■Upcoming Events in Toronto

Doors Open
Explore Toronto’s Buildings
May 24 (Sat.) & 25 (Sun.)
The 15th annual Doors Open Toronto presented by Great Gulf is a city-wide celebration offering free, rare access to more than 155 architecturally, historically, culturally and socially significant buildings across Toronto.

HULA PAHU: The Sacred Dances
Halau Hula O`Walea RecitalJune 7 (Sat.) 5p.m.
Contact: halauinfo@hulaintoronto.com











Samurai Blue Project
2014 FIFA World Cup Public Viewing Event
-June 14 (Sat.)
6 to 11p.m.
-June 19 (Thurs.)
6 to 8:30p.m.
-June 24 (Tue.)
4 to 6:30p.m.
Contact: info@jfttoronto.com

See you there!

■Waikiki, Hawaii

The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach

If I won a million dollars today, I would consider buying one of 309 luxury condominium units at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach with an expected completion date in early 2016. The West Tower residences are sold out today and last Saturday I saw the building was well under construction. I just confirmed that they were planning to release the next East Tower for sale this summer, price starting at $528,800!

Here are Property Highlights:
-The Ritz-Carlton is one of the most recognized luxury brands in the world
-This is fee-simple, whole ownership real estate
-Located on Waikiki's famous Luxury Row (Tiffany & Co., Chanel, Gucci, Saint Laurent & Coach) 
-Overlooking Fort DeRussy Park with unobstructed ocean views to the south
-All residences are designed to have an ocean view and private lanais
-Fully furnished luxury condominiums: studio, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom and penthouse residences
-Amenities include: full-service spa, fitness center, two pools, an ocean view open-air lobby restaurant (BLT Market), world famous Dean & Deluca gourmet market/cafe and acclaimed Sushi-Sho restaurant
-Construction is well underway on the West Tower and the completion is estimated for early 2016

Are you also interested in this new property in Waikiki, Hawaii? Please contact me (nat@natsmilis.ca) for more details!

ミリオンダラーが当たったら、是非手に入れてみたいリッツカールトンレジデンス・ワイキキビーチ。2016年始めに完成予定のラグジュアリー­・ホテルコンドは、近くのトランプタワーを手掛けた同じ開発業者によるもの。本日の時点でウェストタワーは完売。先週の土曜日ワイキキのメイシーズに行く途中、建設が順調に進んでいるのを確認しました。イーストタワーの販売は、いよいよこの夏。販売価格は528,800ドルから。

タイムシェアと違い、オーナーになると滞在しない期間はホテルプールに入れて一般ゲストに宿泊してもらうというプログラムに参加できるため­収入を得る事が出来るのは魅力的。

2年ぶりにワイキキを訪れて感じたのは、このリッツカールトンレジデンスやアラモアナショッピングセンター北側のコンドミニアムの建設が急ピッチで進んでいたこと。これから古いホテルが次々と取り壊されていき、新しいワイキキが誕生しそうな活気を感じました。ハワイのリッツカールトンの従業員のユニフォームはアロハシャツなのでしょうか。

この物件にご興味がある方は、お気軽に夏子までご連絡（nat@natsmilis.ca）ください。

“The Lovely Blue of Sky and The Sapphire of Ocean…..” 

Sunset at Lagoon at Hilton Hawaiian Village

Source: www.theresidenceswaikiki.com

■Market Watch-May, 2014

Tight Market Conditions Prompt Strong Price Growth

TORONTO, May 6, 2014 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that during April – the first full month of spring – Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported a 1.8 per cent year-over-year increase in sales through the TorontoMLS system. Total April 2014 sales amounted to 9,706, compared to 9,535 transactions in April 2013.

“April marked the beginning of the spring market, during which time we generally see the highest monthly sales totals in a given year. Despite the persistent shortage of listings, a substantial number of GTA residents were able to come to terms on a home that met their needs. However, sales levels would have been higher, but for the lack of supply,” said Ms. Usher.

“A number of factors underlie the constrained supply of listings. Studies and polling suggest that the additional upfront land transfer tax in the City of Toronto has prompted some households to stay put and renovate rather than list their home and move. In the broader GTA context, above trend home sales in the years leading up to the recession have meant that many households who purchased during this period simply aren’t ready to move again,” continued Ms. Usher.

