Real estate listing website partnered with Canadian company

Christopher Alexander
REM

U.S. real estate listing website Zillow has arrived north of the border. Zillow broke the news with the announcement of its partnership with a well-known real estate brand in Canada that will directly feed listings to the site.

This has long been a source of concern throughout the real estate industry for a few reasons. But first, a little background.

How did Zillow come to be? Its widespread appeal in the U.S. began with a fragmented MLS system. The idea was to streamline every property listing into one easy-to-access platform. Today, Zillow’s living database merges more than 110 million listings from over 625 MLS feeds in the U.S. By adding Canadian listings into the mix, Zillow will widen the pool of potential homebuyers – and leads for agents.

However, unlike our neighbours to the south, Canada already has a unified MLS system in Realtor.ca, which displays almost every residential listing.

Part of the perceived problem is that Zillow’s listings include sold-price details, among other personal data that the Toronto Real Estate Board maintains must be kept private. The matter is currently before the Supreme Court, in the board’s attempt to secure its position. (Update, July 19, 2018: Zillow’s Alexa Fiander wrote to REM to say: “This is incorrect. Zillow will not show Canadian sold listings, and we will comply with local rules and regulations that affect the display of property details in Canada.”)

Beyond the data dilemma, part of Zillow’s modus operandi involves taking listing feeds from real estate companies and selling leads back to Realtors. That is the real underlying reason behind the industry’s apprehension. (Update, continued: Fiander says: “Listing agents are not charged for leads on their own listings.”)

With publicized sold data and Zillow’s high-tech toolkit, is it possible that it will disrupt the real estate industry as we know it? Might agents actually abandon their brokerages and their brands? Could this be the start of the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) era? It’s unlikely.

The truth is, 12 years since the birth of Zillow, FSBO transactions in the U.S. are at an all-time low. In Canada, DIY home sales became more common – and feasible – in 2017, at the peak of the real estate roller coaster when bidding wars erupted before the For Sale sign was up on the lawn. But what goes up eventually comes down again – and in this more challenging market, real estate agents will continue to provide essential expertise and value to consumers.

Canadian agents don’t need Zillow to promote their listings to foreign buyers. Anyone south of the border and beyond who is searching for Canadian properties will find them on Realtor.ca and remax.ca.

Ultimately, Zillow has not changed the basics of the business. It still takes market knowledge, smart strategies and good old-fashioned hustle to convert leads.

In spite of the success of Canada’s existing property listing platforms, there’s always room for improvement. Real estate is a highly competitive industry by nature. Agents will need to step up their game to stay ahead. In my opinion, the good ones are already doing that every day.

© 2017 REM Real Estate Magazine

Annual drop in home sales and corresponding rise in listings are pulling on average resale prices

Joannah Connolly
Western Investor

Year-over-year declines in home sales across the province, combined with a jump in listings inventory, have put most of B.C. regions back into balanced-market territory, according to the B.C. Real Estate Association.

However, some regional markets are exceptions to that rule, the association observed.

There were 7,884 home sales were recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) across B.C. in June, which is a 32.5 per cent decrease from June 2017.

The total number of active home listings across the province correspondingly rose 21.2 per cent year over year, taking the overall B.C. sales-to-active listings ratio down to 21.9 per cent, with many of the individual board areas now falling below the 20 per cent mark.

“The impact of the [mortgage] stress test is still being felt across the province,” said Brendon Ogmundson, BCREA deputy chief economist. “Lower demand as the result of higher mortgage rates and stringent mortgage qualification rules are bringing most markets around the province back into balanced conditions.”

Although 11 of B.C.’s 12 real estate boards posted average resale price increases compared with a year ago, those rises have slowed significantly – and overall, B.C.’s average home price in June was down 1.3 per cent from June 2017, at $716,326.

Market outliers

Not all of B.C.’s real estate board regions followed the same trends. In Victoria, the sales-to-active-listings ratio is 34 per cent, which is still a strong seller’s market – as is Vancouver Island’s 31.2 per cent.

Although Victoria’s ratio has eased dramatically from its unsustainable 68.8 per cent a year ago, market conditions are still tight with not enough home inventory for buyer demand.

Chilliwack was the province’s region to see the biggest year-over-year sale price in June, at a rise of 8.4 per cent.

