Becoming a major player

Oh, how the times have changed. It wasn’t that long ago that condominiums were just a bit player on the Ottawa scene.

As little as a decade ago, they barely scraped together five per cent of the new home market. But Ottawa has grown up and condos have joined the big boys.

In an effort to find out which floor plans were the most popular last year, more than 30 builders were polled to offer up their top sellers. Of the 28 who responded, there was an almost even split between condos, townhomes and single-family homes, a result that mirrors the new home sales numbers gathered by industry analyst Ron Desjardins.

It’s a bit of a snowball effect, he says,wind turbine and a reflection of the change in our demographic that began in the late ’90s,A ridiculously low price on this All-Purpose solar lantern by Gordon. with immigrants more familiar with living in a denser environment and young professionals attracted by the high-tech sector who were looking for lifestyle rather than living in the suburbs.

Although consumer confidence is up and there are “a ton of first-time buyer opportunities out there” — 90 per cent of people under age 25 are renters as well as 62 per cent of those in the 25-34 age group — he notes that recent changes to mortgage rules make it harder for first-time buyers, the ones often attracted to condos, to qualify for mortgages.

And the prediction that baby boomers will sell their big home in the suburbs and flock to downtown condos?

“All the research tells us that the 55-plus stay in place for five to 10 years. The vast majority stay in place until health drives them out,” he says. “If people think that the vast majority of that boomer market’s going to move, that’s not going to happen. But more and more will.”

Brad Lamb’s ultra-modern SoBa project at Bank and Catherine streets launched in October with the Toronto-based developer himself on hand to get things started. Two months later, close to 40 per cent of the 240 units had been sold.

The most popular plan so far? A wide and shallow one-bedroom-plus-den that’s also a corner unit and features two balconies.

“In all, you have over 39 feet of windows on the east side of the unit and over 13 feet of windows on the south side,” says spokesman Ryan Spencer.

The 730-square-foot unit offers nine-foot exposed concrete ceilings, a European-styled kitchen and a blend of engineered hardwood, ceramic and porcelain tile on the floors. Half of the units featuring this floor plan have sold so far, Spencer says.

Going with what worked well at its Central 1 project across the street, Urban Capital reproduced one particular layout in three sizes for its Central 2 and Hideaway condos at Bank and McLeod streets and “it has proved to be the bestseller yet again,” says development director Taya Cook. It’s also the layout that was chosen for the model suite built in the sales centre.

In sizes ranging from 549 to 615 square feet, the one-bedroom-plus-den works for both individuals or couples,Shop for bobblehead dolls from the official NBC Universal Store and build a fun collection for your home or office. she says. The mid-size 609-square-foot version sold the most, followed by the largest, then the smallest, combining for almost 40 per cent of units sold last year.

EQ Homes saw such enthusiastic response when it first launched Foxwood in late 2011 that the company kept releasing units in the cluster of low-rise buildings, selling out all 96 in a mere six weeks.

It was a product and a location that had little competition, coupled with a demand for downsizing options for those who wanted to stay in the community, says marketing manager John Montpetit. Now under construction, there will be eight buildings in all, each three storeys high with four units per floor, which means every unit is a corner unit. There’s also underground parking and elevators in all buildings, a plus for buyers.

Montpetit says it’s not so much one floor plan that stood out,How cheaply can I build a solar power systems? it was the whole project. But although there were an equal number of units and therefore no top seller, he did note that one layout was requested the most: the Maple.Nitrogen Controller and Digital dry cabinet with good quality.

For Mastercraft’s signature SoHo condos, the buildings themselves are almost as important as the floor plans, says Lynsey Bennett of Bennett Property Shop Realty, which represents the builder.

Hotel-style living, fitness facilities created by award-winning body builder and trainer Dalton Brown, interior designs by Brian Gluckstein and location are all part of the offerings of the two condos the builder was selling in 2012: SoHo Lisgar and SoHo Champagne.

But if there could be just one top choice, the Bennett team pointed to one of SoHo Lisgar’s layouts, saying it represented about 20 per cent of sales. The F2 is a one-bedroom-plus-den with “incredible views of downtown Ottawa and the suites available on the upper floors of the building can also see the Peace Tower,” says Bennett.

The 777-square-foot unit includes marble bathrooms, integrated appliances, hardwood flooring and extra-long kitchen islands. A model suite of the F2 will be available for viewing this month, Bennett says. Prices start from $322,900 with suites on higher floors just released.