downtown Toronto.

They examined sales from 2008 and compared same sized units and price per square foot with today's market price. Some units that were sold last year have increased in value up to 26%.

For example, ReMAx examined a 1 bedroom + den unit at 720 s.f. with a locker and no parking sold this year for $490,000 or $680 s.f. Fourteen months ago the same unit sold for $338,000 - What an astounding increase in such a short period of time!

Their findings show that bigger units and higher floors are starting to attract premium pricing and are appreciating faster - the impact of move-up buyers. They also concluded that College Park Phase 1 has the highest price per square foot on the Bay Street corridor today.

Prices in College Park Phase I and Phase 2 are approaching the same values at AURA. Visit or call the AURA Presentation Centre today to take advantage of pre-construction pricing and availability.

Read the full Market Report by ReMAx Condos Plus Brokerage (December 8, 2009)

Home Sales Up 84% First Two Weeks of November

The Greater Toronto REALTORS reported healthy home sales for the first two weeks of November. Home sales are up 84% with 3,666 sales compared to the same time span the year before.

Tom Lebour, President for the Toronto Real Estate Board says, "Increased interest in ownership housing has been widespread throughout the GTA and across all housing types."

The mid-month report provides a compartive summary on November sales and average prices for 2008 and 2009 for the City of Toronto.

Read the full summary, GTA Realtors Report - Mid November Housing Figures (Toronto Real Estate Board, November 18, 2009)

Sales of Luxury Homes Increase in the GTA

According to a Remax Ontario Atlantic Canada report, there were 1,706 luxury homes sales of $1 million or over in the greater Toronto area from January to September 2009, an increase of 1 per cent over the same period last year.

Amid a recession, the buyers of these million dollar homes are in fact local buyers. "A considerable shift is under way in the upper end," says Michale Polzler, executive vice president of Remax. "Conditions are more balanced across the board."

Read Tony Wong's full article "Sales of GTA luxury homes inch higher amid recession" (Toronto Star, November 3, 2009)

The Preferred Collection: Exclusive Offer

AURA's Preferred Collection highlights the upper floors (56-70) and penthouse floors (72-74) of the building. Flowing layouts, fabulous finishes, superior amenities and never ending views are hallmarks of this impeccable collection of two bedroom plus den suites and penthouse suites in Canada's tallest condominium.

Now through November 15th, take advantage of exclusive incentives* for the Preferred Collection suites. Speak to a sales representative for further incentive details. Visit the sales office today for your personal tour.

Executive Suites: 2 bedroom + den suite ( 1319 sq. ft. ) starting at $887,000 (HST included)
Take a Virtual Tour

Penthouse Collection: 2 bedroom + den/library (2201-3055 sq.ft.) starting at $2.3 million (HST included)
View Penthouse Collection

*Terms and conditions apply. Offer ends November 15, 2009. See sales representative for details. E.& O.E.

August Sales in the GTA Boost Ontario Home Sales

Nationally, Canadian existing-home sales increased 18.5 per cent in August compared with the same time last year, according to figures released yesterday by the Canadian Real Estate Association.

Existing home sales in the GTA rose 27 percent in August helping to boost Ontario sales. "Record-low borrowing costs combined with the growing realization that the economic storm is passing have fuelled the remarkable turnaround." says BMO Capital Markets economist, Doug Porter.

Porter also remarks that Canada's housing market has "fully escaped the clutches of a potentially lengthy, harsh downturn."

Read Tony Wong's full article "August sales heat up our housing market" in the Toronto Star (Sept. 16, 2009)

Early Augst Home Sales Suprise Experts

Toronto housing market experts didn't expect the resale market to return so quickly when they had previously forecasted a dramatic slowdown for this year. "Its caught a lot of people by surprise," said Shaun Hildebrand, senior market analyst for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

In the first two weeks of August, realtors reported 3,843 sales, enough to put the year-to-date figure at 54,303 sales, up slightly from the 54,138 sales recorded in 2008.

The Toronto market started showing positive signs in May then really started to blast off in June and July with continuing upward trends in August.

Read Tony Wong's full article "GTA home sales exceed 2008 place" in the Toronto Star (August 19, 2009)

New Condo Sales in Toronto Hit 2,963 Units In the Spring

Sales of new condominiums in Toronto surged in the spring totally 2,963 sold units from April to June up 223 percent from 917 units sold from January to March of this year.

Consumer confidence, low interest rates and first-time home buyers have helped drive the spring market.