Aside from Northern Lights, where sales totals are low and therefore average prices fluctuate greatly, the B.C. regions with the weakest annual price growth were the Fraser Valley (up 1 per cent) and Greater Vancouver (up 1.4 per cent).

Copyright © 2018 Western Investor

The Lower Mainland had a notable decline in sales

Steve Randall
REP

National home sales increased in June compared to May according to new data from the Canadian Real Estate Association.

The 4.1% rise in national home sales resulted from increased sales activity across more than 60% of all local housing markets led by the Greater Toronto Area. But sales in British Columbia continued to moderate.

Despite the gains, Junes sales were well below monthly levels recorded over the past five years and actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity was down almost 11% year over year.

Sales were almost 7% below the 10 year average for the month of June and mark a five year low, with activity below year-ago levels in around two thirds of all local markets.

There was a notable decline in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.

“This year’s new stress-test on mortgage applicants has been weighing on homes sales activity; however, the increase in June suggests its impact may be starting to lift,” said CREA President Barb Sukkau. “The extent to which the stress-test continues to sideline home buyers varies by housing market and price range.”

Listings down, sale prices lower
There was a decline in new listings of 1.8% in June, including lower levels in BC’s Lower Mainland, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Montréal.

With fewer listings and higher sales, the sales-to-new-listings ratio tightened to 54.3%, up from 51.2% in May. The long-term average is 53.4%. Inventory tightened to 5.4 months from 5.6 months in May but remained above the long-term average of 5.2 months.

The national average sale price of homes was down 1.3% year-over-year to $496,000; however, of the past five monthly y-o-y declines, June’s was the smallest.

The Aggregate Composite MLS® HPI was up 0.9% y-o-y in June 2018, marking the 14th consecutive month of decelerating gains and the smallest increase since September 2009.

The movement in prices is heavily impacted by the hottest markets and trends vary in local markets.

Looking ahead to improvement

“The national increase in June home sales suggests activity may indeed be starting to turn the corner,” said, Gregory Klump, CREA’s Chief Economist. “Even so, the number of homes trading hands has a long way to go before it returns to levels posted in recent years. Looking ahead, home sales activity and price gains will likely be held in check by higher interest rates.”

Copyright © 2018 Key Media Pty Ltd

CREA says June sales down 10.7% compared to a year ago

Mortgage Broker News

Earlier this week, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) said that sales in June were up 4.1% compared with May, marking what the board described as the first “substantiative” month-over-month increase this year. However, the June sales were down 10.7% compared to a year ago, a 5-year low for the month.

“The national increase in June home sales suggests activity may indeed be starting to turn the corner,” CREA chief economist Gregory Klump said via email. “Even so, the number of homes trading hands has a long way to go before it returns to levels posted in recent years.”

More than 60% of all local housing markets in the country reported increased sales activity in June compared with May, but activity was below year-ago levels in about two thirds of Canadian regions, CREA noted. Those below year-ago levels were led by British Columbia’s Lower Mainland region, where sales showed signs of tempering and new listings were in decline.

The number of newly listed properties for sale fell by 1.8% across the country to 70,187 in June. Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Montreal were the most prominent markets to see listings take a hit.

CREA president Barb Sukkau suggested that the muted numbers might have stemmed from the stricter regulations introduced on January 1 for uninsured mortgages. She said that the regulations were “weighing on” buyers and sales, but that the extent to which it was affecting those searching for homes was varying based on market and prices.

The national average price for a home sold in June was just under $496,000, down 1.3% from a year ago. Excluding the Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto markets, the average price was just over $389,000 – a 0.9% year-over-year decrease.

BMO Capital Markets senior economist Robert Kavcic wrote in a note to investors that Vancouver, and broadly B.C., are “the clear weak spots” because they’ve seen a 1.3% slump in sales in the wake of the recent foreign buyers’ tax and speculation fees on vacant homes.

He also categorized the Prairies as weak because Calgary, Edmonton, and Regina all saw sales and prices below year-ago levels in June, but said that higher oil prices could soon bring more confidence to buyers.

He had much more optimism for Toronto, which he said is stabilizing with sales jumping nearly 17% in June, the strongest seasonally-adjusted monthly increase in more than 14 years.

“Keep in mind, however, that activity is coming off low levels not seen since the last recession,” Kavcic said. “At any rate, that surge in demand has tightened up the market, even if overall conditions are still relatively soggy.”

Montreal and Ottawa remained the strongest markets in the country, bolstered by strong economies and few provincial measures aimed at cooling real estate.

