Today we're going through the three things that you need to avoid when buying a condo in Toronto.

My name is Rochelle and I'm a local real estate agent here in Toronto and the greater Toronto area. And every day I help people just like you and you, and you, and you, and you make the move to Toronto. And so if you are thinking of moving here yourself, then give me a shout. All of my contact is down below.

You can gimme a call, shoot me a text, send me an email, or even schedule a Zoom. Call all down in the description below, and I would love to help you make that smooth move to Toronto.

At the time of this recording, it is springtime, which is the busiest time of the year for real estate. This month specifically, we've really seen the market start to heat up. We've seen the average price of a home in the greater Toronto area creep up towards the one and a half. Half million dollar mark, and we're also seeing a lot more sellers entering the market motivated by the idea of getting a few extra thousand dollars for their homes.

At the same time, we're also seeing a lot of buyers entering the market as well. Toronto is big on immigration, and so we've seen huge population growth recently. Plus consumer confidence is up with a lot of Torontonians looking to purchase a home this year.

For The biggest reason that we're seeing an increase in the demand for housing is because of extremely high rental rates in the rental market. A lot of potential buyers are seeing that the cost of renting is pretty much close to the cost of a mortgage on a condo, and so we're seeing a lot more. First time home buyers, specifically entering the housing market, specifically the condo market.

And as more and more buyers enter the condo market, we're gonna see the prices of condos go up.

That brings me to my first mistake you want to avoid, which is waiting for prices to fall before buying. The prices of condos are expected to increase as we make our way throughout the year. Right now, we're seeing a lot of competition between buyers. Bidding boards are common part of the buying process, and that's driving the prices of condos up even more.

But now that we know where Toronto prices are going, the. The next thing you wanna know is how much a Toronto condo's worth Anyways, as a general rule of thumb, Toronto condos are about a thousand dollars per square foot. The average condo in Toronto is about 700 square feet, and the average price of a condo is $700,000.

However, there are other major factors that could affect a condo's price. For example, what floor the unit is on. The higher the floor, the more expensive, if you have a view, views can be extremely valuable, especially if you have a view of Lake Ontario or the Sea Tower Location on the floor matters whether you're an interior unit or in the corner or in front of the elevator.

And of course, location of the actual building is extremely influential downtown close to the Sea Tower along the waterfront, and near Toronto's popular tourist attractions like the Distillery District and St. Lawrence Market are prime spots for some of the city's most premium condos. But one of the most important yet overlooked factors affecting a Toronto condo's price are the building's maintenance.

Fees, and this is the second thing you wanna avoid when buying a condo in Toronto is not understanding the associated condo fees. Why you pay them and what they're for. As a condo owner, not only do you own your unit, but you also own a percentage of things that you share with other unit owners in the building.

Things like the elevators. The hallways, the lobby, the gym, whatever, amenities, these are called common elements, and your condo fees go toward paying for your common elements.

So how much are condo fees? Condo fees vary across the board, but generally the older the building, the higher your condo fees. And that's because as buildings age, the roof needs replaced, the lobby needs updated, things need to be serviced, and so you need more money to cover those items. Generally, the more facilities and staff at the building has, and the higher your condo fees, because having security and concierge is really nice.

And so is having a pool, but these things don't come cheap. And the third thing that will drive up your condo prices typically are when you have a smaller building. And that just comes down to basic math because if you are dividing, say your concierge salary, Between 30 people or 60 people even as opposed to 300 people in a building, then everybody's portion of that cost goes up.

As a rule of thumb, Toronto condos are about 75 to 85 cents per square foot, and so a 700 square foot condo, for example, would be about $525.

The third thing that you wanna avoid is not properly understanding the terms of your purchase of agreement in sale, which is your official contract that you sign when you make an offer to purchase a condo. So in Ontario, a condo contract is different from a non-con contract, so it's really important to understand the differences between these.

For example, a condo contract will go into depth about parking. So when you do per. Just a condo unit, it may or may not come with parking. So if it doesn't, but you need one, then you've gotta be prepared to spend about $50,000 because that's the average price of a space downtown. If you do have parking included, you do need to confirm whether it is assigned exclusive or owned, because those all impact your ability to use it now as well as your ability to sell it in the future if you wanted to.

Another item you wanna be mindful of when purchasing a condo is the unit status certificate. So ev. Condo has a condo corporation, which is made up of unit owners in that building. And when you purchase a condo, your unit comes with its own status certificate that basically tells you the rules regarding your unit.

So for example, whether you're able to have pets, any restrictions on that, or if you're allowed to Airbnb your unit. And it also outlines the financial and legal health of your condo corporation. For example, how much money is in the reserve fund, if there are any liens on the unit or if there are any special assessments that you should be aware of.

Your lawyer will scan the status certificate to see if there are any red flags that you should be aware of, but it is really important that you are able to get your hands on this document yourself, just so that you can get all of the data that you need to make an informed decision about purchasing or putting in an offer on that condo that you're interested in.

By the way, I always help my clients get their hands on their status certificate, so give me a shout right now. If you are planning on buying your next condo here in Toronto, I would love to help you out. Also, if you are getting value out of this video. You then please don't forget to give me a thumbs up and also subscribe to the channel so that you are the first to know about all of my tips, tricks, and mistakes to avoid when purchasing or selling your next property here.

So there you have it. Those are the top three mistakes that you wanna avoid when purchasing a condo in Toronto. If you happen to be purchasing a condo outside of the city Core, then make sure to check out this video, which rhymes off all of the top areas across the greater Toronto area, but specifically a Toko Scarborough.

