The view from above

This past Sunday the sky was clear and I was able to snap a few pictures of our cities skyline from a friends condo on the 25^th floor of Etobicoke’s very own Barclay Terrace. *note our current listing is not on the 25th floor.

It’s all about the view. A cities skyline is often featured in tourism advertising, especially our city which features the iconic CN Tower. The CN tower much like the Space Needle in Seattle and the Empire State building in New York represents the best our city has to offer. People are drawn to the majesty of the architecture and the heights we aspire. There are the views from the building itself to consider but more importantly the view it has created for the rest of us surrounding it.

Tourists are not the only people who appreciate a good skyline. Often a view is the most important part of buying real estate. If you are in the market for a condo (and there are many out there) you are more than likely going to be concerned about what you will be looking at out your window.

In Etobicoke we desire South West facing views. We want to see the lake, to remind us that there is nature right outside our doors. There is something calm and serene about the idea of lake views. We want to see the tower in all its stunning glory towering over the Dome and other much smaller buildings, which surround it.

For more information please contact: Kathy And Joe Gordon Sales Representatives RE/MAX Professionals Inc., Brokerage 270 The Kingsway Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario M9A 3T7 BUS (416) 236-1241 FAX (416) 231-0563 E-MAIL kathy@etobicokehomes4sale.com Website: etobicokehomes4sale.com

Virgin or not open your eyes

Watching Property Virgins for me is like watching a sporting event. I stare in disbelief, yell at bad calls and get all worked up. It never ceases to amaze me how far from reality some people are when it comes to real estate. The truth is that everyone is an expert in something and real estate is something most people are interested in but are far from experts at.

An example of a small change: our cupboards before

I find myself frustrated with the people on HGTV who walk into a house and don’t like the carpet or the layout of the furniture. Most of the complaints I hear on these real estate shows are cosmetic and easily fixed. Not liking the layout of furniture is not a strike against the house itself. Most likely the seller will be taking their furniture with them and once you’re in you can put your own stuff wherever you want.

Our cupboards after refinishing them

Also I find that a lot of these ‘virgins’ are unrealistic about housing in general. If the quality of finishes isn’t high end or if anything at all needs to be done to the house they’re not willing to do it. Most of them want a turnkey property and that is just not realistic. Even new builds (unless you were there with a builder from day one) are going to have some aspect you don’t want and will likely fix down the road.

Furniture placement, wall colour, heck even flooring, can all be changed. Do not get blinded by the trees. Make sure you are walking into each property with an open mind and seeing its potential. You may not want to shell out thousands of dollars but most houses are livable as they are and cosmetic stuff can be done a little at a time to make the house yours. Take a step back and you might just notice that the cupboards are great and really only need new hardware to spruce them up or the seller’s furniture is what your opposed to not the wall colour.

I was watching another program on HGTV where the young couple specified they wanted a fixer-upper because they wanted to work on the house to make it their own. They obviously were willing to put in the time, money and effort to overhaul a property but most of the time houses just need a little touch up here and there. If you watch HGTV you already know what needs to be done or maybe even how to do it.

For more information please contact: Kathy And Joe Gordon Sales Representatives RE/MAX Professionals Inc., Brokerage 270 The Kingsway Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario M9A 3T7 BUS (416) 236-1241 FAX (416) 231-0563 E-MAIL kathy@etobicokehomes4sale.com Website: etobicokehomes4sale.com

1300 Islington Avenue, Toronto, ON M9A5C4, Presented by Kathy and Joe Gordon, ReMax Professionals Inc. Powered by FloorPlanOnline

1300 Islington Avenue, Toronto, ON M9A5C4, Presented by Kathy and Joe Gordon, ReMax Professionals Inc. Powered by FloorPlanOnline
For more information please contact:Kathy And Joe GordonSales RepresentativesRE/MAX Professionals Inc., Brokerage 270 The Kingsway Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario M9A 3T7 BUS (416) 236-1241FAX (416) 231-0563 E-MAIL kathy@etobicokehomes4sale.comWebsite: etobicokehomes4sale.com

Is it right for you? Come see

551 The West Mall unit 1407

Some agents don't believe in Open Houses and have now turned to the Internet and virtual tours to sell homes. While we do provide our clients with extensive Internet marketing including virtual tours they cannot replace seeing the house in person. An Open House provides exposure that the Internet cannot. You cannot get the flow of the layout from a virtual tour. You will never truly appreciate the texture of materials used from pictures on your computer screen. In order to truly know if a house is right for you you must see it.  So while we recommend you do check out our many pictures and virtual tours for our properties listed we strongly suggest you come out to our Open Houses or book a showing. 