Copyright © 2018 Key Media

Home sales continue to show weakeded demand

Steve Randall
REP

Home sales in British Columbia continue to show weakened demand following the introduction of tighter mortgage rules earlier this year.

There were 7,884 residential unit sales recorded by the province’s MLS in June, down 32.5% year-over-year according to data from the British Columbia Real Estate Association.

Prices were also impacted with a 1.3% annual decline in the average MLS residential price in the province to $716,326.

The result was a total sales dollar volume of $5.6 billion in June, down 33% from June 2017.

“The impact of the B20 stress test is still being felt across the province,” said Brendon Ogmundson, BCREA Deputy Chief Economist. “Lower demand as the result of higher mortgage rates and stringent mortgage qualification rules are bringing most markets around the province back into balanced conditions.”

Year-to-date, BC residential sales dollar volume was down 18% to $32 billion, compared with the same period in 2017. Residential unit sales decreased 20% to 43,863 units, while the average MLS residential price was up 2.4% to $730,492.

Inventory remains low by historic standards in many parts of BC including Vancouver and the Okanagan region although June did see a 21% rise in active listings across the province.

Copyright © 2018 Key Media Pty Ltd

Phil Soper
REM

The pace of change we live with can be mind numbing, yet things will never move this slowly again.

Technological innovation is often the catalyst, yet the reason the future is so hard to predict is that it is heavily influenced by changes in global politics and shifting consumer demands. Let me begin by stating that sustained success in business comes from acting with the client’s interests in mind. Period. Your personal needs will be satisfied in due course.

We in Canadian real estate have flourished for many years by building an industry infrastructure that services consumers like no place on earth. Through our remarkable, nationwide listing management system, anchored by Realtor.ca, homebuyers and sellers are able to see virtually all listings in the country. And this may come as a surprise to many – Canadians pay much less for brokerage services than American consumers.

Realtor.ca is a trusted service provided to consumers by the nation’s real estate professionals. Today there is no equivalent in America. Our unique advantages go further. In Canada, national brands invest millions to build highly advanced websites such as royallepage.ca and we share our listings with each other. When a consumer is house-hunting, do they really care which company has the listing? No! Go to a national brand site south of the border and you see only that company’s listings. It is no wonder that third-party, non-Realtor websites dominate America.

In addition to serving Canadian consumers, realtor.ca and national brand sites attract hundreds of thousands of international homebuyers each year. Nine per cent of realtor.ca traffic comes from outside the country and half are U.S. residents. If our American cousins want to invest in a pristine recreational property to escape the craziness that has enveloped their land, they are well-served too!

We know from experience that choice is a good thing. Competition keeps us sharp and spurs us to improve and innovate. In my company, we acquire technology and services from around the world in order to grow and prosper. Still, you have to be a smart shopper to succeed in business. I would advise Realtors to be cautious when considering offers that appear too good to be true. As my dad once told me when I begged for help to buy a car, “a too-good-to-be-true opportunity is just that, Phil. Too good to be true.”

Let’s examine the plans of the American online advertising company, Zillow, which has announced that they intend to enter the Canadian market. If Canadian Realtors are willing to give their listings to Zillow, the company promises to advertise the properties to Americans for free on their site, potentially creating leads. Our research leads us to believe that while step one appears “free” (assuming that hard-won listing of yours that you are about to give away has no value, which of course is absurd), there is a cash-cost to the agent in order to extract real value.

Like the “free app” you download to your phone that immediately asks for your credit card in order to access the truly useful features, we assume that once Zillow is up and running, Canadian agents will be paying for leads. Zillow.com amassed US$761 million in revenue from the sale of online leads to U.S. agents last year.

Spending on an advertising service like this would be fine if Canadian agents needed Zillow to ensure that consumers saw their listings. If your company is doing their job, they don’t.

I began by explaining how different the American situation was. U.S. Realtors made terrible blunders in the early days of online commerce and have been paying for it ever since. They are trying to fix the long-standing flaws and may finally be succeeding. Brokerages and national Realtor companies recently launched the Broker Public Portal, known to consumers as Homesnap.com. It offers consumers comprehensive, real-time MLS data from those who list and sell homes, not ads. In other words, the Canadian experience. Already some 900,000 American Realtors are using the system.  We wish them well.

