1181 Queen West is a new condo project developed by Skale Developments.
The idea of this Blog is to conclude: Who is 1181 Queen West for?
Who are the buyers buying here? Is this the Condo for you?
I'm going to breakdown these points in a few different elements that buyers should consider when looking at this building.
You as a buyer will read these points as a process of elimination. So if I have 10 potential buyers reading this, at some point I will lose one or two or a few of you along the way because it might not be what you're looking for. If 1 out of 10 of you make it to the end of this, then this may be the place for you.
I'm not looking for an age or a gender. This building is for buyers that are looking for a quality of life in a quality building. This is pretty much open to End Users or Investors, first-time home buyers, down-sizers, and up-sizers. You will learn how and why.
Let’s start...
LOCATION:
1181 Queen West will literally be a 15 storey art sculpture located on the corner of Queen West and Sudbury Street.
For those of you that don't know, Queen West is one of the most expensive streets to live on in Toronto.
So, it's no surprise that they finally put together a luxury building that represents the vibe of Queen West.
I'm not talking about Posh luxury, I'm talking about Trendy luxury.
You don't have to live in Yorkville to live in a luxury building. You can also live in Queen West...in a Luxury Building.
Luxury buildings are not a specific look, or in one area of Toronto. Luxury is also about architecture, design, style, and quality of life.
1181 Queen West is a representation of what luxury means in Queen West.
This will hands down be an iconic building and one that defines the meaning of Queen West and the lifestyle it represents.
So what exactly comes with this lifestyle?
Well, when your living here at 1181 Queen West, you’re not only buying a residence here, you’re buying the whole damn neighbourhood.
The moment you walk outside the front door from this residence, between Dufferin St. and Bathurst St. alone, there are about 50 different places you would be going to. Including Toronto’s trendiest bars, restaurants and nightlife, and not to mention Art Galleries, Designer Stores, and Furniture Stores.
It’s actually remarkable to see that there are very few neighbourhoods in Toronto in which the day scene will literally camouflage within the night scene and Queen West is one of those neighbourhoods. Sometimes when I bring clients here to see some Condos or Lofts, they don't even realize that they are in the middle of the Queen West nightlife even though they come and grab drinks here very often.
THE BUILDING
The building has an interesting architecture to it. It works because it is architecturally appealing in a very “Queen West” way. It has Stone, it has glass, it has depth, it even has what I call a secret courtyard that looks like it’s set back into its very own cool alley.
When I first saw the design of this building I thought, “Okay, it's very triangular so this must mean many awkward layouts”.
Keep in mind this was before I found out how many actual suits were here.
When I learned there was going to be about 112 residents, I then thought "Okay, wow, that's pretty spread out in this 15 story development”.
Then when I saw the actual floor plans, and seen some remarkable layouts, I then thought, “Wow, the consideration in this building is deeply carried through out, not only in the building features and finishes, but also in the design of the floor plans."
I'm not a big fan of angled walls. But, the play on the angles in this design was very interesting.
In a bird's-eye view when you look at the exterior of the building, its triangular. Then when you look at the floor plate of every level, you begin to see where they used those angles to create a separation of space, hallways and room divisions.
Now when you turn that floor plan into an elevation you can see where the angles start disappearing in the three dimensional space.
This building is not big, with it being 15 storeys and having only 112 residents, the attention to detail is what I love the most here.
Two features that really stand out to me are:
THE TERRACES! I can’t get enough of Terraces and I’m very happy to see that they have a Terrace Collection here. In a way, this detail represents the community of Queen West. Listen, your not coming to Queen West knowing that there are large homes in the area. Your lucky if you find a house over 1500 square feet with a tiny backyard. But just know, like I said above, that’s what Queen West is all about, the neighbourhood. It almost feels like everyone in the neighbourhood including Condos and Homes have the same amount of space. In this particular development the terraces and balconies represent the same outdoor space all the other homes in the neighbourhood have. So much so, that in this development the Terraces are equipped with a gas line and a water line.
The Second biggest Feature is not a visual Feature, it’s more of an understanding Feature. The future Buyers here need to understand somethings;
There will only be 112 Residences here, (as i clearly keep on repeating this).
Maintenance fees will start at about .77 cents per square foot. However,
between the finishes, the state of the art equipment, the 24 hour concierge, the high-tech security, the private lounge and courtyard, the finishing details and lighting system in the underground parking garage, the art studio, the fitness centre that will have the best equipment not even regular gyms have, all this, will make you feel like you live in one of the biggest mansions in the world and all these amenities will feel like they are in separate wings of this mansion and you are the only one living here using them.