And North York, and it just outlines those areas in more detail so you get a better feel for what those parts of Toronto have to offer. If you liked this video, then please give me a thumbs up and also subscribe to the channel so that you don't miss out on all things Toronto. I'm talking about eating in Toronto, living in Toronto, working, sleeping, playing in Toronto.

Again, my name is Roal. I'm a local real estate agent across the greater Toronto area. And if you're looking to purchase or sell your next home here in Toronto or anywhere in the gta, then gimme a shout. All of my contact information is down below. You can gimme a call, shoot me a text, send me an email, or even schedule a Zoom.

Call all down in the description below. I would love to help you and your family make that smooth move to or outside of Toronto. Thank you guys all so much for watching. I'll catch you in the next video. Take care.

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[Transcript]

 This is the nicest neighborhood in Markham. Hands down. Wow. But how is no one moving here? Here we are in downtown markup. So as you can see, we are here downtown. Toronto's here. That's. To good 30 kilometers, and you can see that I'm right next to this large urban center. This is the face of Markham's downtown.

I'm with me and let me show you around. It's so cold. It's so, all right, so downtown Markham is, Pretty much defined by everything that you see here, which is 250 acres of fun and entertainment.

Fun fact, in one year, this Cplex, v i p cinemas had over a million visitors and 40% of those were actually millennials. That's a lot of people gonna catch a movie, and they said that movies were dead. No, no one said that. I said, This is Origin Square where they host different events throughout the year.

You can see that it is blocked off right now because it's wintertime and only fools would be out in this weather. But when the weather is good, they do host a bunch of different events here throughout the year. Like the candidate day celebrations. Markham does host one of the bigger candidate day celebrations where they have a big fireworks display.

There are food trucks activities for the kids, and if you come early enough, you might even get free popcorn. Yeah, in August they have the night up Asian Street market, which is a night market that gets really busy. They host it every summer. And uh, they have really a whole bunch of different vendors that sell really unique Asian Street food, like pulled pork poutine, which sounds amazing.

Uh, they also have oyster omelets. That's weird. Right. And uh, actually something called stinky tofu, which I would actually be down to try. And then come September. What's called the downtown Marco Music Night. It's where they feature a whole bunch of different music and live performances from local artists across the greater Toronto area.

So, I mean, it is true that a lot of these events, they are hosted throughout the summer, however, just across the street here, not even a five minute drive. There is also a huge skating rink. It's 26,000 square feet and it's actually the largest outdoor refrigerated rink in the gta. And so you know what? No matter the weather or time of year, there's always something to do here in downtown Markham.

I get a lot of clients from out of town who come visit Toronto before they actually make a move here. So if you are looking for a place to stay while you're in town, then check out the Mark Marriott. It is a luxury. Also, it's gonna be a little bit pricey, but they do have a 24 hour gym. There's an infinity pool and it's right in the middle of everything.

No. Okay. So just as as expected, they are closed. But anyways, this is the pride of Canada Carousel. If you can see inside there, it is a one-of-a-kind merry-go-round where they have Canadian themed sculptures made from reclaimed items. So it is so. It is a landmark here in downtown America, but they were open family day.

Look at that. See Mark in taking care of its residence. By the way, who owns this car? Cause I want it. All right. Sorry guys. I got a film for my car right now because I have something in here called heat. It says it's negative four, but I don't know. I think it might be missing a zero at the end. But with over 350,000 people living here, Markham is the largest municipality in York region.

And the reason why it's one of the fastest growing metropolitans in the GTA is because if it's downtown core right here, Let's go for a drive. So Markham officials designed the downtown area with urbanism in mind. So it is very high density. We've got a lot of condos and office towers and just like tall buildings here already.

And in fact, we have over 2 million square feet of retail space just in the downtown area right here.

So growing the downtown core is a huge goal of the city. You can see here that there are tons of development going on right now. There are cranes and construction. We have 243 acres to work with, and so this. City is going to get very, very big. The goal is to eventually welcome 40,000 new residents to the area, 40,000 new jobs and 20,000 new units, residential and commercial spaces for people to live and work in.

So downtown market has already made a name for itself as a very bustling high energy center of the city. But the overall development plans here are honestly some of the most ambitious in all of Canada. Markham. So known as being the high tech capital of Canada. There are over 400 Canadian head offices here in the city, and so a lot of people are attracted to the city because of job opportunities in the tech space.

If you are a. Students looking to work in the tech space, then welcome to York University. York is expanding with their newest campus right here in Markham, and you can see that construction is already well underway. This is gonna be a 10 floor building that'll. Officially be open in spring of next year.

However, they are going to bring in their first cohort of students this September in select programs. Those programs are gonna center around technology and entrepreneurship, which is fitting, considering that you are in Canada's high tech capital. So we're heading just across the street now. This is the Pan Am Center.

The Mark and Pan Am Center is. Huge community center here in downtown Markham. It was actually designed to host the badminton water polo and table tennis events back at the 2015 Pan-American Games that were hosted in Toronto. But those specific events were actually here at this community center. I really don't know how well we did, but Go Team Canada.

How amazing is this seafood? I don't know, but don't ask Mary things in Markham That make sense. Having this pet store right next to the pet hospital, this is your one stop plaza for all things pet. All right. It's a new day. The weather the last time was not tolerable, and so today we begin again. My hair is straight and let's move on.

So downtown Markham is actually part of the neighborhood called Unionville, and Unionville is very distinctive for a number of different reasons. Aside from the downtown. Shopping core that we just saw. There are also a lot of other options when it comes to shopping. So I'm here at Markville Mall, for example, and it has all of your, well, first of all, it's actually the biggest shopping mall here in Markham, and it has all of your big name department stores like the Bay.