Some of your colleagues may choose to experiment with third-party listings aggregators such as Zillow. If they have their broker’s permission, that is their choice. But is it a sound business decision? I suggest you ask yourself, do I want to deal with the consultant who asks to borrow my watch, and then charges me to tell the time? **1

Here’s where I believe we in the real estate industry can offer Canadian consumers the best possible value:

• Double down on innovation. CREA needs to step up and drive realtor.ca to the next level. And companies like us that operate the major Realtor portals like royallepage.ca need to embrace the challenge and get the job done. We need to introduce home valuation technology; to leverage artificial intelligence and data analytics; and build recommendation engines to help families find their ideal home. Plans are in place.
• Subscribe to CREA’s DDF (data distribution facility) via the RealtorLink website or your local board site. It’s easy to do and a significant contribution to our industry’s success.
• Embrace Realtor reciprocity. It makes clients happy!  Most brokerages are already co-operatively sharing listings. If your brokerage is not, it is time to participate in CREA’s DDF National Shared Pool and National Franchisor Pool.

Realtor.ca, working in tandem with Realtor company websites, are a unique Canadian success story. There will be no need to spend millions on third-party advertising services if we are doing our jobs. Let’s do our jobs.

© 2017 REM Real Estate Magazine

Housing demand in British Columbia continued to soften in June

Kerrisa Wilson
other

As a result of the stricter mortgage regulations that rolled out nationwide six months ago, housing demand in British Columbia continued to soften in June, pushing most markets into balanced territory.

Last month, a total of 7,884 homes changed hands across the province — a 32.5 per cent decrease from 11,672 units sold a year ago, according to the latest data from the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA), published Friday.

“What we’re seeing in the market right now is almost purely the impact of new mortgage rules,” Brendon Ogmundson, BCREA deputy chief economist, tells Livabl.

On January 1, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) implemented a new stress test for uninsured mortgages, to ensure buyers can withstand rising interest rates. Since the new policy came into effect, it has been linked to a slowdown in activity both across BC and the country.

In June, declining sales persisted in BC’s priciest housing region, Greater Vancouver, which had 2,467 home sales last month, down roughly 38 per cent from 3,953 homes sold in June 2017.

As demand continues to decline, Ogmundson says that most of BC’s housing markets are returning to balanced territory.

“What we’re seeing in the market is that the level of listings is up a little, so supply is starting to accumulate but from historically low standards, while demand is off a fair amount. And therefore, markets are somewhat balanced on a supply and demand basis.”

Last month, there were a total of 35,932 homes listed for sale across the province, up 21 per cent from a year ago.

As most markets are sitting in balanced territory, there was less upward pressure on prices last month. In June, the average price of a home in BC was $716,326 — a 1.3 per cent decline from the same time last year.

In Greater Vancouver, the average price of a home hit $1,068,559 in June, up 1.4 per cent from a year ago.

Looking ahead, Ogmundson says the impact of the stress test should start to fade away, allowing BC housing markets to recover over the next six to 12 months. The economist forecasts that sales will pick up across the province in the coming months and prices will continue to experience moderate growth.

© 2018 BuzzBuzzHome Corp.

Pinnacle International?s Torino to take its place in Richmond?s Capstan Village

Simon Briault
The Vancouver Sun

Torino

Project location: 8699 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond

Project size: 405 homes (185 in first tower); Homes in Torino South range in size from 578 to 1,189 square feet (with the exception of one home, at 1,855 square feet, which has a large patio). Prices start at $579,900 for one-bedroom homes, $819,900 for two-bedroom homes and $998,900 for three-bedroom units

Developer: Pinnacle International

Architect: Bingham Hill Architects

Interior designer: False Creek Design Group

Sales and marketing: Anson Realty

Sales centre: 3220 No. 3 Road, Richmond

Hours: noon — 5 p.m. (Fridays by appointment)

Telephone: (604) 303-0148

Website: http://www.torinoliving.ca

Occupancy: 2021

Some developers concentrate their energies on single-family houses, some build multi-family apartment buildings and some build entire communities. With its latest development, Pinnacle International is placing itself firmly into the last of these categories; the company’s Capstan Village in Richmond represents community building on a grand scale.

When fully completed in 2021, Capstan Village will include six residential towers and a mix of retail, office spaces, artist studios, hotel accommodation, a daycare and a public park. It will also have its own Canada Line Station on the Richmond Brighouse branch, located between the Bridgeport and Aberdeen stations.

