Hot Properties
Empty-nesters, young professionals and first-time home buyers are all traditional target markets for condominiums.
Depending on where they fall on the home- ownership spectrum, some buyers are looking
for carefree luxury – they’ve done enough snow- shovelling and lawn-mowing for one lifetime, and they like the idea of having a lock-it-and-leave-it home when they’re on vacation. Buyers at the other end of the spectrum see condos as starter homes — places where they can settle in for a while and build up equity in hopes of owning a lawnmower one day.
With such a diverse market there is no one-size-fits- all development, although Manitoba’s newest crop of condos definitely has mass appeal.
Currently, Randall Homes is showing a two-storey townhome-style condo at 93 Morning Star Lane in Sage Creek. Randall’s Jason Jaquet says the development skews to the luxury end of the scale. It should appeal to homeowners who are downsizing, but who still want a garage and a full deck in the backyard — and who still want a lot of space, since the condos range from 1,499-1,563 square feet.
Jaquet says there are five different floorplans, and every unit will be unique. The three-bedroom, 2.5 bath display unit is basically everything you could want in a roomy single-family home — including a lovely en suite off the primary bedroom. The airy kitchen is on-trend with white shaker cabinetry on the walls and dark-blue cabinetry on the island, and the entire open space is bathed in natural light. It has nine-foot ceilings on the main floor, and the ceiling height in the basement is only a few inches lower, thanks to the dropped foyer at the front entrance, next to the attached garage.
StreetSide Developments has dominated the field in Winnipeg for many years, with a mix of apartment-style units, multi-storey townhomes, and stand-alone bungalows ranging from ultra-affordable starter homes to luxury abodes.
StreetSide has two entries in the Spring Parade of Homes, including a brand-new display unit for the Flora North Condos in Sage Creek, just up the street from Randall Homes’ condos at 105-50 Morning Star Lane. The display suite, dubbed The Palm, is a multi-level home with two bedrooms and 1.5 baths. Like all StreetSide condos, it is pet- friendly, and while it is packed with high-quality finishes, it also has a very attractive price tag.
A new display suite at The Rise in Bridgwater Centre is similarly well-appointed and attractively priced. Measuring close to 1,200 square feet, the two-bedroom, two-bath Capri floorplan also has a private balcony and nine-foot kitchen island, along with a luxe en suite in the primary bedroom.
The Rise is made up of two seven-storey buildings with a number of shared amenities, including a heated outdoor pool. Each building has its own fitness area, and many residents also take advantage of their proximity to the super-sized Altea fitness centre right across South Town Road.
A growing number of shops, restaurants and services are within easy walking distance in Bridgwater Centre, and the neighbourhood is just south of the newest Qualico community in southwest Winnipeg, Bison Run.
StreetSide has several more condominium developments in the pipeline, including townhomes in Aurora at North Point and in RidgeWood West.
Across town, Irwin Homes’ Bloom & Timber Condominiums have a great location on Molson Street, not too far from the extensive trails of the Chief Peguis Greenway and handy to nearby malls and the big-box stores of Regent Avenue.
And over on the west side of the province, in Brandon, J&G Homes is showing its sprawling new two-storey Urban Square condominiums on Dietrich Bay in the growing new Bellafield development.
Credit: Hot Properties