There's Best Buy, there's a Walmart, there's winners. And if you notice, is this the same pink car as last time? Don't wanna show you the license plate, but I think it's what's with all the pink cars.

So you've got all these new specialty shops that opened up like Hitten. They have these really nice. Japanese cream buns that are really popular in Japan.

Uria has a new cafe in their store. The AO K Cafe think.

All right, and I'm about to hit up K and right now, which I'm really excited about because I have the best skincare products from choreo. There's also a ton of shopping in the historic heart of Unionville along Main Street East. This is where you're gonna find a lot of unique mom and pop shops in this charming village like setting.

Okay, and do you guys remember that show, Gilmore Girls? The pilot was shot right here on Main Street in Unionville, in front of this store to Chi Mario. I never watched the show myself, but for some reason I'm proud. That is the old fire hall confectionary, which is like a landmark. Here on Main Street in Unionville.

Do you want some pretty things? Pretty things. Anybody? Oh, that girl did. She wanted pretty things.

So as you can see, there's no street parking here at all. They kept the roads pretty pretty because look, all of your parking is gonna be down here in the back, but probably the most distinctive feature of this neighborhood are the homes. So this historic section of the town along Main Street boasts a large collection of heritage homes from the late 18.

To early 19 hundreds. These homes are Victorian and gothic style, very charming, very historic looking. I could look at them all day. On top of that, you can also find townhouses, modern infill homes. I'm actually here close to two. Good Pond Park, which has a lot of luxurious estate homes on large lot. Just a bit further beyond.

See relatively newer subdivisions of single family homes built mostly in the seventies and eighties. Or if you're looking for entry level condos or townhouses, you've got a lot of options along Highway seven. But that does beg the question that with all there is to do around here, why is nobody moving here?

Hop into my computer cuz I'm gonna show you some pretty alarming steps. Okay, so taking a look at the current market here in Unionville, you can see that there are currently 61 homes for sale. But if I filter down to vacant units only, you can see that this number then drops down to 19. So that means that a third of homes for sale and union bill are vacant.

So why aren't people moving into them? Well, first of all, according to the National Bank of Canada, over 12.7 billion of Chinese investment was pumped into Canada back in 2015. If you remember from my last video, which you can check out here, the largest. Ethnic demographic in Markham are Chinese, and according to recent market stats, Chinese actually make up a large number of investors here in Markham as well.

So for example, this townhouse here is listed for 1.6 million, and you can see that it does have some really nice features, like a bright open concept on the main floor, these nice glass stairs that you can see here. And. Sauna down in the basement. However, it has been on the market for. See the D o M here Days on market 113 days.

So clearly it's overpriced and nobody wants to pay over market value for our home. At the end of the day, downtown Markham or Unionville is a very popular destination for a lot of people who are attracted to the downtown core. And the plentiful amenities and entertainment options in the area. However, buying a home here may come with a price, so it's important that if you do wanna make your way and move here, that you have a trusted professional by your side.

And if that's the case, then gimme a shout. I would love to help you out. My name is Rochelle, and I have been a real estate agent here in Markham and the greater Toronto area for the last nine years. And I've been helping people just like you, and you, and you, and you and you, and you make the move here.

So whether you are moving in 90 days or 90 days, just give me a shout. All of my contacts is down below and I would love to help you and your family find the right home for you and your. At the same time, don't forget to subscribe to my channel. I would really appreciate and love your support and also check out this video that rhymes off the good, the bad, and the ugly of actually living in Markham, just to give you a full picture of what it's actually like.

Until then, thank you guys again so much for watching, and I'll catch you all living in Toronto.

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[Transcript]

 If you are thinking about moving to Etobicoke, you are gonna wanna stick around through this. Etobicoke, is the most westerly part of the city of Toronto, and it is known for its lush, green spaces, variety of different amenities, great transit schools. Its proximity to the downtown core, and of course it's amazing variety of real estate.

What I'm gonna be doing, it's. Taking you through the top three neighborhoods here in Etobicoke, so that if you are picking out, making that move, you have all the information you need. We're gonna talk pros and cons, transit schools, and of course real estate. Let's get after it.

What's up everybody? If this is your first time to the channel and you wanna know everything there is to know about living in Toronto and in the surrounding areas, like right here in Etobicoke, then you know what to do. Make sure you hit that subscribe button and you pack it off for notifications so that you're the first to know when we do drop a new video to the channel.

My name is Christina and I'm part of the living in Toronto real estate team, and I'm also a local real estate agent in Toronto and the surrounding areas. And every day I help people just like you and you, and you, and you. Find their dream home, and I absolutely love it. So if that's you, if you are thinking about making that move to Toronto, a toca, or any of the surrounding areas, make sure you give me a shout.

All my information is down below. You can give me a call, shoot me a text, and we can get started on that journey to finding your new home. What I'm gonna be doing today is taking you on a little tour of a place called Etobicoke. Etobicoke is the most westerly part of the city of Toronto. It's home to over 365,000 people, and within a toboco itself, there are a ton of beautiful neighborhoods.

Today I'm gonna be taking you on a tour of my top three. So if you are moving to Etobicoke or thinking about it, at least you're gonna wanna stick around for this. Let's hit up our first. Our first neighborhood in Etobicoke is Mimico. Mimico is a waterfront neighborhood that's located in the most southeast corner of Etobicoke.

And it is known for its scenic views, green spaces, and of course its proximity to the downtown court. Mimico has a wide variety of different types of residences. Most of the homes there due date back to the early 19 hundreds, so there are lots of single family detached home. With very nice two-door style architecture, some split level in bungalows.

