Have you heard about Shops at Don Mills yet? If you haven’t, then we suggest you get out from that rock you’ve been living under and prepare to be blown away.

The Shops is a one-of-a-kind urban village at Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue East. It boasts an abundance of great restaurants and cafes and a host of amazing shopping options. Not only is the food great, there’s also plenty of green space and pedestrian friendly walkways that make this unique community reminiscent of glorious European shopping districts.

Sounds pretty appealing, right? Well, what’s equally appealing is the distinctive new option for living at the Shops at Don Mills. Flaire Condos, the hot project by Cadillac Fairview and FRAM Building Group, is turning heads up at Don Mills so how about we get you acquainted with the development.

Flaire comprises two 11 storey towers that are horizontally swathed in ribbons of glass and concrete balconies. It’s a great juxtaposition of the area’s 1950s heritage and the modern look of the community. The four storey podium will give residents a chance to develop a sense of community by sharing awesome amenities like a rooftop terrace.

And how about those suite designs? The suites will take advantage of the abundant light and incredible views with floor-to-ceiling windows. Munge Leung is handling the the interiors with custom kitchens and baths that radiate creative “flaire”. Kitchen boast stainless steel appliances and stone countertops while bathrooms feature polished chrome finishes, ceramic tile surrounds and custom-quality cabinetry.

Alessandro Munge, of Munge Leung, also applies his talents to the amenities. The party room with a chef’s catering kitchen and slick bar is one perfect combo for entertaining. The lounge space is furnished in modern, Italian-inspired style and is separated from an outdoor terrace by a dramatically sculpted two-way fireplace.

Ahhhhmazing! We can’t wait to hear more about Flaire Condos and, of course, the incredible Shops at Don Mills.

Flaire will feature 297 suites sized from 504 to 1,100 square feet. Prices start in the mid $200,000s. For more information, email info@flairecondos.com or visit the website for more details.

Must be the entire world falling in love with the new Drake album and Canada Goose coats…

For the second year in a row, Canada has been named the best country “brand” in the world by FutureBrand, an international business consulting group.

The FutureBrand country brand index is meant to gauge what people immediately think of when a country’s name is mentioned, they plan a trip there or when they see a photo of it. The index is based on interviews with travelers from across the globe.

Maxime Bernier, the federal minister of state for small business and tourism was totally stoked about Canada’s position at the top of Futurebrand’s index.

“Canada’s continued rating at the top of FutureBrand’s country brand index is a testament to our country’s global appeal,” he said in a state issued by the Canadian Tourism Commission.

“We have a wealth of compelling experiences for travelers, and our government is committed to sustaining this momentum by promoting Canada in innovative ways on the international stage,” he continued.

Okay, so Canada rocks. Was this really a big surprise to anyone?

It wasn’t that long ago that we paid a visit to the new FIVE Condos sales centre, conveniently located right beside the construction site of the new development at 5 St. Joseph.

We were especially blown away by FIVE‘s Yonge Collection — a group of 14 suites in the restored heritage buildings on the corner of Yonge and St. Joseph.

It wasn’t long before our curiosity got the better of us and we NEEDED to see how things were progressing with construction at the FIVE site. We hopped in the BuzzBuzzMobile (patent pending) and cruised on over to the sales centre and site to check up on things.

Naturally we had our trusty camera with us, so have a look at the photos we snapped at the site of this awesome project by Graywood Developments and MOD Developments.

Okay… We didn’t take this photo as we don’t have a time machine and most of us weren’t alive in 1977. This is the Yonge and St. Joseph intersection in ’77.  We thought it was interesting to put things into perspective and to see just how hard the developers are working to maintain the classic feel of the block.

Here’s a look at the scale model. This is what the Yonge Collection will look like once it’s restored and turned into a fully functional condominium.

Another view of the scale model.

Construction is well underway at the site.

Once complete, FIVE will soar 45 storeys into the air. Suite sizes start at 498 square feet and top off at 1683 square feet.

Crews working on the Yonge Collection are restoring the facades to their original look.

For more information on FIVE Condos, call 416 928 0555 or email info@fivecondos.com. The development’s website is also a simple click away.

It’s Remembrance Day in Canada and across the Commonwealth countries. We hope you’ve got a poppy on or nearby your person.

If not, you better get out there and track one down! Just don’t forget to leave a donation when you pick one up. Let’s practice good poppy etiquette this Remembrance Day.

And while this is a very special Friday, it’s a Friday nonetheless and that means it’s time for our weekend events calendar. If you’re a prospective homebuyer then this list’s for you! Check out one, two, or four of these events and let us know how you fare.

BC

Amberleigh by Morningstar: Preview grand opening, 8am, Saturday, 3374 Highland Drive, Coquitlam

Ontario

Ion Condos by Cityzen and Fernbrook Homes: Preview opening, 10am, Saturday, 1055 Wilson Avenue, Toronto

Milliken Centre by MADY Development Corp: Open house, 12pm, Saturday, Steeles Avenue East and Midland Avenue, Markham.

2 Gladstone by Streetcar Development: Open house, 2pm, Saturday and Sunday, 2 Gladstone Avenue, Toronto

River Rock Ridge by The Remington Group: Homeowners Tour, 1pm, Saturday and Sunday, 10th Sideroad, east of Mountainview, Georgetown

The Ravines of Creditview by Paradise Homes: Grand opening, 10am, Saturday and Sunday, Bovaird Drive and Hwy 410, Brampton

Alto at Atria by Tridel: Preview opening, 12pm, Saturday and Sunday, 4800 Dufferin Street Entrance A, Toronto

Q West by Ashcroft Homes: Preview event, 12pm, Saturday, 114 Richmond Road, Ottawa

Must restrain inner child… Want to play with the trucks so badly!