3 Dewitt Road

For more information please contact: Kathy And Joe Gordon Sales Representatives RE/MAX Professionals Inc., Brokerage 270 The Kingsway Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario M9A 3T7 BUS (416) 236-1241 FAX (416) 231-0563 E-MAIL kathy@etobicokehomes4sale.com Website: etobicokehomes4sale.com

551 The West Mall Ste 1407, Toronto, ON M9C1G7, Presented by Kathy and Joe Gordon, ReMax Professionals Inc. Powered by FloorPlanOnline

551 The West Mall Ste 1407, Toronto, ON M9C1G7, Presented by Kathy and Joe Gordon, ReMax Professionals Inc. Powered by FloorPlanOnline

Great Etobicoke Condo Value @$169900

For more information please contact:Kathy And Joe GordonSales RepresentativesRE/MAX Professionals Inc., Brokerage 270 The Kingsway Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario M9A 3T7 BUS (416) 236-1241FAX (416) 231-0563 E-MAIL kathy@etobicokehomes4sale.comWebsite: etobicokehomes4sale.com

3 Dewitt Rd, Toronto, ON M9B3C9, Presented by Kathy and Joe Gordon, ReMax Professionals Inc. Powered by FloorPlanOnline

You have now found an excellent 3 bedroom bungalow on a family friendly street. Look no further for your families new home.

3 Dewitt Rd, Toronto, ON M9B3C9, Presented by Kathy and Joe Gordon, ReMax Professionals Inc. Powered by FloorPlanOnline

For more information please contact:Kathy And Joe GordonSales RepresentativesRE/MAX Professionals Inc., Brokerage 270 The Kingsway Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario M9A 3T7 BUS (416) 236-1241FAX (416) 231-0563 E-MAIL kathy@etobicokehomes4sale.comWebsite: etobicokehomes4sale.com

What's there to do?

Last night I got a rare and delightful opportunity. For those of you who may question what there is to do in Etobicoke, here is my answer: Everything! I’ve heard of paintball, go-carting, mini-golf, karaoke and now book launches—at a church. If you use your imagination and a little research you can manage to find just about anything to do in Etobicoke.

A friend of mine invited me to join her at a book launch her church was holding. This intrigued me for two reasons a) I love books b) do churches normally hold book launches? I was curious. I know that they rent their facilities to all sorts of groups including Girl Guides, AA etc (not at the same time for obvious reasons).

What could a book being launched at a church be about? Don’t worry I found out for you. Last night in Etobicoke at Humber Valley United Church, Carla Sandrin launched her self-published novel titled ‘Uncorrupted’. There was quite a good turn-out and unfortunately for me I was a bit late so the parking lot was full by the time I arrived. For those who had yet to eat because they may have come from the gym and not had time for dinner there were fruit plates and pastry platters as well as refreshments. This was very convenient as the lines to both buy and have the book signed were quite long.

Once settled into the pew my questions were answered. Carla had gone on a journey to discover more about her faith as well as faith in general. After two years or so of research she found inspiration for a novel resulting in ‘Uncorrupted’.  Admittedly the journey for answers still continues for the author but where better to find answers than in church.

Thankfully I would not stay up nights wondering whether or not it was normal practice for novels to receive their launch in church sanctuaries. In an introduction to the author and her novel we were informed that no, churches did not normally hold book launches or at least this one didn’t. In its 60 years this was its first literary venture.

So if you look hard enough you can find interesting things to do in Etobicoke any day of the week, even Wednesdays, in church.

For more information please contact: Kathy And Joe Gordon Sales Representatives RE/MAX Professionals Inc., Brokerage 270 The Kingsway Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario M9A 3T7 BUS (416) 236-1241 FAX (416) 231-0563 E-MAIL kathy@etobicokehomes4sale.com Website: etobicokehomes4sale.com