Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Hail Blogger Well Met!

Someone on Tumblr loves bad real estate photography almost as much as me.
 

New Listing. Two-Bedroom Condo, Drolet near Laurier

Looking for a Plateau condo with tons of upgrades, superior soundproofing and steps from the metro?
Check out my new listing at 5121 Drolet, apt. 202. 
This two-bedroom condo is found in a 2005 concrete building. Concrete means solid construction and superior soundproofing. Just what you need in a Plateau property.
The apartment is located on the first floor of a three storey building, a few steps up from ground level. There's a balcony off the front and a second balcony/fire escape at the back. There are 8 units, two per floor,including two semi-basements.
The layout features an open living and dining area with big windows, a brick accent wall in the dining room and accent lighting.There are built-in speakers for the flat-screen TV. It has a wall-mounted air conditioner and an air exchange system.
The open galley kitchen has plenty of counter space, dark wood cabinets, a combined microwave oven and kitchen fan and a garburator.
Both bedrooms are to the back, one with the aforementioned balcony, the second with two good-sized windows. Both have large closets.
The bathroom is huge, with a corner tub and separate shower. Stackable washer and dryer are in a closet in the hallway just outside the bathroom door.
The condo has exotic hardwood floors, finished in a warm reddish brown. The place is impeccably clean.
Condo fees are $100 a month and there is a healthy $19,000 in the reserve fund. No big projects are on the horizon.
5121 Drolet is located just north on Laurier and one block west of St. Denis St. The Laurier metro is a two-minute walk. Drolet is a one-way south street with very little through traffic. Laurier is a one-way east, with a bike path that serves to calm traffic. All in all, a very quiet corner of the Plateau.
The asking price is $327,000.
The property can be sold furnished or unfurnished.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

City Offering $136 million in Subsidies and Incentives to Keep Homebuyers on the Island

The city of Montreal has quietly renewed a program to encourage tenants and families to buy and stay on the island. The on-again, off-again home ownership program received a $136-million cash injection with little fanfare in April. As in years past, the city will take applications for up to  three years, or until the cash runs out.

The cash tends to run out well before the three years are up.

Still, not a bad program if you fit the various criteria. For new homes, the incentives are on a sliding scale, depending on whether you are a single buyer, a couple without children or a household with children. The lump sum incentives range from $4,500 to $12,000 . Households with kids can also get a refund of the hated welcome tax.

Not bad! The program gets complicated when you look at the types of properties that are eligible. For single buyers, the maximum budget is $200,000, for a couple $250,000. If you're buying for a family, the budget can go as high at $360,000, but to qualify for the highest amount you must buy a three-bedroom unit.

The program will also refund the welcome tax on the purchase of a resale duplex or triplex, providing the purchase price is not more than $450.000 and $490.000 respectively.

Households with kids can also get six months of free public transit with the purchase of a one-year Opus card. It is not clear from the brochure whether this means a total of 18 months of public transit for the price of 12 or 12 months for the price of six.

As with any program, there's lots of small print. Still, worth looking into if it can save you several thousand dollars, right?

Here's the website, en anglais et en francais .

You can also download the brochure on the site.