{The Condo} On the Prowl...

For the past two years or so, I've been scouting out pre-construction and resale condos as well as resale houses to get an idea of what the market is like to prepare myself for when it comes time to buy. What I've known and was in denial about, is that Toronto prices are insane!

Five years ago my brother was going to buy a unit at the Pure Spirit Condos in the Distillery District but backed out since everyone (aka mom & dad) kept saying that prices would go down. Well, they went up. WAY up! It'd be at least another $100 000 (if even) right now to get what he would've paid for in 2006.

Unfortunately I had to veto townhouses and small homes altogether. Too much moolah required, very little in my bank account :(. So I've been wavering between resale and pre-construction depending on what's listed on MLS or what new condos are being launched.

The resale units are all either by cheap builders, high rise condos which I'd like to avoid, or way out of my price range. There have been a few with good floorplans but they're usually farther out than I'd like or in older buildings with high maintenance fees.

Pre-construction condos on the other hand, I've found have terrible floorplans because a lot have interior bedrooms with glass/frosted sliding doors that allow light in from the large exterior windows in the kitchen/living areas. I loathe those. Like, hate more than I hate public speaking, and I am terrified of public speaking! Immediately, that limits my choices of condos in Toronto, especially at the prices they're charging, but I did find some acceptable ones.

The following are all 1 bedroom + den units.

CONDO A

585 sqft. I like L-shaped kitchens and I liked that the bedroom, washroom, and washer/dryer were all in one corner.

 643 sqft. Not a huge fan of single galley kitchens but I liked that a door could be added to the den for extra sleeping space.

CONDO B

668 sqft + 105 balcony. Large balcony and powder room! I think for this condo, the optional island was $5000. Yah right. Ikea or Crate & Barrel would do me just fine.

 709 sqft + 90 balcony. I didn't even realize this has two full baths until right now! But the Den/Opt. Bedroom is the type of bedroom I hate. And the master has a dinky little window. Ugh.

CONDO C

667 sqft. Again, not a fan of single galley kitchens, but the master has a walk-in closet! And there are two full baths plus a door for the den.

694 sqft. Same as above, just a little bit bigger!

One of these will be mine! Even when I signed the paperwork I was in a bit of a daze - probably in a bit of shock! And I'll be in more shock once that first cheque gets cashed...