And more recently there have been a lot more condo developments in Mimico, specifically near the Humber Bay Shores, which is right along Lake Ontario. So if you're interested in lake views, that could be the spot for you. Now, because Mimico has a large variety of different types of residences, it makes it a really good place for, you know, first time home.

People who might be looking to, you know, get a larger space or downsize. So that large variety of different types of residences really does make Mimico a place that can be accessible for all people. All right, so let's take a look at a house that is currently on the market here in Mimico. It is a three plus two bedroom, two bath bungalow.

It is listed for 1.49. Nine $99 million. Um, and it's been fully renovated, top to bottom. It has a separate entrance, um, for the basement, which is awesome. Could be great for, you know, income potential. Um, and it's just, you know, finished top to bottom, new stainless steel appliances, beautiful granite countertops, just gorgeous finishes overall, and that is an example of a type of home that you can get here in Nico.

Transit wise, Mimico is in a very good location. It is conveniently located. Right by the Gardner Expressway and Lakeshore. So if you were someone who drives a car, you're a motorist. You can literally get into the downtown core in about 15 minutes, give or take, which is awesome if you're someone who uses public transit.

Mimico is also, again, very close to Lakeshore. There are a ton of street cars there. There's also a Go train station right in Mimico as well. Um, and various bus routes. So, you know, you can get around if you're someone who uses public transportation. Along with that, in Mimi there are a lot of notable parks. So Colonel Samuels is definitely a big one and the hum Bay Shores Park area, which is absolutely amazing.

There are bike trails there along the lake, um, that actually bring you into the downtown core as well, so you can get around very, very easily. Um, now in mco there are lots. Cool shops as well. One such place right behind Mi Harris, San Ramo Bakery. This place is an absolute institution. If you are someone who lives in Mimico, you are gonna want to try out this place.

It's not uncommon to see cars parked all along Royal York Road with people kind of coming into the bakery. Another thing you may be thinking about is schools. If you're moving with a family, there are a ton of elementary schools in the area. So definitely overall, just a very family friendly place and just very well located right down by the lake and very close to the downtown court.

Our next neighborhood is the Kingsway. The Kingsway is by far one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in the Etobicoke area. And even, you know, in Toronto as a whole, the homes here are absolutely stunning. Many of them on large, lots and treats with towering trees. And you can really just see the gorgeous stonework, stucco, metal railings, all that beautiful stuff on these homes here.

Now, a lot of these homes date back to the early 19 hundreds. Idyllic charm really has been maintained. You see a lot of homes here with additions added to them. Some streets in this area, you can tell that a lot of homes are just being renovated and rebuilt. Now in the Kingsway area, there are some. You know, condo development just along Blue Street Street, but the majority of homes here are single family detached.

Um, now, because it can be so expensive in the Kingsway, you can expect to pay, you know, two, $3 million sometimes for a home. Of course, with some variability. If it's a home that needs a little bit of work, maybe it can be, you know, a little bit cheaper. But overall, because the Kings Way is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Etobicoke, it is not usually.

A place where a first time home buyers would come to purchase, you know, their dream homes simply because it can be very expensive. Alright, so just to give you an idea again, of the homes that could be available here in the King's Way. This is a home, it's three bed, four bath, custom-built, two-story, and it's listed for close to $3 million, two point, uh, seven.

9 million and it is absolutely stunning. You know, as mentioned, a lot of the homes here in the Kingsway are, you know, very pricey, but they're gorgeous. But the beauty doesn't come cheap.

So the Kingsway is extremely well located and very close by a lot of just pertinent amenities, shopping restaurants, talking more about transit. The Kingsway is in one of the best places, in my opinion, in a Toko because if you're someone who takes the TTC and the Kingsway, you are like walking distance to the three subway stations that actually feed along the blue line into Etobicoke.

and I can't say that of a lot of the other areas in Toboco. Of course there are buses and tree cars in other areas, but one of the benefits of being in the Kingsway area is that you are walking distance to the TTC subway stations. And if you're someone who doesn't take the ttc, you are a motorist. You can drive a little bit north, west or south to reach, you know, the 401 and 427.

Or the gardener in Lake Shore. So if you're a motorist, you can still get around fairly well. You can get to the downtown corn about, you know, 20, 25 minutes or so. Another really great thing is that you are very close by Blue Street. There are tons of shops and restaurants there, which is really awesome.

Um, one of the biggest draws. About Etobicoke as a whole is Sherway Gardens, and again, if you are someone who has a car, you can get to Sheway Gardens about 20 minutes. So I would say the Kingsway is fairly central overall within Etobicoke, making it, you know, easy to just get around to different spots in Etobicoke as a whole.

Our third neighborhood in Etobicoke is Markland Woods. Markland Woods is located on the west. Side of a toboco and relative to some of the other neighborhoods in Etobicoke is it is one of the newer communities with a lot of the homes there having been built in the 1960s in Mark Glenwood, there are a lot of single family detached homes, lots of bungalows and split levels on very large, wide lots.

Um, and there are also some apartment and condo buildings there as well. Martha Woods is definitely more affordable than a place like the King's Way could be a good spot for first time home buyers to look when they're finding their new home. Okay, let's check out a home that's currently on the market here in Markland Woods.

So this home is listed for $1.898 million. It is a three plus one bedroom, four bath home, again, has full renovations. Um, so big lots, top-notch finishes, and a very, very big deck in the backyard. So awesome. If you're someone who likes to entertain,

All right, so transit wise in Markland Woods, you're in a pretty good spot. There are some, you know, bus services along Mill Road. If you're a motorist, you're in an extremely good spot as well. You're very close when you're in Markland Woods to the 4 0 1 and 4 27, and you're really just like a 10 minute drive, two Shoreway Gardens, which is awesome for shopping.

