Outsmart the Real Estate Market

Selling a House or Condo In The GTA

At Strata, we take presentation very seriously. So much so that we stage the majority of the properties we list. Professional staging not only excites potential buyers, but it allows them to actually envision living in that space.

We also make sure our seller clients gain maximum exposure for their listing. Not only is your property featured on MLS and Realtor.ca — but it’s also showcased on Strata.ca. Our site gets nearly 1M unique visitors per month. And many of them are buyers looking for a property just like yours. Strata is also referenced regularly in media publications, driving even more attention to your listing. And last but not least, your property is syndicated on an international listing platform targeting buyers and investors abroad.

Finally, we leverage Strata’s in-house data to make informed decisions on your listing and pricing strategy. Using a combination of local market expertise and real-time stats, we can help you decide the list price of your home, whether to set an offer date, and the optimal list date.

Renting a House or Condo In The GTA

Chasing down the Internet for rentals can be an arduous experience. At times, the market is so competitive that the process can feel like a game of whack-a-mole, with units disappearing soon after being listed. On the flip side, some condominiums will list dozens of units at a time. And that can make potential tenants question whether that building has some kind of deficiency.

But what most renters don’t realize is that they can hire an agent to assist in their hunt for a new home. This is at no additional cost. That’s because realtors are paid by landlords. Thus, renters can take advantage of Strata’s services, rather than deal with the hassle of finding a place on your own.

The Toronto Loft Market

Toronto is a city that thrives on innovation. And though much of the area’s architecture and design could be considered ahead of the curve, there’s one popular and highly unorthodox home that we cannot claim as our own. And that’s the ‘hard loft’.

While artists have been squatting in New York City warehouses since the 1940s, it wasn’t until the 90s that developers all over the world would take advantage of unused industrial buildings by converting them into homes. And it didn’t take long for the trend to eventually appear in Toronto. With a lot of industry formerly centred in the city’s downtown core, local developers had plenty of opportunities to transform defunct factories and warehouses into Toronto lofts for sale.

Toronto’s loft obsession began with Imperial Lofts in 1998, and the much heralded Candy Factory in 1999. Unlike the warehouses of New York in the 1940s, the popularity of this distinct property type had propelled prices beyond what any starving artist could afford. This is a trend that has continued over the past few decades, as even the most ‘affordable’ Toronto lofts for sale exceed the average cost of a traditional condo.

Toronto lofts now have a cult following, and for good reason. Residents seeking condos for sale or rent in Toronto (with a combination of historical charm and unique layouts) are delighted by loft elements. An example is the oversized arched doorways at the Argyle Lofts, which once served as loading docks for horse-drawn bread wagons. Or the preserved stained glass that adorns the former church at 701 Dovercourt Road.

Popular Toronto Neighbourhoods

When it comes to finding your perfect condo, choosing a neighbourhood is an extremely subjective act. But there are some areas in Toronto that happen to attract more attention than others. Not only are these areas full of high-demand condominiums — but they’re also packed with trendy shops, popular restaurants, and bustling entertainment options.

For the ritziest condos for sale, potential buyers don’t need to look any further than the Yorkville neighbourhood. Here, residential buildings are just steps from luxury boutiques like Gucci and Chanel. Better yet, some of the most exclusive condos in Yorkville are affiliated with renowned luxury hotels, such as theFour Seasons Private Residences.

Then there’s Queen West, a neighbourhood that’s about as cool as Toronto gets. Don’t believe us? In 2014, Vogue magazine went so far as to name it the second-coolest neighbourhood in the world. Covering the area just north and south of Queen Street, and stretching from University all the way to Dovercourt, this area is far from saturated with high-rise towers. Rather, Queen West is a great place to look for unique homes like Toronto lofts and contemporary townhomes. The Chocolate Company Lofts is a prime example of an authentic loft conversion that’s beloved for its original beams, 12-foot ceilings, and swaths of warehouse-style windows.

Toronto is full of neighbourhoods with various communities and reputable condo developments. Some of the most popular include St. Lawrence, Distillery District, King West, The Annex, The Village and Yonge/Bloor. For insights or recommendations on any of these neighbourhoods, contact us and we’d be happy to recommend some listings for sale or rent.

A Historical Overview of the Toronto Market

It’s hard to imagine a Toronto devoid of condos, especially with shiny new towers now popping up at an astounding pace. The truth of the matter is, though, that Toronto was hardly home to any condos at all until the 1960s.

As the rising prices of single-family homes began to exclude Torontonians from the prospect of home ownership, the government took matters into its own hands by subsidizing the construction of condos for sale in Toronto. By the end of the 1960’s, Toronto’s residential landscape had been altered for good — as had its skyline.

Sure enough, the rapid change eventually became too much for the city to handle, and a two-year moratorium was placed on the construction of highrises beginning in 1973. Once the two years were up, developers simply picked up where they left off, only for yet another upswing in condo to occur in the 1980s. This boom resulted in the creation of 30,000 additional Toronto condos for sale throughout the decade, and consequently a larger pool of rental units.

Yet the 1980s merely marked the beginning of a steadily increasing rate of condo construction in the city. By the time the 21st century rolled around, the number of new condos created per decade had more than tripled. Over 100,000 condo suites were added to the market between 2000 and 2010, with another 100,000 built the following decade. Whether locals like it or not, Toronto is growing denser each day with more than 10 million residents expected in the GTA by 2046. The housing market has had no choice but to keep up.

About Strata

After spending a decade working in the Toronto real estate market as a broker, Robert Van Rhijn grew frustrated with the lack of transparency provided to buyers and sellers. So he set out to find a solution to that problem. Robert paired up with a data scientist and a team of web developers to build Strata.ca — a real estate platform saturated with real-time data on every property for sale in Toronto. And thus, Strata Realty was born. Over the next several years, Strata.ca would expand its presence into the Greater Toronto Area and other regions across Ontario.

With the backend solidly in place, Robert has been growing a team of high-quality real estate agents who use Strata.ca data in harmony with their first-hand knowledge of the housing market. While our popular website allows users to stay updated on market conditions and neighbourhood trends, it always helps to have a Strata realtor in your corner — no matter where your real estate journey may take you.