And because only 112 Residents get to call this home, that’s how huge you are going to feel living here. And that, to me, is a feature unlike anything I have seen in Queen West. That is the ultimate luxury, where you are sharing so much between so few.
The views.
Listen, let's get a few things off the bat Here and Now. No matter where you live in Queen West you're not going to get a multi million dollar View.
This is not Manhattan Island, our landscape doesn't go al la vertical. Toronto is more of a horizontal scene.
So what does that mean? If you're looking for the iconic CN Tower view, you're going to have to just move to Blue Jays Way or on the 42 floor on some building facing South. This is a 15 story building. There is a height restriction in Queen West so you don't really have to worry about skyscrapers being built in front of you or next to you. That being said NOBODY in Queen West really has a multimillion-dollar view, so you should also feel better knowing that.
So what is your view? Well, it’s the reason why you’re moving here in the first place, the cool graffiti alley way, the rooftops of trendy neighbourhoods and the beat of the drum at the bar. But that's what living in Queen West is all about, the rush and the madness and the fact that there is always something to do. Like i said, Luxury is not always about glitz and glam. In Queen West it's Trendy and Cool.
DESIGN
Now typically, there are plenty of buildings that call themselves luxury. For me, i rate things like a point system. Some developers rate themselves as luxury solely based on the Amenities they offer.
When i look at the type of Suites offered, as i suspected that’s where things usually fall apart. But not here. Not at 1181 Queen West.
I couldn't stop believing that the attention-to-detail literally never ended in this development. Like I said, there are only 112 residences. There are also about 44 different floor plans. That being said, as if that wasn't amazing enough, there are 11 DIFFERENT TYES of Suites offered here. This is truly remarkable. I haven't been this floored by a development in quite a few years. That little detail right there, is called VALUE.
Do you know what that means when you have 44 floor plan options and only 112 Suites? That very few residents in this building will actually have the same floor plan. Another rating for the Luxury Point System. You're not getting 30 floors with the same one bedroom floor plan stacked in those 30 floors and an additional two to three of that same floor plan on each level.
So, here at 1181 Queen West, it's almost like you're getting a one-of-a-kind floor plan. Not that many people living in this building will actually have the same floor plan. = VALUE
Below is a list of the different types of Suites offered. Also, the sizes that are offered for each category is actually above what the typical sizes are going for now in New Development Condos in Toronto. For example, Typical 1 Bedroom Condos are between 430-549 Sq. Ft. or less and at 550 Sq.Ft to 650 Sq.Ft you start seeing a Den.
There are 1 Bedroom Suites here at 1181 Queen West that start at 546 Sq.Ft. and up to 869 Sq.Ft.
By the way, only 15 of the 112 Suites are 1 Bedrooms.
The Types of Suits offered:
1 Bedroom from 546-869 Sq.Ft
1 Bedroom+Den from 624-787 Sq.Ft.
2 Bedroom from 794-1,286 Sq.Ft
2 Bedroom+Den from 1,143 Sq.Ft.
2 Storey Collection from 1,107-1,363 Sq.Ft.
Terrace Collection, 2 Bedroom from 719-1,271 Sq.Ft.
Terrace Collection, 2 Bedroom+Den from 1,403 Sq.Ft.
Terrace Collection, 3 Bedroom from 1,193-1,719 Sq. Ft.
Penthouse Collection, 2 Bedroom from 850-1,163 Sq.Ft.
Penthouse Collection, 3 Bedroom from 1,126-1,293 Sq.Ft.
Penthouse Collection, 3 Bedroom+Den from 1,662 Sq.Ft.
Here are the floor plans. PS. Another point system i use is the ratio between how many crappy floor plans there are vs. practical and efficient floor plans. Well, I actually found it to be challenging when i actually couldn't find a bad floor plan. So knowing that there are many great units in here also = VALUE.
INTERIOR FINISHES: FEATURES AND FINISHES
As if you needed a detailed description.