Along with Shoreway Gardens, there are a couple of other, you know, plazas within Markland Woods, like Burnham th mall. So if you need to get, you know, your shopping and stuff done, you can definitely do so in Markland Woods fairly easily. If you are moving into the area again with families that. S you know, parks and schools and, and recreational facilities are always a concern.

So in the Markland Woods area, there are a couple of parks, including Millwood Park and Blue Wood Park, which actually has, you know, baseball Diamond. Theres, and in terms of schools, there is Millwood Junior School and Silverthorne Collegiate, which is a secondary school. So whether you have younger kids or kids who are in.

You know, high school, secondary school. There are those options there as well. Overall, Markland Woods is a really, really nice area. Awesome for families, great for motorists, um, and it could be your next stop.

All right, everybody, that is a wrap. Those are my top three neighborhoods in Etobicoke. Etobicoke is an amazing place to live, and I hope that now after watching this video, you now have a little bit more information about some of those top three neighborhoods, what they can offer in terms of green spaces, amenities, schools, transit, and of course real estate.

If you did like the video, please make sure you'd like and subscribe to the channel so that I can continue making new content for you. Also, make sure if you are serious about moving to Etobicoke, that you do take a. At my other video on the pros and cons of Etobicoke. Again, just to give you all the information that you need, if you are gonna be making that move into the area.

Thank you so much for watching and sticking around with me. Make sure you stay safe, have fun, and I really hope to catch you living in Toronto really soon.

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[Transcript]

 This is our West Side tour, Etobicoke edition. Etobicoke is the most westerly part of the city of Toronto, and truly is an entity all on its own. Etobicoke is known for its lush, green spaces, variety of different types of homes and residential activities. Etobicoke is also very conveniently close right to the downtown core, making it a good option for people who like that proximity to a big city, but also like more of a residential calm feel.

That being said, though, is Etobicoke for everybody. Maybe, maybe not. Today. I'm gonna address all of that with you. I'm gonna take you through a list of pros and cons for moving to and living in Etobicoke so that if you do decide to make that move, you have all the information you need. Let's get after it right now.

What's up everybody? If this is your first time to the channel and you wanna know everything there is to know about living in Toronto and the surrounding areas, like right here in Etobicoke then make sure you hit that subscribe button and you tap the bell for notifications so that you're the first to know when we do drop new videos to the channel.

My name is Christina and I'm part of the Living in Toronto team. I'm also a local real estate agent, and every day I help people just like you, and you and you, and. Find their dream home and make those moves to Toronto in the surrounding areas, and I absolutely love it and I wanna help you too. So if you're someone who's thinking about buying, selling, or leasing in the near future, all my information's down below.

Give me a shout and I would be happy to work with you today. What I'm gonna be doing is taking you through a list of pros and cons of living in or moving to Etobicoke. So if that is you, you are thinking about moving here. You know everything you need to know. Let's start with pro number one.

The first pro of Etobicoke is its proximity to the downtown Toronto Core. Now with Etobicoke is part of the city of Toronto. It's one of the boroughs that was part of the amalgamation to create the city of Toronto, but it is still very much considered its own entity, it's own. Place. So traveling from Etobicoke right to the downtown core is only about 20 kilometers, which makes a pretty nice commute, you know, for people who want to be very close to the city, but also want more of a residential calm or feel and wanna be away from the congestion of a big city.

So if you're someone who lives in a toco, but let's say works downtown, it might be a 20 minute drive, not too bad of a commute at all. So whether you're going for work or even for events that take place in the city, the commute is fairly easy. So people who do live in a toba. Really do get the best of both worlds being close enough to the downtown core, the city of Toronto, but also having that calm residential feel.

The second pro Etobicoke is the variety of homes that are here. Etobicoke has always been known for its variety of detached and semi-detached homes. However, more recently with the population here booming to over 365,000. There have been a lot more condo and apartment developments, especially in the hum Bay Shores area, which is where I am right now.

There are lots of condos that are being built here. So what this variety of home types means is that a variety of different people can actually live in Etobicoke. Whether you're looking for a charming, detached home on a winding street with richer trees, or you want a condo with lakefront views, you can get all of that here in a toboco no matter your budget or your interest.

So there really is a variety and a home type for everybody. The third pro of Etobicok. It's definitely, it's green space and overall outdoor appeal. Some of the larger and more notable parks here, run De Toboco are Colonel San Samuels, Marie Curtis and Centennial Park. Those green spaces make a great opportunity for you with maybe kids or your family members to just enjoy the outdoors.

Go for little hikes. Take your bikes out on the trails. Take a look at some of the just greenery in nature that's around you. Definitely really cool. Part of it at least, is also located right along Lake Ontario. So you do have some of those nice waterfront trails as well. And you know, being close to the water and just having that outdoor green space in your neighborhood just makes her a really nice, calming, beautiful feel.

Okay, let's talk about our cons of living in a toboco. The first being the public transportation system here. So Atopical, being part of the city of Toronto does depend on the TTC for its subway. Bus and streetcar public transportation services. Now, when we look at those three things, your streetcar, your bus is in subway.

Subway is the quickest, most dependable method of public transportation between all three of those. The problem though, with living in a toboco is that there are only three actual subway stops that feed into a Toco off the blue line, which are Royal York, Islington and Kipling. But Etobicoke is very large.

It ranges all the way up to steels, down to Lake Ontario. So the reason why public transportation is listed as a. In Etobicoke is because a large part of Abaco does not have access to the TTC subway system, which means those areas are largely dependent on buses and street cars, which overall are, you know, less dependable and overall in Etobicoke, it's just a less robust system Here.