The average selling price for April 2014 sales was $577,898 – up by 10.1 per cent compared to the April 2013 average of $524,868. The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) Composite Benchmark was up by seven per cent year-over-year. The MLS® HPI strips away price fluctuations resulting from a change in the mix of home types sold from one period to the next.

“Price growth for the GTA as a whole was driven by the single-detached, semi-detached and townhouse market segments in the City of Toronto. So far this year, there has been no relief on the listings front for these home types in many neighbourhoods in Toronto and surrounding regions. Until we see a marked and sustained increase in listings, we should expect to see the annual rate of price growth above the long-term norm,” said Jason Mercer, the Toronto Real Estate Board’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

Source: www.torontorealestateboard.com



5月マーケットウォッチ略訳
■数字で見る2014年4月
総売上物件数：　9,760件　（前年同期に比べ約1.8％増加）
平均販売価格：　577,898ドル　（前年同期に比べ約10.1％増加）

■ジェイソン・マーサー氏（市場分析シニアマネージャー）のコメント
トロント広域圏（GTA）全体における価格の伸びは、トロント市の一戸建住宅、二戸建住宅やタウンハウス市場分によるものでした。今年に入って未だトロント市内やその周辺地域で売りに出されている上記の住宅タイプの物件数は少ないまま。売り物件の著しく持続的な増加がみられるまで、長期的な標準以上の価格成長が反映された年率となることでしょう。

■Just Sold

101 Wells Hill Avenue Toronto (Casa Loma Area)

Sold: $1,899,000
DOM (Days on Market): 5 days

List: $1,899,900

Stately & Spacious Century Home! Gorgeous Architectural Details Inside & Out. Features 5 Beds, 5 Baths & 5 Wood Fireplaces! Renovated With Character Intact. Great Layout W/Large Principal Rooms. Master Has Large Walk-In Closet & Beautiful 5-Pc Ensuite W/Limestone Flooring, Clawfoot Tub & Separate Shower. 2nd Flr Laundry. 4400 Sq Feet + 1300 Sq' Basement Suite, Currently Used As A Home Gym But Makes A Great Nanny Suite W/2nd Kitchen, 4-Pc Bath & Wine Cellar!

Please contact Nat Smilis (Nat@NatSmilis.ca) for more details!

■The Financial District

One King West

If I were an expatriate in Toronto and worked in The Financial District, I would definitely consider staying at “the prestigious address of One King West”.

This address was “first home to the original Michie & Co. Grocers & Wine Merchants in the mid-1800s. In 1879 the much sought-after Yonge and King location changed owners to become home to the head office of The Dominion Bank, a residency that would last an impressive 126 years.”

Highlights include:
-“Prime downtown location”
-“Direct access to PATH and King Subway station”
-“Daily, weekly or monthly housekeeping service”

Sound perfect for a successful and busy professional! I can definitely “enjoy the convenience and lifestyle of urban living.

Are you also interested in this building? Currently we have nine listings for lease and the rent starts from $1,625 per month for a minimum of one year. Most of them are furnished suites.

To book a showing appointment please contact me today!

Nat
nat@natsmilis.ca
Source: www.onekingwest.com/hotel/history

略訳
もし私が日本企業に勤めていて駐在員としてトロントのファイナンシャル・ディストリクトのオフィス勤務になったら、是非滞在してみたい「ワン･キング・ウェスト」。

高級感を漂わしているこのアドレス。ここに1,800年中頃一番初めに店を構えたのは「Michie & Co.」という食料雑貨店。バレンシアオレンジや、イチジク、香辛料や輸入物のコニャックなどをトロントにアンに人気だったとか。その後、1,879年から126年間当時のドミニオン銀行の本社が所在していた。






おすすめの理由：

－地下鉄キング駅とPATH（トロントダウンタウンの地下歩行者専用道路）と繋がっているのはとても便利
－ハウスキーピングサービスがあるなんてうれしい

都会のライフスタイルを満喫・便利さを追求されたいビジネスパーソンにおすすめのコンドです。本日の時点で9件の物件が市場にでています。月々1,625ドルから。ほとんどのユニットが家具付です。詳細をご希望の方は、お気軽にご連絡ください！

夏子
nat@natsmilis.ca

■Yonge and Bloor

My Old Hood

Yonge and Bloor is one of my favourite areas in Toronto and is my old hood before I moved to east end one year ago. Last weekend before heading to an Italian Restaurant in Yorkville, a couple of my friends and I passed by One Bloor East construction site. 

