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Anyone have a price per sq ft source for T.O. condos?

O

Oliver Tweed

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Is there a publication that keeps up to date ppsf data? I've seen some figures listed before, but I don't know where they are taken from. I would like to know. I'm looking around at condos, but I'm not too concerned about amenities. I like to leave my place to go to the gym, go to bars, cafes, watch movies, etc. I don't want to waste time looking at a bunch of condos with stuff I don't need. Don't get me wrong - some people might love to have a mud bath in their building, but I know I would never use it if there was one in mine.
 
Urbanation keeps track of all the data you are looking for.
 
Urbanation is very comprehensive but is aimed at real estate professionals, appraisers, etc. The current quarterly issue costs $2,500, and the annual subscription costs $7,750. You can get a slightly reduced "module" referring only to the new condo market at $2,250 per quarter, and only for the resale market at $1,750. These prices probably aren't within range for most people.

Best advice I can give is to choose your section of town, then start visiting sales offices to pick up price lists. You can calculate prices per sq. ft. fairly easily from these.

Watch out for premium prices being charged for units on upper levels. Typically a price list will state a base price, referring to the lowest floor on which that particular unit is found, and premiums will be added per floor going upward. This is OK if the building has a view. It is an unjustified marketing ploy (IMO) where there is no view to speak of, and being on a high floor basically means little other than having to spend more time on the elevator!

Since in-house amenities don't seem to mean so much to you, you might save some time by focusing on smaller projects which typically have fewer amenities.
 
Thanks everyone. I know I've seen a list of 6 or 7 projects with their starting psf prices listed, but maybe they were just calculated the old-fashioned way.

Smaller projects are something I hadn't really thought of looking at, but as amenities are somewhat lost on me, maybe I will.
 
Urbanation is very comprehensive but is aimed at real estate professionals, appraisers, etc. The current quarterly issue costs $2,500, and the annual subscription costs $7,750. You can get a slightly reduced "module" referring only to the new condo market at $2,250 per quarter, and only for the resale market at $1,750. These prices probably aren't within range for most people.

The Toronto Star pretty much quotes them every single time they have a condo market analysis article.

I'm curious to hear if anyone here (i.e. real estate pros,etc) has subscribed/read/used one of their reports? And if so what there thoughts on it were?

What they have in terms of samples on their website are fairly broad in term of analysis, if those samples are indicative if the real reports.

Most of the re-sale stats can be harvested from torontomls.net if you are dilligent enough. The new sales data is where I would find value.
 
Also, although this information might have been discussed before I was wondering if anybody who deals with the condo market has a more comprehensive list or source of criteria by which condo square footage is calculated. I have no interest in purchasing a condo but I do deal with other types of real estate and it is my anecdotal impression that condo square footage seems a bit high relative to the occupiable space. For instance I heard that they are allowed to calculate square footage to the exterior of an outside wall, which if true one could imagine easily adds considerably unoccupiable space to the square footage number assigned to a corner unit.
 
Tarion (previously Ontario New Home Warranty Program) sets out the standard methods of calculating floor areas, which builders are required to use. For condos, measurements are to the exterior surface of the exterior walls, the exterior surface of the corridor walls enclosing the unit, and the centre lines of demising or party walls. (Note that this definition will probably differ slightly from the description given in the legal "Declaration" which establishes the condo corporation, which usually specifies that you own to the interior surface of the exterior walls, with the walls themselves being "common elements".)

For high-rise buildings, you use measurements on the floor which is halfway up the building, to recognize that the lower parts of the building may include larger stuctural supports and units on these floors may therefore have slightly less useable space. Units toward the top of the building may have slightly more space as structural supports are thinner.

Balconies are not included unless they are fully enclosed and heated and can be used as living space year-round. Of course, a separate measurement for open balcony space can be stated.
 

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