"This is certainly better than most people had expected," said Ben Myers, executive vice-president of Urbanation. He said July figures for new condo sales are also expected to be positive, noting "sales seems to be going well."

Read Tony Wong's full article "Sales of New Condos Surge in the Spring" in the Toronto Star (Aug 5, 2009)

Opportunity for Retailers to Own Coveted Space on Yonge St.

Business owners who are interested in owning a piece of the last prime retail space available on Yonge St. are welcomed to attend a Special Preview of The Retail Shops at Aura Condominiums, located at the subway level of the building.

Own a coveted retail space or food court unit in downtown Toronto's most anticipated condominium AURA, located at the busy intersection of Yonge St. and Gerrard St.

Retailers at Aura will benefit from the direct underground access to the College Park subway station and future connection to the PATH network, not to mention the 2000 residents who will be living at AURA.

Take advantage of this unique opportunity!

RSVP by email or phone by Aug 6th.
Open House: Sat. Aug 8th and Sun. Aug 9th from 12 noon - 6pm
Location: AURA Presentation Centre 717 Bay St. (ground floor)
Tel: 416.962.8688 or Email: admin@collegeparkcondos.com

Visit http://www.retailataura.com/ for more information

Refreshments will be served. Validated parking is available.

Canderel Stoneridge's Own Riz Dhanji is The Master Condo Marketer

The aura of sucess surrounds Marketing pro, Riz Dhanji - the man who single handedly has redifined the way condominiums are marketed in Toronto, Canada.

Dhanji is vice-president of Sales and Marketing for developer Canderel Stoneridge Equity Group. Thanks to Dhanji's power of persuasion, many people have bought downtown condos. Dhanji has won two prestigious BILD (Building, Industry and Land Development) marketing awards for Marketer of the Year.

His 'out of the box' marketing techniques has led to several successful condominium projects around the city but AURA is by far Dhanji's biggest project. With over 900 units and more than a million square feet of residential space, it's like selling two towers, he says.

His carefully crafted strategies for AURA resulted in a huge lineup prior to the day the sales office opened. AURA has been the the fastest selling project in the city's history.

Read Gale Beeby's full article "Beyond the Bricks - Riz Dhanji: The Master Marketer" in the Toronto Star (July 25, 2009)

Photo credit: Tim Fraser for the Toronto Star

Your Private Terrace Over 1,000 Sq. Ft. Perfect for Summer Entertaining

AURA's suite of the month is a luxurious two bedroom residence on the 14th floor with an oversized terrace that's fit for entertaining. Entertain al fresco on your private 1090 sq. ft. terrace while you indulge in breathtaking views of downtown Toronto.

This exceptional, one of a kind terrace suite even comes complete with a beautifully landscaped outdoor space, private jacuzzi and gas bbq hook up - perfect for entertaining or impromptu gatherings. Escape from the everyday and relax in your own private sanctuary above the city.

The sweet life awaits you....Only one suite remains.

View the last 2 bedroom terrace suite

View this suite's private 1,090 sq.ft. terrace

Toronto Housing Sales For June - Over 10,000 Units Sold

Toronto's existing home market suprised economists with a better than expected resurgence in June.

Last month's resale numbers for Toronto reported 10,955 units sold which came close to the historic record of 11,146 units sold in May 2007. June is the second best month ever in terms of sales this year showing a positive come back in the market.

Read Tony Wong's full article "Canadian housing market rebounds" in the Toronto Star (July 13, 2009)

Get In On A Suite Deal! Custom Furniture Package Included with Your Condo

For a limited time only, AURA is offering to furnish select suites at no extra cost.

Purchase the 1N+D or the 1M+D (1 bedroom + den suites) or the 2A3 rev (2 bedroom suite) and you'll receive a custom designed, luxury furniture package* included with your condo.

Professionally designed furniture package comes complete with modern style dining table & chairs, bar stools, sofa, coffee table, TV console, desk and chair, queen size bed frame & head board and more. Furniture pieces have a retail value of CAD $10,000.

Plus - you'll receive a one year warranty, delivery service, installation & full customer service before and after furniture delivery - All you have to do is move in!

Email or call the AURA sales team for more info today - Only a few suites remain with this incentive. Offer ends July 31, 2009.