“The City of Richmond granted the developers permission to build new multi-family housing in exchange for a per-unit contribution to the cost of the new station,” said Grace Kwok of Anson Realty Ltd., which is marketing the development on behalf of Pinnacle International. “The community includes a new city park, which is under construction right now. And again, that’s one of the amenities that the city wanted the developer to provide.”

Following the completion of sales at Sorrento, the first residential development at Capstan Village, Pinnacle International is launching Torino. There are 185 homes on sale now in the first of the project’s three towers and Torino will include 405 homes in total.

The development will feature landscaped courtyards, gardens, fire pits, benches and al-fresco dining areas. It will also be a stone’s throw from the public park and the new Capstan Canada Line Station. The Union Square Shopping Centre and the Yaohan Centre are also both within walking distance of Capstan Village.

“Richmond is famous for eating, drinking and shopping, and residents of Torino will find there’s no shortage of places to do that right on their doorstep,” Kwok said. “At the same time, there’s going to be some beautiful green space as well with the new park.”

“The principal of Pinnacle International is Italian so that’s why we have those Italian names like Sorrento and Torino,” Kwok added. “He wanted to create the feel of an Italian village in the centre of Richmond. We felt it had a nice ring to it.”

That’s certainly the impression given by the three show homes at the Torino sales centre located at 3220 No. 3 Road, where designers False Creek Design Group have gone with a distinctly wine-focused and Italian theme.

The Torino homes will feature designer cabinetry with Blumotion drawers and hinges in the kitchens, granite or quartz countertops and Fisher & Paykel stainless refrigerators with bottom freezers. The rest of the appliances in the kitchens – built-in wall ovens, microwave ovens, hood fans and stainless steel dishwashers – are by Bosch.

Bathrooms come with designer cabinetry and vanities, granite or quartz countertops, porcelain tile floors, American Standard under-mount porcelain sinks and custom designed mirrors. There are American Standard dual-flush, water-conserving toilets and many of the homes above 1,000 square feet have five-piece bathrooms, including showers and bathtubs.

“We’ve had lots of interest from all kinds of people – first-time buyers, downsizers and young professionals,” Kwok said. “In this building, we’re making the units larger than what you would normally find on the market, especially when it comes to the one-bedroom homes. We’ll have one-bedroom and den homes that go up to nearly 700 square feet.”

Homes at Torino South will have one to three bedrooms and range in size from 578 to 1,189 square feet. This includes Pinnacle’s “1 Bed Grand” plan, the larger one-bedroom homes that Kwok said are proving so popular with buyers.

Prices range from $579,900 to $1,289,900 and include one parking space and one bicycle storage pace per unit. All homes also include air conditioning.

Torino’s on-site amenities will include a fitness centre, a yoga studio, a party room, a bocce court and a sundeck.

“The reaction has been great so far,” Kwok added. “People are not having to worry about upgrading into something bigger in a few years. It’s expensive moving home and with the larger units we have, buyers are realizing they can really get settled in for a longer period.”

One such buyer is Jess Feng, a Richmond resident and first-time buyer who has bought a one-bedroom home at Torino.

“It’s in a great location for me – very close to shopping and also convenient for my parents to visit,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of friends in this community and it provides me with lots of opportunities for entertainment and work. I run a cake shop with my friends and it’s going to be very close to my new home.”

“I had been looking for a place to buy for a few years and I’ve had some bad experiences in the past, but the people at Torino were great,” Feng added. “I just registered online and they reached out to me. The experience of buying a home here was really good and that helped me to make my decision.”

© 2018 Postmedia Network Inc.

Belmont Residences to take its place in an evolving Langford

Michael Bernard
The Vancouver Sun

Michael Bernard

Updated: July 14, 2018

The sun

Belmont Residences, Langford

Project Location: 960 Division Ave., Langford

Project scope: 80 condominiums in a five-storey wood-frame building, the first phase of seven planned market and rental buildings in a 24-acre master-planned community west of Victoria. Located on the 55-kilometre Galloping Goose trail, homes range from one-bedroom plans at 622 square feet to two-bedroom-and-den suites at 1,224. An easy walk to grocery, banks, cafes and professional offices with quick access to outdoors recreation.

