Three-bedroom condos attracting families

By Marlene Eisner
November 04, 2015

With the cost of single-family homes in Toronto rising over the $1-million mark, the dream for some families to own a home remains just that — a dream. But for others, a new option is opening up — buying a new, three-bedroom condo as a long-term solution to owning a home and raising a family. Such is the situation with Sabrina and Ziad Awad. The couple recently purchased a three-bedroom condo in a master-build community located across the street from where they now rent a two-bedroom apartment.

Sabrina & Ziad Awad featured image

Before they made the purchase, they had looked for a home they could afford and eventually made an offer on one in Pickering — far from where they now live and work — but it fell through. After the couple married last year, they decided to switch gears and look at condo projects en route to work.

“We looked on Sheppard; there’s a variety between Victoria Park and Bayview off of Sheppard itself and price wise, some of them were too high at $800,000,” explains Sabrina. “Others that we looked at, we thought the area was too busy and too populated and the floor plans didn’t look too great.”

And then one day, they looked across the street from their rental and noticed a new project, 1215 York Mills at the Ravine.

“We had no intention of buying; we just walked across the road and walked in on that Sunday morning,” says Sabrina. “It happened to be the same day the developer released three-bedroom suites. They only had the two-bedroom suites advertised. An hour or two later, we signed an agreement.”

For the Awads, it was happenstance that developer Urban Capital had revised the plans to allow for three-bedroom family units, while also incorporating a dedicated playroom into the amenity plans. Because the master-planned community is situated at the foot of 13 acres of nature, alongside Brookbanks Park and Deerlick Creek, buyers with children can use the space as a sprawling backyard.

“We found a lot of families wanted the opportunity to buy in this area because they love it, but single-family house prices were too high, while the existing housing stock was too old and not realistic for their needs,” says Steven Barr, development manager at Urban Capital.

“Our three-bedroom floor plans were designed with young families in mind, enabling them to own a home in York Mills that’s affordable, modern and fresh, smartly designed, and in a one-of-a-kind natural surrounding.”

For the Awads, it’s a winning situation; their commute time to work will not change and the 920-sq. ft. layout and wrap-around terrace is plenty of space for them.

“Hopefully by the time we move in, we’ll have a mini-me or a mini-him running around with us,” says Sabrina.

There are currently 18 three-bedroom units available, and some three-bedroom-plus-den. Prices start from $450,900.

According to Barr, demand will dictate if more three-bedroom suites will open up.

“We have designed for more. Availability of these will be dictated by the market. Based on the positive response we’ve seen in Phase 1, we are integrating family-sized suites into our plans for the upcoming phases.”

To learn more about the Ravine Condos at 1215 York Mills, visit the presentation centre at 1213 York Mills Rd., call 416.850.2489 or visit theravine.ca.

About Marlene Eisner

Marlene Eisner is an award-winning print and online editor and journalist. She has written on many topics including new homes and condos in Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver, and has been the editor for numerous magazines and newspapers in Quebec and Ontario.

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