“Crews were hastily working on the lower floors that made up part of the 75-storey building's podium.” We saw “the massive, curvy podium increased in height by a few storeys." The first developer purchased the site which used to be called Hayden Square. After they demolished two-storey buildings in December 2008, I remember the site remained vacant for a couple of years. It has been more than five years!

Sooner or later low-rise commercial buildings on the south-west corner of Yonge and Bloor would be demolished for a new development. It is exciting, but Tenants in the buildings must have been going through lots of headaches as I can imagine being asked for higher rents by Landlord.


If you are interested in moving to Yonge and Bloor/Yorkville areas and would like to know details on condos, please contact me!

Nat Smilis
nat@natsmilis.ca

Source: http://www.greatgulf.com/news/entry/in_the_news_urban_toronto_reports_on_the_progress_of_one_bloor

略訳
ヤンブロは、ナットの庭。先週金曜日、留学カウンセラー時代に面倒をみていた元生徒M君がアメリカへの出張帰り成田へ飛ぶ前日にトロントに遊びにやってきた。あの頃に比べて随分英語も達者になり、希望していた職種とは全く違うものの「日本人のクライアントを連れてアメリカの本社に同行してきた」と言うM君をとても誇らしく思った。そのM君を囲んでおいしい白ワイン片手にたくさんの思い出話に花を咲かせたヨークビルのイタリアンレストランへ向かう途中に通ったヤンブロの“ワン・ブロア・イースト”。

ヘイデンスクエアの2階建ての建物が取り壊されたのが2008年12月。その跡地にようやくディベロッパーのグレイトガルフによって商業空間、ホテルとコンドミニアムのミックスユースの75階建て超高層ビルの建築が着々と進んでいる。もともとは、2007年にディベロッパーのバジスが63億ドルでこの土地を買収したが、世界金融危機をうけて債務が不履行となり2009年にグレイトガルフに売却した。

今後ヤンブロ周辺の再開発がどんどん進みそうです！ヤンブロエリア、ヨークビルエリアに住んでみたいと思いませんか？ご興味のある方は、お気軽にご連絡ください。

スミリス　夏子
nat@natsmilis.ca

■Market Watch-April, 2014

Sales and Average Price Up in March

TORONTO, April 3, 2014 - Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported strong year-over-year increases in TorontoMLS home sales and the average selling price in March 2014. Home ownership affordability, backstopped by low borrowing costs, continued to be a key factor underlying this growth.

A total of 8,081 sales were reported in March 2014 – up by 7.2 per cent in comparison to March 2013. Sales growth was much stronger in March compared to the first two months of the first quarter. Sales for Q1 as a whole were up by three per cent compared to the first three months of 2013.

“Sales activity in the GTA accelerated last month. Compared to last year, a greater number of buyers found affordable home ownership options, as evidenced by sales growth for all major home types. Against this backdrop, however, overall inventory at the end of March remained lower than last year. This means competition between buyers increased, which is why the average selling price continued to climb,” said Ms. Usher.

The average selling price for March 2014 sales was $557,684 – an increase of almost eight per cent compared to the average reported for March 2013. The average price for the first quarter of 2014 was up by 8.5 per cent year-over-year.

“With borrowing costs remaining low, and in fact declining, strong home ownership demand will continue to butt up against a constrained supply of listings. Strong price growth will be the result for the remainder of 2014. If the pace of price growth experienced in the first quarter is sustained, TREB may revise its outlook for the average selling price,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.


Source: www.torontorealestateboard.com


   Ms. Usher

4月マーケットウォッチ略訳
■数字で見る2014年3月
総売上物件数：　8,081件　（前年同期に比べ7.2％増加）
平均販売価格：　557,684ドル　（前年同期に比べ約8％増加）

■トロント不動産委員会取締役社長ダイアン・アッシャー氏のコメント
「３月は前年同期に比べてより活発な販売活動がありましたが、３月末の時点で市場にでている売り物件数は昨年同期の数字と比べると低いまま。これはバイヤー間の競争を意味し、今後も平均販売価格の上昇が続くでしょう。」