View 1N+D 680 sq. ft. - - 66th floor

View 1M+D 713 sq. ft. -- 66th floor
View 1M+D Kitchen, Bedroom & Den

View 2A3 rev 786 sq. ft. - - 56th to 70th floor
View 2A3 rev Kitchen and Ensuite

*Terms and conditions apply to furniture packages. Furniture packages can not be combined with any other incentive offer. Speak to sales representative for further details. Prices and specifications subject to change without notice. Offer ends July 31, 2009. E.& O.E.

AURA's Connection to the World's Largest Underground City - The PATH

The PATH system is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest underground shopping complex in the world boasting 4 million sq. ft. of retail space and 27 km of shopping arcades with future plans to expand to 60 km.

Canderel Stoneridge, the developer of AURA Condominums, is collaborating with the city of Toronto to expand the PATH so that it includes a direct building access to AURA at the P1 level right through to the College Park subway station.

AURA's future connection to the PATH means residents will enjoy underground access through the downtown core plus access to a range of new retail stores and restaurants proposed for the PATH connection.

Read Emily Senger's full article "$65M PATH expansion raises hopes of waterfront-to-Bloor system" in the National Post (June 8, 2009)

The City of Toronto

Consistently voted as one of the world's most liveable cities by the Economist magazine, Toronto is one of the safest, diverse and most culturally rich cities on the continent.

Toronto offers a vibrant and cosmopolitan mix of businesses, entertainment and culture, and is home to over three million people. It is also Canada's financial centre.

For these reasons, many foreigners find Toronto an attractive place to move to and a valuable place to invest in real estate properties such as condos like AURA situated in the downtown core.

View video of Toronto - Start Tour
Video courtesy of Travel Video

Bay St. Housing Prices Increase in Value

A recent report on housing price movements by neighbourhood indicate that the Bay Street corridor spanning from Bloor St. (to the North) to Queen St. (to the South) and from Yonge St. (to the East) to University St. (to the West) reported one of the highest increases in resale housing values in all of the GTA for the first quarter of 2009.

Resale prices in the Bay Street corridor were up 21% from last year with the average resale housing price of $377,001 from January to March 2009. Another reason why AURA at College Park offers the best opportunity for capital appreciation in the downtown core.

Read the full report "Early Signs of A Rebound" in the Globe and Mail (April 24, 2009)

Photo Credit: By REUTERS, Reuters Pictures

People's Choice for City's Best Architecture

Nominees for 2009 PUG Awards - Vote for Your Favorite

The Residences of College
Park II, a Canderel Stoneridge development at College and Bay Street in downtown Toronto, has been nominated for this year's PUG Awards - a people's choice award for the best and worst architecture in the city.

Last year, College Park phase I came in third place out of all nominated buildings in 2008.

This year you'll find a variety of structures to vote on including the revamped AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario), the eye-popping Toronto Life Square building (inspired by New York's Times Square), and several newly built condominiums and business centres.

Voting is done online and is open to everyone until
May 31, 2009.

Vote Now at http://www.pugawards.com/

Investors Attracted to Condos for the Long Term

More people are seeing condominiums as an attractive investment opportunity than was the case a year ago, according to a survey released yesterday.

Toronto-Dominion Bank said 44% of respondents in a survey of urban Canadians said conditions had improved over the past year with regard to the prospects of buying a condo for investment purposes. That was up from 21% in a similar survey done last year. The bank said lower prices and mortgage rates are the main reason people are being drawn to condos as a way to make money over the longer term.

Read the full article from Canwest News Service "More see condos as investment: survey" in the National Post (May 5, 2009)

Kid Friendly Condos

There's a growing number of families choosing the convenience of downtown condo living. Larger suites in condos like AURA allow for urban living with a growing family.

A new highrise trend led by the Condo Generation is pulling into downtown.

A small but growing number of "Gen-Con'' parents are forsaking dreams of family homes – you know, the one with the white picket fence and the swing set in the large backyard – for condos in the city. There are already family-friendly buildings in downtown Toronto and Mississauga, with more on the way.

Read Stephen Weir's full article "Bring baby the new highrise trend" in the Toronto Star (May 2, 2009)

Save Your Money - Avoid the HST

Many homebuyers in the market today are asking the same question - How will the new harmonized sales tax implemented by Dalton McGuinty affect my new home purchase? The feeling is quite similar as to when the government implemented the new land transfer tax last year. Everyone was rushing to purchase as quickly as they could to avoid the new tax.

