The event – Open House Weekends – bills itself as Montreal’s largest event of its kind. Now in its 17th year, the goal is to seduce potential buyers into taking the plunge.
“The more homeowners we have, the richer our society is,” said Jacques Beaulieu, a consultant and the event’s promoter. “Owners tend to take better care of their homes, to be committed to building their communities, and to enrich themselves through the investments they make.”
The event includes projects all over the island of Montreal, as well as several in communities across the South Shore, Laval, and the Laurentians.
The units range in price from under $200,000 for studios or one-bedroom units of modest size, all the way to $750,000 or more for large units in prime locations with added luxuries such as gyms, terraces, or great views.
“More and more of the population lives alone now,” Beaulieu said, “so it’s important to offer those smaller units so they can still take a first step into home ownership.”
The larger units, on the other hand, are designed to prove to families that they need not move to a far-flung suburb in order to raise children.
However, although the range of offerings is wide, Beaulieu says that the most active price point remains in the $250,000-$350,000 range.
The condo of today, Beaulieu says, is not quite like it was even a few years ago. Despite their permanence, homes are subject to trends like any other.
Gone, too, are the days when condo owners want to live in isolation from their neighbours. Collective spaces, shared terraces, pools and gathering spaces are much more the order of the day. -
Today’s condo is more environmentally-friendly than ever before, for example. More and more, they are integrating “smart” technology, moving to the day when a condo owner can adjust the heating or turn on the alarm over a smartphone while still in the office.
Gone, too, are the days when condo owners want to live in isolation from their neighbours. Collective spaces, shared terraces, pools and gathering spaces are much more the order of the day.
“Today, the mentality is more like a little village,” Beaulieu said.
The city of Montreal, too, is evolving. Whereas 15 years ago, the Plateau Mont-Royal was the only place to be, today some of the rapidly rising areas are Rosemont and Griffintown -- places where there is still room to build and expand.
The event drew 13,000 people last year, but Beaulieu says that the number that matters in the end is the number of people who sign the dotted line.
“We want more buyers, and a richer, more flourishing society,” he said.
Open house weekends run March 16-17 and 23-24 from 1 pm to 5 pm. For more information, visit: www.monhabitationneuve.com