The second cotton of a toboco is that you do need a car. Etobicoke was built around the car. It is located right by Highway 4 0 1, the 4 27, and the four. Which is really great if you have a vehicle because you can travel in essentially any direction from Etobicoke or the city at large because of how proximal you are to those highways.

But if you do not have a car in a toboco, it does make daily tasks a lot harder. I talked previously a bit about the public transit. Is Sumito, which depends mainly on buses. So therefore it's not as robust as in, you know, the downtown core, let's say. So, you know, if you don't have a car, it makes getting things done a lot more difficult.

If you ever want to go to Sheway Gardens, Costco, Ikea, or any other, you know, grocery store, it does make life a little bit harder if you don't have a car here, simply because a toboco itself as a borough of the city, Toronto is so large. So if you have a car, great. If not, that definitely could be a con for living in a Etobicoke.

The location itself combined with proximity to highways, the green spaces, and a ton of other amenities in Abaco make it a very pricey place. You can get some gorgeous homes here, but the beauty does not come at no cost, especially here in Blue West Village.

The average price of a single family detached home in Etobicoke right now is in and around 1.5 million, and that's the average. Some neighborhoods that could be higher, others it could be lower. A one bedroom, one bath condo in Atopical will start in the $600,000 range. And even if you're someone who's interested in renting, let's say, a one bedroom condo, you're gonna be paying at least in the low two thousands for that.

So it is very expensive. And when we think about those housing costs combined with other costs like our taxes, living expenses, food, everyth. The cost of living is pretty high here, and it is an expensive place to be. That's a wrap, everybody. Those are our pros and cons of living in a toboco, and I hope that after watching that video, you now have a better idea, but what it's truly like to live here.

So whether you're moving in nine days or 90 days, please give me a shout. All my information's down below. And I'd be happy to work with you. You can send me an email, shoot me a text. We can set up a Zoom call and go on some host tours so that you can start the process of moving to Abeco. Also, please make sure you like this video and subscribe to our channel so that we can continue making more great content for you.

If you really are serious about moving to Abeco, make sure you also check out this video. Which rhymes off a few more details about different pockets of Ontario with Toboco included and goes into a lot of detail about a toco itself. Thank you so much for sticking around for this video with me. I really hope to catch you living in Toronto very soon.

• Should I buy a house now or wait?
• Will home prices drop?
• What are your 2023 housing market predictions?

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[Transcript]

 Wanna know whether or not you should buy a house this year? It's 2023. Is the market gonna crash? Our price is going down. Should you buy now or should you wait? 2023 has already gone off to an interesting start. Prince Harry, for example, is getting rigged on for claiming that he killed 25 Talibans in Afghanistan.

Magic. Sadly giving his last dance in theaters this year, and we've basically just seen the worst housing decline on record, where Toronto home sales have reached an all-time low since summer of last year. House prices have been declining to the point where there's talks of a market crash, and economists are actually saying that 2023 is gonna be the year where house prices declined the most.

So what does that mean for you? If you're a first time home buyer, thinking of getting your first home? Is this the year to do it? If you're thinking of selling, you wanna get top dollar, should you wait till the market picks back up again? If you're new here, hi. New Year. I'm Rochelle Nino. I've been a real estate agent here in Toronto for seven years, and every day my team and I help people just like you and you, and you and you, and you buy and sell their homes.

And today we're gonna talk about all the ways that you can take advantage of this market downturn, whether you are a buyer, seller, renter, or investor. And by the way, if you can appreciate all the research and effort that goes into creating a video like this. First and foremost, I am a real estate agent.

I'm not a YouTuber. You know, I have a setup like this in my bedroom, just to create videos for you that are entertaining and engaging and hopefully educational, and you can learn a little bit more about the Toronto real estate market. That said, as a realtor, if you are looking to buy or sell your next home here in Toronto or anywhere in the greater Toronto area, Then I would love to help you.

Give me a shout. All of my contact information is down below. You can gimme a call, shoot me a text, send me an email, and me or my partner Christina, or both of us actually, we would love to help you and your family get living in Toronto. So let's talk about prices. Everyone wants to know our prices dropping and is this a good time to buy a house?

Well, according to the Toronto Star, they say that there is more trouble ahead for real estate in 2023 and the Globe and News headlines say that Canadians hope patients will pay off as home prices dip. It just takes time. The question is how much time. Everyone wants to know our price is actually just gonna dip, or is there potential for them to go back to pre pandemic levels altogether?

Because no one's got time for this no more. Right off the bat, I'm gonna tell you 2023 is gonna be a challenging year in terms of affordability. I did name this video, don't buy a home in 2023 for a reason. And the truth is based on local government policies and where the world is right now and how it's affecting our local markets, this year is going to be harder for a.

Of people to afford a home. Can I say that for two main reasons? It's gonna be harder for people to afford a home this year, and the first reason why is interest rates. As you can see, interest rates in Canada have been rising at the fastest pace they've ever been at in the last 40 years. So last year, 2022, for example, we saw seven rate hikes, which is crazy.

So to give you an idea of what that looks like, we started the year at 0.25%, and now we're all the. 4.25%. So that's a 400% increase. So what does that mean for you? Higher interest rates make loans like your mortgage. More expensive. So if you're a homeowner in a city like here in Toronto that has high price real estate, then you could easily pay hundreds of dollars more on top of your regular mortgage payments.

