This is, hands-down, the best downtown Toronto view in any condo I have ever been in.
So I simply had to share it with all of you guys.
It’s a west-facing, unobstructed view of the CN Tower et al from the condo’s living room, dining room, and bedroom, and then an unobstructed north view of the Financial District from the kitchen.
I was never a big “view-person” until I finally got a wicked view of my own.
So how do you price a view like THIS?
I wanted to show this view at night, because that’s when it looks the most impressive.
But alas, filming through a glass window didn’t really do the view justice.
I think you get the gist of it: unobstructed views of the city for a kilometre west and north, but honestly, until you’re sitting in the dining room of this condo, with the CN Tower so close you feel as though you could touch it – you haven’t really experienced what a “million-dollar view” has to offer.
So yay or nay?
Is a view worth paying big bucks for?
I mean – if the view isn’t going to disappear any time soon, and there are no parking lots directly across the street.
If you had an incredible view, with as much certainty as today’s world can offer that it will not be blocked by a new development in a couple years, would you think it’s worth the premium that often comes with it?
You decide…
Appraiser
at 8:14 am
Helpful hint. At night, turn off all the lights in the room first, before filming exterior views.
Moving on. So what’s the view worth. The market usually tells us. An analysis of the sale prices of similar units in the building that do not have “the view” in relation to those that do, should indicate a ball-park.
Noel
at 8:29 am
I’ll take my view of my backyard which makes me feel, in all 4 seasons, like I am in Muskoka any day over a view of a bunch of buildings. However, as condos go, yeah it’s a nice view.
Paully
at 8:30 am
Might be interesting if you posted a follow-up with the same views in the sunshine.
Joel
at 9:26 am
I think this is one of the things that you don’t miss until you’ve had it. A friend had a patio that looked into the SkyDome and the living room and kitchen over looked the lake completely unobstructed. I was blown away the first time I walked in. I wasn’t upset with my view of other buildings at the time, but once I saw that view I could understand paying a large premium for it.
Julia
at 10:00 am
While I don’t want to look at a wall, city views don’t move me. I would pay extra for a water view though.
Mark N
at 10:25 am
Though the view is spectacular, this building is in the Financial District. Bay Street is a neighbourhood that may not be everyone’s idea of residential bliss…
Gloria
at 10:35 am
Too bad it’s west facing….I’d have to pull down the blinds anyway because of the sun and heat so no go for me. Night time is nice though.
condodweller
at 12:42 pm
My ideal location from a view perspective would be east of the core, with a west facing view providing best of all worlds, i.e. some view of the lake, downtown core, and some north tree top view. I had a downtown view previously but what I value more is an expansive view. It’s also nice to be able to watch a sunset which you get with a west view.
I also think that ignorance is bliss when it comes to views. A nice view has an emotional wow factor that one has to experience first hand. This explains our fascination with building look out towers where people pay a good chunk to experience the views. It’s no surprise that some are willing to pay extra to have that view every day. I had guests come over at one time and had that wow response when they walked to the balcony and first saw the city lights.
Condo prices increase as you go up and presumably only the view changes as you do therefore people are paying extra for views. How much one pays for that view becomes the question. Personally I would and have paid extra as long as I can recoup it when I sell. I would not pay a large sum to get the view, no matter how great, if I knew I wouldn’t get it back.
Interestingly height doesn’t seem to affect rental prices, at least it didn’t when I rented, and I always rented on the highest floor available.
George
at 4:19 pm
I’ll soon find out.
From the 27th floor, I can see Lake Ontario, the CN Tower, Shangri-La Hotel, Aura Tower, Maple Leaf Gardens, the development at Bloor & Yonge up to the Rogers building on Jarvis. A corner unit, from the second bedroom I can see the Rosedale Valley.
WIth all the development on Church and on Yonge, I’m getting out while the view is worth some cash.
BooVu
at 4:23 pm
Being that high up might look great, but once you have to wait 10 minutes for the elevator in the morning rush hour, it starts to lose it’s value.
GinaTO
at 11:00 am
Very good point. Day-to-day issues like this can trump wow factors, in the end.
Cool Koshur
at 5:26 pm
Night time view is nice. Some buyers will like it….Lot of people go for viewing in day light. I would put the day time view as well and see the lake. Water facing view is more appealing and has much wider audience.
There is no doubt there is a hefty premium to views. It lies in the eyes of the beholder.Keep in mind some builder can start building new high rise next door and ruins the view which could impact its value.
Good Luck David.
Kyle
at 5:06 pm
That view is PIMP!
No idea how much it is worth, but i’d wager the value of intangible things like view, uniqueness and style are increasing in value. My sense is that people are looking beyond just the $/sq ft metrics and starting to pay up for these things. Sq/ft for sq ft, a hard loft, a corner suite, a condo with a large terrace or a great view are going to out-appreciate a same sized generic condo with 8 ft ceilings. I see a similar thing happening with houses, people are paying a big premium for well renovated, well styled houses that clearly have been professionally designed. I even see this when it comes to staging, neutral beige homes that are just staged with generic art and furniture don’t do as well as the homes that are staged like a shelter magazine.
Kyle
at 5:18 pm
Adding further on my staging observation. I think the conventional wisdom used to be to strip the house of personality and to make it as neutral and banal as possible, thus creating a “blank canvas” for potential buyers to imagine themselves in. These days i think that wisdom has gone out the window, good Stagers are intentionally trying to impart a definite personality, whether it be trendy, classic, elegant, sleek, minimalist, traditional, etc. And though the style may not be for everyone, the houses staged like that seem to always get the biggest premium.
BillyO
at 1:59 pm
Maple Leaf Square eh? You lose a little bit facing west once the office at 16 York St breaks ground in a year. Thankfully it’s not a south view – Harbour Plaza and One York St have decimated the south views at Maple Leaf Square. Also not a fan of the 90 cent maintenance fees for a building registered only in 2010.
lui
at 3:48 pm
i had a great view on one of my older condos until another one was built only 20 meters away and blocked my floor to ceiling window.Now the window view is of brick wall.