Price: From $324,900 to $649,900

Developer: Ledcor Property Development

Architect: Greg Voute, senior associate, RLA Architect

Interior Designer: i3 Design

Sales Centre: 915 Division Ave., Langford

Centre hours: noon —5 p.m., Sat — Thurs

Sales phone: 778-432-3777

Website: http://www.belmontresidences.com

Occupancy: January 2020

© 2018 Postmedia Network Inc.

At 79, Jean Maddocks has a pretty good idea what she wants. So when she saw the first phase of the Belmont Residences, a master-planned community in Vancouver Island’s Langford, she knew she had found what she was looking for.

Maddocks, a widow who owns a 1,425-square-foot rancher in nearby Colwood, has watched the community of Langford evolve in recent years.

“And I knew as I got older, I had to do some thinking about the future,” she said. “My yard and garden work are getting to be too much, so I had read about the new centre in Langford and I have known the area for many years.“

When she first considered downsizing to Langford a few years ago, essential services like the bank, a grocery store and other amenities were still a drive away. Her new home, however, will be a short walk from everything she will need.

“All the stores are in this area. My bank is being moved into this area. There isn’t going to be anything that isn’t at my fingertips.”

With some prompting from her son who lives nearby and her daughter in Vancouver, she bought a home with two bedrooms and a flex space on the fifth and top floor in the 80-unit initial offering at Belmont. Long term, the 24-acre community calls for seven residential and rental buildings on the site.

While Maddocks’ move is less than 18 months away, she has already done much of the downsizing she needs to do, including checking out the community’s charities so she can donate her surplus furniture and other items.

Maddocks is typical of many of the buyers who have flocked to the presentation centre for the Belmont Residences, says director of sales Peter Gaby. More than 50 per cent of the initial buyers at Belmont have been downsizers from the local and surrounding community, he said.

Location and access to amenities are strong selling points, Gaby said, adding that the 220,000 square feet of commercial and retail components at Belmont — including the popular Vancouver Island-based Thrifty Foods — will be open before the first residence is completed. Langford, which he described as the fastest growing community outside of Victoria, is also well located in terms of providing easy access to the rest of Vancouver Island.

But a prime factor is that Belmont is more affordable than the city of Victoria, yet it is only a short drive away, he said.

“I would say that prices are about 30 per cent lower than what you would pay for a comparable size property in downtown Victoria,” he said.

Scott Brown, president of the Vancouver-based Fifth Avenue Real Estate Marketing, agreed with Gaby, and added that there is very little wood-frame development available in Victoria.

“If you go to the concrete building downtown, you will pay in the low 900,000s,” he said.

“It has really gone up in the last two years.”

Brown, whose firm is one of the largest marketers of condos in Metro Vancouver, said the growth dynamic in Langford is similar to what has happened in some parts of Metro Vancouver in recent years. He noted that there is investor interest in Belmont as well because of the lack of affordable rental accommodation and the population growth in the area.

The modern West Coast-style homes feature large overhangs, oversized windows and high ceilings, generously sized balconies and ground-floor patios, and a combination of shingle siding and stone exteriors. The surrounding gardens and other vegetation have been created by Connect Landscape Architecture.

A common area at the building entrance features a large landscaped terrace facing the Galloping Goose Trail, including a barbecue area, lounge seating and an outdoor fire pit.

Incorporated into the building is the 4,000-square-foot Belmont Club, where residents will be able to host private functions at a large dining room table. The facility will also boast two craft rooms, a sound-proof music room, a kids’ room and a community room in partnership with the Belmont Market and retail shops.

Inside each home is a well-designed kitchen with contemporary flat-panel custom cabinetry with slim brushed chrome pulls on lower cabinets. Countertops are made from premium quartz complemented by a full-height porcelain wood-like tile backsplash. Flooring in the living areas is wide-plank laminate flooring.

Appliances are by KitchenAid and include a five-burner gas cooktop, an AEG slimline range hood, self-cleaning 30-inch wall oven, 30-inch 1.6 cubic foot microwave, and an Energy Star-rated refrigerator and a tall tub dishwasher.

The bathrooms have spa-inspired details including a rectangular soak tub, an oversized shower with frameless doors, quartz countertops and large format porcelain tile flooring.

Nine-foot-high ceilings contribute to the sense of space throughout the open-concept plan homes.

Each home comes with either a stacking Whirlpool washer and dryer or a side-by-side Amana set of appliances. Maddocks chose a stacking configuration because it allowed space for an essential amenity many contemporary condo homes lacked—a broom closet.

© 2018 Postmedia Network Inc.