So I've had clients, for example, on variable rate mortgages who have had their mortgage go up by four, $500 a month. Not only that, actually buying a home is gonna be challenging too. If you are a first time home buyer, just. Any increase in interest rate is going to reduce how much home you can afford. So for example, maybe before you could have gotten a home for a million dollars, but now your lender might only qualify you for 9 25.

The same thing goes for sellers. If you are thinking of selling your home, the price that you get is tied to buyer's purchasing power. And since buyer's purchasing power has gone down in the same respect where you could have sold your home for a million dollars before, for example, you might only get 9 25 for it.

Now, by the way, if you are first time home buyer, make sure to check out this video that walks you. All the important steps that you need to take when you buy a home in Toronto. And also check out this video to make sure that you don't make any common mistakes that a lot of first time home buyers make that could cost you thousands of dollars.

And don't forget to gimme a thumbs up if you like this video so far, but that's the first reason we're gonna see affordability issues this year is because of high interest rates. But the second reason is because we have a housing shortage in Toronto, there is way more demand for housing than there is supply.

We basically have a lot of people who need a home to live in, but there aren't enough homes to actually fill that demand. And so basic economics tells us that when demand is high in supply is low, prices are gonna go up. We've had a supply shortage for several years, and this shortage is expected to continue in the years to come according to South Canada, for example, for.

Two years ending. This year, we're gonna have over a million new immigrants coming to Canada, and many of those new immigrants are expected to settle in the gta. And so there's been an ongoing demand from newcomers to Toronto. But on top of that, now that we are in post pandemic times, we're also seeing a lot of people who used to live in Toronto but went away during the pandemic.

These people are coming. And so growth is being fueled by both foreigners and locals. And so one of the main problems that we're facing here in Toronto specifically is that, yeah, we aren't keeping up with all of the growth, but the main reason why is because new construction costs are high developers here in the Golden Horseshoe, they are still facing high development fees.

Getting financing for their projects has become a lot harder. The cost of labor and material. Grown up substantially. So with all of these problems with creating new housing, we are seeing a lot of developers who just aren't following through with their projects. It's become too expensive, and so they're just stopping their new home builds altogether, or they're passing on their higher cost.

To the end user or the home buyer, either way, because of low supply and high cost. That is the reason why homes in Toronto this year are likely to become even more unaffordable. So what does all this mean for you? Increasing interest rates and continued supply shortages mean that affording a home is going to continue to be a challenge for many Canadians.

However, at the end of the day, affordability is subjective. A lot of people are looking at a home purchase this year to be a good long-term investment, especially when you compare this year to. So as we head into 2023, it's important to monitor the market and see where the prices are going. Luckily, I've already looked at the market and I am going to show you some data about what you can expect right now and what you can look forward to.

Looking forward right now, prices are going down. The average price of a home year for year has gone down by 7% to $1.09 million 70. Detached and detached homes have seen the highest price dropped 11 and 14. And with the exception of a couple of months, home prices have been going down for a couple of months and will likely to do so into this year.

In terms of where things are going, we are currently in a balance market, but trending towards a buyer's market, which is great if you are a buyer and you're looking to buy a home, because you know that for the last three years, Toronto was in a. Strong sellers market where there were bidding wars and homes were being sold for days.

Things today have softened up. We are now in a balance market, and if things continue to slow down, then we can eventually see ourselves turning into a buyer's market. A buyer's market is where you're gonna see home prices go down even more. There's gonna be less competition, more power for you as a buyer in terms of negotiating.

And ultimately more housing options to choose from. So another thing that I wanted to mention real quick is that Canada just placed a ban on foreign investment. So starting January 1st of this year, there's a new ban on foreign investors. Basically, if you're an not from Canada, then you're not allowed to purchase real estate here for the next two years.

It's a lot that they passed because during the pandemic, when we saw a lot of prices go crazy, a lot of politicians said that foreign buyers were the ones to blame. I personally don't think that that's the case because foreign buyers make up such a small percentage of the market, and so I don't see this ban having a huge effect on prices, but something to consider nonetheless, because if foreigners can't purchase property here, then at least that leaves more doors open for locals who actually need a home to live in.

And so at the end of the day, if you are leaning towards buying a home, then there is data to suggest that this is the year to. It is important to note that the pandemic years, those were outliers in terms of pricing and demand. Were housing the numbers we saw in the first two years or soldiers weren't typical.

Of the Toronto real estate markets. And so now this is the time where you really want to monitor where the market is going, how the government is gonna tackle inflation, because that's tied to the high interest rates that we're seeing right now. And we wanna continue to monitor those interest rates and basically just balance everything out with your own personal needs and.

So if this is the time to buy a home for you or not, nevermind what the media or data or anything suggests. Buying real estate is a long-term game and gain. And as always, if you are ready to make that purchase or sell your next home here in Tiana or anywhere in the gta, then I would love to help you out.

Gimme a shot. All my contact is down below. You can gimme a call, shoot me a text, send me an email Also. This video that rhymes off all the best neighborhoods in Toronto that people are moving to. It is one of my highest performing videos. So hopefully you're gonna find it helpful too. Or if you need to be just outside of the city center, then this video walks you through everything that you need to know about living in Toronto's most popular district.

North York at Toboco and Scarborough. Check it out too. It's really good . Alright. Thank you so much for watching everyone. I hope you all stay safe. Say well, and I'll catch you while living in Toronto.

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[Transcript]

 Do you wanna know what it's really like to live in Toronto? We both lived here our whole lives, and while Toronto is a wonderful city, there are some pieces of information that you may not know. So if you wanna know what it's really like to live in Toronto, then you're at the right place, cuz we're gonna get into it right now.

