Luxury LeMarche condo in downtown Kitchener. Nearly new, main floor unit with rarely found private patio. Features include: 1 bedroom + den, open concept layout, hardwood floors, upgraded cabinets, built-in dishwasher and microvent, in-suite laundry, all appliances included, underground parking, upscale complex with courtyard. Within walking distance to Kitchener\’s Farmers Market, restaurants, shops and nightlife. Call Team McNeil to view today! – View Listing
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Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil RE/MAX Twin City Realty, Brokerage ( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118
[NEW PRICE] 165 Duke St E, Unit 118, Kitchener – $226,500
Welcome to LeMarche at 165 Duke St E. Luxurious condo living located in downtown Kitchener. This nearly new main floor unit boasts a rarely found private patio. The convenient patio allows for a second entrance into the building and is really close the the Kitchener Farmers market entrance.
165 Duke St E, Kitchener
Features include: 1 bedroom + den, an open concept layout, hardwood floors, upgraded cabinets, built-in dishwasher and microvent, in-suite laundry, all appliances included, underground parking, upscale complex with courtyard. Within walking distance to Kitchener\’s Farmers Market, restaurants, shops and nightlife. If you are looking for modern loft living, then 165 Duke St E is the place to be.
Downtown Kitchener is the place to be if you want to be close to restaurants, shops, and transit. Grand river transit is about a 5 minute walk from the unit.
Features: Patio/Deck, Main Floor Laundry, Den/Office, Main Floor Master Bedroom, Central Air, Appliances Included, Dishwasher Included, Water Softener, Controlled Entry, Party/Games Room, Elevator, Separate Heating Controls
Description: Downtown living at its finest! Main floor 1 bedroom plus den with lots of upgrades. Features include smoke grey hardwood floors,upgraded kitchen with ceramic tile & breakfast bar,insuite laundry,all appliances included,w/out to private,rarely found patio with gate.Complex offers underground parking,lovely centre courtyard & easy access to shopping, Farmer’s Market,restaurants & nightlife.
I get many requests from people wanting to know more information about the Seagrams Lofts. This building is located in uptown Waterloo at 3 & 5 Father David Bauer Drive. The buildings were built in 2001 and there are 40 units in the seven story building and 63 units in the 10 storey building. The style of these units is a more modern loft style apartment with 20 foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, hardwood floors, juliette balconies and much more. To the best of my knowledge, all the units except the penthouses are multilevel with the master bedroom and ensuite bath in the upper loft. The buildings are close to dining, shopping, and the “University of Waterloo’s Balsillie school of Internation Affairs“.
Seagrams Lofts Recent sales for the past 12 months:
Average days on market for list date to sale date is 48 days and the average sale price to list price ratio is 96%.
”Seagram Lofts, the redevelopment of two, former whisky-barrel warehouses in downtown Waterloo”
“Seagram Lofts is adaptive reuse of a brownfield site, which created residential property in the heart of Waterloo’s downtown core from two, heritage, whisky-barrel warehouses. As part of downtown Waterloo’s revitalization, the project was the subject of much public interest.The project created 103 loft-style condominium units with high ceilings and large windows. Complementing these features are original brick walls and barrel-wood, evoking the old warehouse feel.”
If you would like to know more about the Seagrams lofts or any other condominium or loft in Kitchener-Waterloo area, please send us an email or give us a call…
We just listed a condomium today at #30-3085 Kingsway Drive in Kitchener.
Address: #30-3085 Kingsway Drive, Kitchener
Features: Fireplace, Main Floor Laundry, Central Air, Appliances Included, Intercom, Controlled Entry, Patio Main Floor Master Bedroom, Water Softener
Description: Just move in! Upgrades galore in this 2 bedroom, 1 bath unit located on the 2nd floor. Ceramic tile and laminate floors, updated windows & patio door (at owner’s expense), appliances included, water softener, fireplace insert, freshly painted throughout, shows beautifully. Unit located at back of complex, view of trees through every window, private balcony with storage room. Low fees. A must see!
Other Notes: Close to Fairview Park Mall. Condo Fee: $168.79 Property Taxes: $1730 (2010) Price: $158,900
If there weren’t already enough reasons to relocate to the Waterloo Region, more reasons keep popping up! Waterloo region and Guelph received an “A” for family friendliness.
There were five factors that the family friendliness grade was based on: community feel, education choice, cost of living, economic strength and family independence.
“The region received “A”s for charitable giving, a low homicide rate, low commute times, high family income and population growth; also low government transfers and a high level of family independence.”
All was not perfect though. The region needs to improve in areas of greenspace, the number of long-term residents and high monthly mortgage payments.