A similar situation has been created, however introducing this new provincial plan at a time when the economy is suffering does not make things easier for home buyers. For example to purchase a $500,000 home after July 1st 2010 could end up costing you an additional $40,000.

When construction costs increase, so will the price of new homes and condos in the City of Toronto. As of now there are only two options in order to avoid this tax in the City of Toronto if you are purchasing pre -construction real estate. They are as follows:

1. Purchase a pre-construction condo under $400,000 as units at this price range are exempted from the tax.

2. Purchase a pre-construction condo before July 1, 2010 in order to avoid the tax.

Toronto home buyers have still not recovered from last years imposition of the new City of Toronto land transfer tax. In a market where the volume of new home sales has dropped, the last thing Ontario needs is a new 8 per cent tax on legal fees, agent commissions and other costs related to the purchase and sale of new condo.

Author:
Erica Smith
Sales Representative - AURA Condos

The Rebirth of A Depression-Era Dream

College Park is on the upswing of a roller-coaster ride of boom, bust and boom all over again. A revitalized Eaton's College Park building with its iconic, five-star Carlu Hall, has reignited an economic fascination for one of downtown Toronto's most prestigious and historic blocks, bounded by College, Gerrard, Bay and Yonge Streets.

Canderel Stoneridge is poised to begin contruction of AURA, a 75 storey condominium tower just south of College Park at the corner of Yonge and Gerrard. The residential skyscraper will cover the last street level parking lot along Yonge St. downtown. It will create a vertical community of close to 3,000 people on a block that was once supposed to be the retail epicentre of Canada.

Read Stephen Wier's full article "The Rebirth of a Depression-Era Dream" in The Star (Nov. 8, 2008)

Just How High is 75 Storeys?

If you can't image what a 75 storey tower will look like once its built in the heart of downtown Toronto, these images of AURA put it all into perspective.

The first image is an actual photo of Yonge Street coupled with slick computer graphics to show the tower already built. It gives you an amazing future view of AURA looking North on Yonge Street from the popular Eaton Centre, a shopping attraction for many tourists.












Above is an actual aerial photo of Yonge St. and Gerrard St., the site where the tower will be constructed. Once completed, this awsome skyscrapper will soar 75 storeys high or 243 meters into the sky making AURA the tallest residential tower in all of Canada and North America for that matter! The Toronto skyline as we know it today will be forever changed.

Get a closer look at the Yonge St. & Gerrard St. aerial shot here.

Photo credits --Top: Scott Dickson, Bottom: G+C Architects

Retail Giant Reaches for the Sky with First Urban GTA Location

Bed Bath & Beyond Signs Lease At Canada’s Tallest Condo; First Downtown Site For Home Superstore in Canada

Canderel Stoneridge Equity Group, a leading real estate developer in Canada, announced details of a lease agreement with domestic merchandise and home furnishings superstore Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. The company will lease approximately, 50,000s.f. in the podium level of Canderel Stoneridge’s new condominium at Yonge and Gerrard, called AURA, establishing the retailer’s first urban location in Canada.

Read full news release on newswire.ca (Nov. 11, 2008)

New Retail Alliance with Canadian Brands

Developer Leases More than 20,000 s.f. to Sir Corp and BMO at Canada’s Tallest Condo

Toronto, February 4, 2009— In an agreement which company officials believe demonstrates confidence in Toronto’s commercial and residential real estate markets, Canadian developer Canderel Stoneridge Equity Group today announced lease agreements with Sir Corp and BMO, for a total of more than 20,000 s.f . in the podium level of the developer’s new, 75 storey condominium at Yonge and Gerrard, called AURA.

Together with retail leader Bed, Bath & Beyond which, in November 2008, announced a commitment to lease approximately 50,000 s.f. at AURA, BMO and Sir Corp restaurants Canyon Creek and Alice Fazooli’s will anchor the commercial component of what will be Canada’s tallest condominium.

“With today’s announcement, we have leased nearly two-thirds of the available commercial space and have sold 85% of the 931 condominium units available at AURA,” says Canderel Stoneridge’s Director of Leasing, Michael Vilner. “We see today’s lease agreements, and our continued sales success with condo buyers as evidence that despite today’s pervasive fear, pessimism and ongoing negative headlines, great retailers and great real estate projects will continue to succeed despite the economic slowdown.

“With the confidence and encouragement of our purchasers and partners like BMO, SIR Corp and Bed, Bath & Beyond, AURA will help reinvigorate Toronto’s urban core and help redefine the city’s urban landscape.”