KITCHEN FEATURES
Quartz Countertops
modern, open-concept kitchens
stainless steel under mount sink with single lever faucet and vegetable spray
quartz backsplash
integrated appliance package
BATHROOM FEATURES
Quartz countertop with undermount sink
custom mirror over vanity
ceramic tile on Floors, tub surrounded wall and shower floor
pressure balanced valves in tub and shower
White Modern acrylic tub
FLOORING
5” engineered flooring throughout
ceramic and porcelain tile in bathroom and laundry area
CONTEMPORARY SUITES
Solid core entry door
contemporary interior doors with brushed nickel lever Hardware
sliding closet doors in foyer and bedrooms
contemporary baseboards and trim casing
white smooth ceilings throughout
space efficient stacking electric washer/ dryer
9 foot ceilings on residential levels 2 to 13
10 foot ceilings on residential levels 14 to 15
SECURITY
Surveillance cameras in select areas of building an underground garage
electronic access control system for recreational amenities, parking garage, and other common areas
in-suite smoke detectors
STATE OF THE ART WIRING
Pre-wired for telephone, cable and high-speed internet
MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
Heat pump for individual unit Heating and Cooling year round
energy recovery ventilators (ERV) will be provided in each sweet to reduce energy demands and enhance indoor air quality
Central domestic hot water system
white Decora style receptacles and light switches throughout suites.
light fixtures provided in kitchen, bathroom, hallway and walk-in closets
capped ceiling outlets in bedrooms, living /dining area, kitchen island and den
individual remote Hydro metering for hydro consumption
individual remote water metering for water consumption
So after all this, what can we conclude? Who is this building for?
End Users VS Investors
WHICH BUYER ARE YOU?
END USERS
I mentioned above how many floor plan options there are in this building, and how many types of suits offered here. These are 2 very large indicators of what makes this development appeal more to End Users, as opposed to Investors.
Do you know what that means when you have 44 floor plan options and only 112 Suites? That very few residents in this buildings will actually have the same floor plan as you. That's also why there's a premium price here because you're not really getting 30 floors with the same one bedroom floor plan stacked 30 floors with there also being an additional two to three of that same floor plan on each level. It's almost like you're getting a A one-of-a-kind floor plan, and not that many people living in this building will actually have the same floor plan.
When you’re an end user you want to pay attention to everything mentioned above.
End Users are actual buyers who will be living here. All the details mentioned above go right into the price tag. Right now, this is offered to you at an average under $950/Sq.Ft. If your a first time buyer and can afford to live here, you have to know that what you are purchasing is far better than what typical first time condo buyers buy.
The potential types of buyers that would buy here are endless. There is no age limit. There is not just one type of profession living here.
This one is for the young and successful buyer who wants to live where they love. This is for the music lover, the foodie, the art lover, the writer, the photographer. This one is for the creative minds.
INVESTORS
Investors are Buyers who are looking to buy a unit or a few units, sell them as an assignment sales, or even just rent them out year over year.
However, investors usually gear towards 1 Bedroom or maybe 1 bedroom+den units, the cheapest priced units, and something not too big in terms of square footage, roughly between 450-600 Sq.ft. But guess what? The smallest unit is 546 Square Ft and that’s a 1 Bedroom Suite, and only 5 out of 112 Suites of that particular floor plan.
Let me compare this to an actual current investor development in the city, ‘357 King West' Condos by Great Gulf. That condo is 42 Storeys and will have a total of 324 Suites of that 216 of them are 1 Bedrooms. That means 67% of the units are 1 bedroom units, stacked! Floor after floor, with the exact same floor plans. This is what appeals to Investors, what i like to call the Costco Condos. Where End users get suckered into buying with their very cheap price points and want to sell, sell, sell 5 years later when they realized they bought a condo in a frat house and all these 1 Bedrooms are being used to rent out.
I’m not shutting down investors here. I’m drawing in awareness for a newer way to invest. I hate to be the burden of bad news to some first time Buyers out there purchasing their First One Bedroom condo. I know their game plan is to live in a 1 Bedroom Condo for only a few years and then move into a house after that. Why? Or better yet.. How??
If this condo is costing an average of $550k today, guess what a “good quality home” goes for in Toronto?.. about $1.5m.
Do you see how far that gap is? So what i'm trying to say is, at some point in time some of these first time buyers who purchased their 1 Bedroom condo will eventually want to stretch out and move into something a little more comfortable and a little larger. At that point, they will have either decided:
they need to get out of the city to afford a home,
they miraculously saved all their pennies and got 10 job promotions in between and can now afford a $3million dollar home in the city, or my guess is...
they have come to terms that a larger condo is what they want … and most likely they will also come to terms in knowing the difference of a Costco condo and a Condo Residence. Which brings us to a development like 1181 Queen West. This is not a “Condo”, This is a Residence.
To Register for 1181 Queen West follow link. Download the Brochure and Floor Plans. Price list available upon request.
Well... that concludes todays' feature Blog.
If you are not working with a Realtor, and are looking into Buying a Pre Construction Condo or a Resale Condo, don't hesitate to contact me or book a free consultation to learn what services i provide to my clients as their Real Estate Agent. Learn about the buying process, what you need, and the difference between Condos and other Condos. Also, Buyers DO NOT pay commission.