The region also scored an “A” in average family income.
I always knew that Waterloo Region was a grade A community. Now its official!!! Now all we have to do is shoot for straight “A’s” and “A+’s..
Five Possible Reasons Why Your House Hasn’t Sold Yet
Putting your house on the market can be a very stressful. There are many things you need to do to prep the house in order for it to get it ready to go on the market. Now that the house has been on the market for a week or two you are starting to get concerned why it hasn’t sold yet. Well here are Five Possible Reasons Why Your House Hasn’t Sold Yet:
Number 5: Cleanliness. If the house is not clean and tidy people might be getting turned off. This is one of the cheapest ways to get a higher return and quicker sale. If you smoke or have pets, you might want to consider smoking outside of the home and try to reduce the pet odours. Use Fresh kitty litter and remove doggy blankets or pet beds during showings.
Number 4: Showing availability. It is really important to be flexible with showing times. All though it may feel like an inconvenience, the easier you make your house to show, the more likely you will get a potential buyer through. I have actually seen buyers move on to other houses and ignore a house that would have been perfect for them just because they couldn’t get through. Of course, There are exceptions to this rule if you are a shift worker or have small children.
Number 3: Open Houses: If you are opposed to open houses, then you might want to reconsider. If you aren’t getting many showings, then an open house might be just what you need to get more traffic. Let your agent do an open house and they will listen to buyer feedback to see what all the buzz is about. Feedback is good because it will let you know where your house fits in eyes of potential buyers.
Number 2: Location: Maybe the reason why your house hasn’t sold yet is because of the location. It is important to consider this when coming up with the list price. Location can play a big part as to why your house hasn’t sold yet. If you back onto an expressway, you will have a harder time then someone with a similar house on a quiet cul de sac. Just remember this when you are setting the list price.
And the number one reason why your house hasn’t sold yet is: List price. You might be overly ambitious with your list price. Some tell tale signs that your list price is too high are, lowball offers, lots of showings and no offers, no showings at all and market conditions. It is important to look at what the real estate market is doing. If you are trying to get top dollar for your house in a down market, then you might be unsuccessful in selling. The key is to price the house accordingly.
Well I hope you found the information here useful and if you would like to find out more about me and our real estate team, please visit www.clickthathouse.com
If you have been waiting for an Arrow Loft in Kitchener your wait could soon be over. After a long awaited delay, the builder (Auburn Developments) is working towards getting the project going again. They could have a model suite as early as fall if all goes well. They have been working on the parking garage and it is almost complete. The condominium units have been laid out inside and the new stairwells are in place.
Sounds like they are going to have many spacious units. The first four floors will average 1000 square foot models and at the top of the building they will have 2-storey real lofts.
The builder is pushing hard to get the final permits.
“I am pushing as hard as I can for the final buildings permits,” Litt said. “We are shooting for Oct. 1 to have the building weather tight.”
According to the news article at the Record, if all goes well, the builder will have the Arrow lofts built well before the other large projects are built downtown. The big one they are talking about is the City Centre Condominiums in Downtown Kitchener where they are planning on building 385 condominiums over the next 3-5 years.
Buying an Investment Property For College/University Bound Students in Kitchener-Waterloo
I recently helped a family who had a daughter going to the U of W. They were looking to buy a house so that she could live there with a couple of friends during her term at the university. The reason why they were doing this was so that they could avoid paying for a rental. Instead of paying high rental costs for student housing, they decided to buy a house and pay the money they were going to pay in rent towards their own investment.
We are seeing more and more people doing this. I have another person who is still deciding whether this is a good option for them. Some people are afraid to commit to a mortgage on a property like this. This is totally understandable because it is still a huge commitment.
Those that do decide to go this route often come out on top. If you add up the cost of renting an apartment or paying for university accommodations (residence) then you will soon realize you can pay that towards your own mortgage and receive appreciation on your investment. Even if you factor in very low appreciation (3-4%) per year, you will still come out with some extra money at the end even after you factor in the real estate fees and land transfer tax. Even if you break even, you can look at it from the point of view that you didn’t have to pay rent.
So what kind of house should you buy? Like any investment, it all depends on what you wish to achieve. Some people only need a single one bedroom apartment style condo where others want to buy a house which they can have other people/friends/fellow students share in on the costs.
Check out this video I recently did:
Here is a complete transcript of the video
Hi There! I am Warren McNeil from Team McNeil at Re/Max Twin City Realty in Kitchener
Do you have a son or daughter who is going to the University of Waterloo, Wilfred Laurier or Conestogo College in Kitchener Waterloo area? Then maybe you are deciding whether you should rent or buy a home. Here are a couple of things to consider if you are thinking of buying a house or condominium during their term at University or College.