Page and Steele and IBI are handling the architecture for Pinnacle Grand Park.

We couldn’t tell if they meant for that to fall off… They don’t make ‘em like they used to!

Available condos at Pinnacle Grand Park range in price from $233,900 to $469,900.

Wide load!

For more information visit the sales centre at 3981 Grand Park Drive in Mississauga or email info@pinnaclegrandpark.ca. Call the sales centre at 905 276 3981 or visit the website by clicking here!

Check out our pics below to see why we’re enraptured by this marvelous model…

Now that’s what we call a fine and foxy scale model!

RISE offers studios and one to two bedroom suites ranging from 437 to 865 square feet.

RISE will feature some amazing amenities including an infinity pool high above the St. Clair escarpment. The outdoor terrace will feature an entertainment space with dining and cooking areas, fire pits and private cabana lounges.

Interiors will be handled by the one and only II BY IV Design Associates.

The developer behind RISE, Shane Fenton has been called the youngest developer in the city. He’s only 28, but if RISE is any indication, he’s got a bright future ahead of him!

For more info call 416 546 7399 or visit the website!

President of Brandy Lane Homes, David Hirsh and The Station team celebrate Movember!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last week, then you should know that Movember is in full effect!

For the uninitiated, Movember is a hilarious portmanteau of mustache and November. Movember is the time when men everywhere proudly grow out their staches to raise awareness (and money!) for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer.

It just so happens that Brandy Lane Homes, Shiplake Management and the Wise Group are celebrating this mustached month with a classy charity offer. For every suite sold at their acclaimed The Station Condos development, the developers will donate $500 to the campaign (to a max of $50,000).

The funds raised during the campaign will go to programs run by Movember and its partner, Prostate Cancer Canada to support awareness, education, survivorship, and research. Last year $22.3 million was raised by 119,000 Canadian “Mo Bros” and “Mo Sistas.”

Our regular blog readers know that The Station Condos has been a favourite of ours for some time now (check out pics from our sales centre tour here). The up-and-coming Wilson Avenue-Allen Road area of Toronto will never be the same once this project is complete. The development is only 40 steps (literally!) away from Wilson subway station and is a hop, skip and a jump away from schools, parks and the famous Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

Suites are priced from the $200,000s, so check out this project soon! As long as you buy in Novem… oops. As long as you buy in Movember, you can do something awesome in support of men’s health. What a great charity initiative!

To learn more about this development visit their website or call 1 877 903 1818. The sales centre is located at 545 Wilson Ave. They can also be reached by email at info@thestationcondos.com.

While you’re enjoying these stellar view of the cranes, let’s do a little backgrounder on ART. Oleson Worland Architects and Hariri Pontarini are handling architecture for this project while 3rd Uncle Design is working on the interiors.

ART will be 11 storeys and contain 148 units. Units sizes will range from 460 to 1700 square feet.

Amenities include a movie screen room, workout facilities, outdoor terrace with BBQ pit, outdoor jacuzzi and a party room with kitchen facilities.

We just wonder what the creative minds behind ART will come up with next!

For more info call the sales centre at 416 535 7775 or email info@artcondos.ca. Visit the project’s website by clicking right HERE.

Here’s what the report had to say about the calibre of Metro Vancouver houses: “While supply and demand, population growth and rising foreign investment, have been the main underpinnings behind exceptional gains, revitalization — amid an aging housing stock — and new(er) construction are largely underestimated factors propping up housing values in Canada’s real estate hotspot.”

According to the report, home owners spending money on renovation helped “breathe new life into Vancouver’s existing housing.”

Other interesting points found in the Re/Max report include the fact that condos now represent one in every two sales in Metro Vancouver with an average price of $457,887.

Elton Ash, the regional executive VP of Re/Max Western Canada explained that condos are the biggest game changer for real estate over the past decade, especially in BC and Alberta. They now comprise 25 to 50 per cent of residential sales.

Amazing stats and more good reasons for a fist bumping frenzy.

We can’t help but think that this is one of the coolest photos we’ve ever posted to the blog. We only wish we’d taken it!

If that were the case, then we’d be the ones who had traveled to the tip top (the pinnacle, if you will) of 33 Bay at Pinnacle Centre, the new 51 storey project by Pinnacle International.

From this vantage point Lake Ontario looks truly spectacular and you can get a great sense of the amazing views that 33 Bay will offer residents who purchase a upper floor suite.

It also gives you a good look at the progress they’ve made on the construction side of things. It looks like the finishing touches are being attended to right now and it will be completed in no time.

Unfamiliar with this project? First off, what’s your excuse? Second, we forgive you — this time. We’ll just give you a little backgrounder to fill you in!

Suites range in size from 559 square feet to 1051 square feet with ceilings from 8′ to 9′. Page and Steele and IBI are handling the architecture while Tannerhill and Associates rock the interior design with grace.

Suites feature floor to ceiling windows, balconies and terraces (as per plan), granite or marble countertops in the kitchen and spa like bathrooms. Residents will have access to the 30,000 square foot Pinnacle Club that features a huge variety of exclusive amenities.

And did we mention the views? They’re spectacular!! If you happen to purchase a suite at 33 Bay, please take more photos like these and send them over. We just can’t get enough…

For more information call 416 925 3325 or email pinnaclecentre@bellnet.ca. Click here to visit the website!