Hey, what's going on everyone? If this is your first time to the channel, then welcome. This is a spot where you learn everything that you need to know about living, working, eating, sleeping, playing, the good and the bad of Toronto, Ontario. This beautiful city that I'm at right now with Christina. I'm Rochelle, and we are part of the living in Toronto Real Estate Group.

If you are looking to move by or sell your home here in Toronto, then give us a shout every day We. Will just like you and you and you, and when you and you move to this beautiful city and we love it. So whether you're moving in 90 days or 90 days, just give us a call, shoot us a text, send us an email, or even schedule a zoom.

Call all down in description below and we would love to help you out. What we're gonna be doing today is taking you through everything you need to know about living in Toronto. This is what you need to know. One of the best parts about living in a major city like Toronto is the. Toronto is full of events and hosts so many things every single year.

The CNE, A ton of different fun runs, shows, concerts, and many, many more events. Toronto's also home to three major league sports teams. The Toronto made the least, the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Blue Jays. It's so easy to see that there are a ton of events here and really keeping up with Toronto events is a full-time job, but in the best way possible.

That being said, though, all of these events, not only are great for Toronto residents, they also bring in people from all the surrounding suburbs. What does that mean for Toronto Streets gridlock? While the events in Toronto are certainly something to brag about, the foot traffic on the sidewalk combined with traffic from major streets and highways is not fun at all.

It's not uncommon for Lakeshore and King Street and major highways in city to be full of traffic. What else do you wanna know about living in Toronto? Well, Is the most visited city here in Canada, and whether you're in the downtown core or on the outskirts of the city, there are so many places to see. Right now I'm standing in front of the CN Tower, which is surely the most visited and most popular place in the city of Toronto.

But along with that are a ton of other places, the Royal Ontario Museum, distillery District, Eaton Center, and so many more. There are a ton of incredible places to see here, whether you are a resident or visitor alike. There is one downfall though, as proud as we are and excited for everyone to see this beautiful city, it does get busy, a little too busy.

There are over 27 and a half million tours who visit Toronto every year. People come from all over the world for business or pleasure by themselves or in groups. And while we love everyone who loves Toronto as much as we do, weaving through people, traffic, waiting in long lines, and getting smushed on subway trains.

It a little exhausting, but if you are willing to take in all the sights and stands that Toronto has to offer, then make sure to check out this video. We created the ultimate list of the top places in the city to visit from the most popular attractions like the Sea Tower and the Rogers Center to hidden gems like Center Islands and Kensington Market.

There's a lot to do with Toronto, so sure you don't miss out

The unemployment rate here in Toronto is below average at 5.9%, meaning that there are a ton of job opportunities for Torontonians, which is awesome. Full-time jobs in sectors like construction and finance are plentiful and one of the most booming markets. The tech market is really growing here in Toronto.

Expert talent, along with leading research and development have made Toronto an absolute hub in the IT world. Places in companies like Microsoft, apple, and Google have head offices here and overall the IT tech. Contributes over 8 billion in annual employee wages. The fact that Toronto has a very low unemployment rate is great because you do need a job living here because Toronto is so expensive.

Toronto just officially deranked Vancouver as the most expensive city in Canada, where the average price of a detached house in Toronto just crossed the $2 million mark. Not only that, rents are extremely high too. The average price of a two bedroom is $2,645 a month, which is $900 more than the national average.

And so if you really wanna know what it's like to live in Toronto, you can expect a lot of your income to go towards housing. The BBC named Toronto, the most multicultural city in the world. How crazy is that? Fun fact, there are more Indians, Filipinos, and Chinese people here in Toronto. Are in San Francisco and Dallas, and you can actually find more Greek people here in Toronto than you can in Santorini, Greece.

It's so easy to see that Toronto really does take pride in the mix and diversity of its residents here. From the great ethnic restaurants to all the celebrations of different types of cultures. You really do get that diverse multicultural feel here in Toronto. However, as much as we have areas like Little Italy and Koreatown and celebrate things like Caribana, We still don't represent all of the cultures here in Toronto.

So for example, there isn't a specific part of the city that's known as being a Latin area where, for example, if you wanted to take some salsa lessons or eat some authentic tacos, we don't have that. Unfortunately for a lot of newcomers, they don't have that sense of community here because a lot of those connections to home they just don't have here in Toronto.

Another thing that you'll. About Toronto is that is it is a booming, bustling city. When you take a look around in every neighborhood here, what you will see is a variety of different types of homes from detached, semi-detached bungalows, and a ton of different condo and apartments developments. No matter what your interests, needs and budgets are, you can definitely find something here in the city.

All of these housing options do come at a cost though, which is constant construction, although it's definitely a benefit to a lot of Toronto. That there are plenty of resale and new development options to choose from. Again, that comes at a cost of constant noise and dust and detours. The city also makes strides at repairing its existing infrastructure, creating more parks and recreational areas.

And so again, what does that all translate to construction? That's a wrap everybody. Now you know what it's really like to live here in Toronto, and if you are thinking of moving to. Self. Then give us a show. All of our contact is down below. You can give us a call, shoot us a text, send us an email, or even schedule a Zoom Call all down below.

Whether you're moving in 90 days or 90 days, we would love to help you out. In the meantime, if you are wondering what area of Toronto to move to, there are tons of beautiful neighborhoods, but in this video we rhyme off the most popular and best districts of Toronto to move to. We break down neighborhood demographics.

Crime ratings, safety statistics, all that till you get a good understanding of what area of Toronto would be the best fit for you. So give us a call. Thank you so much for watching everybody. Don't forget to like this video and subscribe to the channel. We drop a new video every single week until the next one.

Thank you all for watching, and we'll see you living in Toronto.