1. Difficulty in Finding Good Quality Rentals – Sometimes it can be difficult to find good quality rentals. They are not always in the best condition and the good ones usually rent out quickly. The last thing you want is to rent something that is not taken care of or is very costly.
2. Control: When you buy a home, you will have more control over choosing things such as location, type of home, size and other features such as garages and parking. Most rentals have many limitations. When you are the home owner you will have much more control and enjoy piece of mind!
3. Equity – When you purchase a house or condo your monthly mortgage payment could be the same or less then what you would pay monthly for rental accomodations.. Since you have to pay something monthly anyways, why not pay it towards your own investment instead of somebody elses. Build equity and hopefully you will gain lots of appreciation in the future when go to sell!
I hope you found the information here useful. Thanks for reading and watching!
Upcoming Loft and Condo Developments in Downtown Kitchener
By Warren McNeil,
We have been contacted recently by a few people who are thinking about moving into the Kitchener Downtown Core because of a couple of upcoming developments. These new developments are the “City Centre Condominiums” which is being developed by Andrin Homes and the Arrow Lofts which are being built by Auburn Developments. These new upcoming developments in downtown Kitchener are going to be happening in the next couple of years. Here is a quick breakdown.
The Centre Block Development by Andrin Homes is a multimillion dollar redevelopment of the centre block. This new development is expected to breathe new life into the downtown area. Andrin homes proposes a mixture of residential development, ground floor retail and connected private and public outdoor spaces.
The Arrow Lofts are a factory conversion of the old Arrow Shirt factory. Here is a breakdown of what the lofts will be like:
converted factory with 134 units
16 storey building with 184 units
900-1300 sq.ft
12 foot ceilings
top floor units are proposed to be 2 bedroom units with a nice view of downtown Kitchener and Victoria Park
Here is a quote from Auburn Developments about the new Arrow lofts that are going to be built:
“Combining Kitchener’s rich heritage with modern, spacious design, Arrow Lofts will see the conversion of the former Arrow shirt factory into a beautiful residential space. Located on Benton Street, this exciting two-phased development will include 134 units in the converted factory, and 184 units in the new 16-storey building just to the west. Ample parking and nearby amenities will make Arrow Lofts the perfect base to take advantage of Kitchener’s vibrant city life.”
In addition the afformentioned developments, there is also the Tannery District which I mentioned the other day in a blog post…
“The Tannery District“. The redevelopment of this property was a result of the city’s 30 million investment in the new U of W’s School of Pharmacy which is located nearby. The Tannery District will be filled with restaurants, retail and office space catering to emerging technology. The Tannery’s central courtyard will be a venue for special events and festivals.
These new developments are really going to help transform the downtown core. In five years, downtown Kitchener is going to look alot different. If you don’t want to wait for these condominiums to be built, there are plenty of resale lofts and condos available.
![searchforallkwcondos 100 [OPEN HOUSE] Saturday August 21, 2010 between 2 4pm 165 Duke St E, Unit 118, Kitchener](http://www.loftstyle.ca/images/searchforallkwcondos-100.jpg "[OPEN HOUSE] Saturday August 21, 2010 between 2 4pm 165 Duke St E, Unit 118, Kitchener")
![whatsmyhouseworth 100 [OPEN HOUSE] Saturday August 21, 2010 between 2 4pm 165 Duke St E, Unit 118, Kitchener](http://www.loftstyle.ca/images/whatsmyhouseworth-100.jpg "[OPEN HOUSE] Saturday August 21, 2010 between 2 4pm 165 Duke St E, Unit 118, Kitchener")
![howisthemarket 100 [OPEN HOUSE] Saturday August 21, 2010 between 2 4pm 165 Duke St E, Unit 118, Kitchener](http://www.loftstyle.ca/images/howisthemarket-100.jpg "[OPEN HOUSE] Saturday August 21, 2010 between 2 4pm 165 Duke St E, Unit 118, Kitchener")
By Warren McNeil,
Now all we have to do is shoot for straight “A’s” and “A+’s..
Those that do decide to go this route often come out on top. If you add up the cost of renting an apartment or paying for university accommodations (residence) then you will soon realize you can pay that towards your own mortgage and receive appreciation on your investment. Even if you factor in very low appreciation (3-4%) per year, you will still come out with some extra money at the end even after you factor in the real estate fees and land transfer tax. Even if you break even, you can look at it from the point of view that you didn’t have to pay rent.
what you wish to achieve. Some people only need a single one bedroom apartment style condo where others want to buy a house which they can have other people/friends/fellow students share in on the costs.
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