991 replies to this topic

[magmazing]

I went to the sales centre on Saturday after getting the email that it was open. One of the agents came up to me and asked if I had any questions. I told her I was just checking out the development and also mentioned how much of a mortgage I'm pre-approved for. She then proceeded to tell me there were some studios that were close to my number, but one bedrooms start at $399k and see her if I had anymore questions and then walked away. 

[aastra]

Sounds like sales are brisk.

[Rob Randall]

"Yo, Jess, some rando is up there and he's all, "I'm pre-approved for this much""

"Ha, whatevs. Pre-approved, what else from the 90s does he have?"

"I know, right, so I said let me know if you have any questions"

"Questions, like "why don't I have a briefcase of cash?""

"Totally".

[m3m]

I had a similar experience to magmazing. 

 

I had pre-arranged an appointment at the sales centre prior to the public opening.  When I arrived, the person I was supposed to meet with wasn't available.  I ended up speaking with another sales associate, but soon found out that the information about the building and the development I had gained from the website, this forum, and the planning docs submitted to the city greatly exceeded that of the overwhelmed sales associate.  I was unable to get answers to basic questions such as ceiling height.

 

After a while poking around with the touchscreen TV's, I found myself exploring a floorplan for one of the 2-bed + Den sub-penthouse units.  One of the more senior managers came up to me and said something to the effect of "it's nice to look at things you can't afford, isn't it?"  I thought that this was a bit of an odd thing to say, but kinda brushed it off and I said something about how the views must be spectacular and asked how much they were asking for the unit.  She promptly said something to the effect of, "it's in the 7-figures, but we have some nice one-bedrooms that go as high as the 15th floor that will have great views too that are sub-500k."  

 

I don't want to say I was offended, but I certainly didn't appreciate that the associate assumed I wanted a 1-bedroom and that I couldn't afford anything on a penthouse level.  I'm in my 20's, I attended the sales centre alone, I was wearing jeans and a hoodie and maybe I just didn't look the part.  It felt pretty obvious that the associate was judging me based on my age or appearance though.

 

I had a similar negative experiences at Chard's sales centre for Escher.  

 

On the other hand, my experiences with Bosa sales staff have always been stellar.  I've always been treated like a VIP.  Concert has always been great too.  

 

Because of this experience, I almost certainly would not be buying at Yates on Yates.  I'll wait til the next Bayview building is announced.  

 

 

 

[johnk]

A scene I'd like to see:
Young hoodie guy named Mark gets the arrogant brush off.
Comes back the next day and buttonholes the sales dweeb.
"My name is Zuckerberg, I just bought the whole damn building and you're applying for EI."

[MarkoJ]

I had a similar experience to magmazing. 

 

I had pre-arranged an appointment at the sales centre prior to the public opening.  When I arrived, the person I was supposed to meet with wasn't available.  I ended up speaking with another sales associate, but soon found out that the information about the building and the development I had gained from the website, this forum, and the planning docs submitted to the city greatly exceeded that of the overwhelmed sales associate.  I was unable to get answers to basic questions such as ceiling height.

 

After a while poking around with the touchscreen TV's, I found myself exploring a floorplan for one of the 2-bed + Den sub-penthouse units.  One of the more senior managers came up to me and said something to the effect of "it's nice to look at things you can't afford, isn't it?"  I thought that this was a bit of an odd thing to say, but kinda brushed it off and I said something about how the views must be spectacular and asked how much they were asking for the unit.  She promptly said something to the effect of, "it's in the 7-figures, but we have some nice one-bedrooms that go as high as the 15th floor that will have great views too that are sub-500k."  

 

I don't want to say I was offended, but I certainly didn't appreciate that the associate assumed I wanted a 1-bedroom and that I couldn't afford anything on a penthouse level.  I'm in my 20's, I attended the sales centre alone, I was wearing jeans and a hoodie and maybe I just didn't look the part.  It felt pretty obvious that the associate was judging me based on my age or appearance though.

 

I had a similar negative experiences at Chard's sales centre for Escher.  

 

On the other hand, my experiences with Bosa sales staff have always been stellar.  I've always been treated like a VIP.  Concert has always been great too.  

 

Because of this experience, I almost certainly would not be buying at Yates on Yates.  I'll wait til the next Bayview building is announced.  

 

I've bought pre-sales from Chard, Concert, Bosa, etc.....and I made a video about it a couple of years ago -> https://www.youtube....h?v=moD7c_I3yZM

 

Bosa is definitively my favorite for overall experience, but I had a good experience with Chard as well. One thing that I really appreciated was he was in the lobby to introduce himself and chat when I took possession of the condo; I thought that was kind of cool.

 

It's been 10 years since I've had anyone make a snarky comment at a showroom, but it's probably because most sales people know me. I too wear jeans and a hoodie the vast majority of the time with no issues. In my personal real estate business I think it actually is an advantage. People will interview 3 or 4 other agents wearing suites/professional attire and then I'll show up and people are like...."hmmmmm ok, let's see what these unprofessional looking guy has to say."

 

My final thought is you can't mix business and emotion....you have to buy the best value. I love Bosa but if Chard is selling unit A for $295k and Bosa is selling unit A for $299k and I am going with Chard and vice versa.

 

fyi, Bosa is not locked in to do the next Bayview building.  For all we know Chard could strike a deal with Focus Equities.

[lanforod]

I had a similar experience to magmazing. 

 

 

What is that word? I've never seen or heard it before...

[aastra]

adjective

1. having a likeness or resemblance, especially in a general way:

 

I'm magmazed that you've never encountered it before.

[aastra]

So nobody liked "sales are brisk" in post #302 above? Not one person? Come on. I whiffed with the Legato/separation thing, too. Sometimes I feel like I don't know you people at all. As if we were all just a bunch of strangers or something.

 

abrupt; curt:

I was surprised by her rather brisk tone.

[Mike K.]

 

I too wear jeans and a hoodie the vast majority of the time with no issues.

 

 

I'm guilty in that regard, too. People wonder what's going on when I'm not wearing a hoodie and jeans.

 

I think sales centres have unwittingly become mini dumping grounds of frustration over the last year or so. People walk in, they assess the rising prices, and they have an emotional response to that which the sales team wears.

 

I think after a little while defence mechanisms take over and sales staff can say or do things that may be interpreted negatively.

 

The best thing to do in those situations is to keep your cool and take a moment to decide what you value about the project. If what you value is a major selling point at a particular project, re-approach the sales staff and start talking numbers. They too are looking for signs that you're a serious buyer. Give them those signs, flaunt them even. They sell units to people from all walks of life, dressed in all sorts of ways. I've seen it. Some folks with serious cash and motivation to sign right away look like they just stepped out of a restaurant kitchen (some of them actually have, haha!).

 

July 1st is the official opening date for the sales at Yates on Yates. I'm certain they'll see a solid response.

[Bingo]

 Sometimes I feel like I don't know you people at all. As if we were all just a bunch of strangers or something.

 

I feel your pain. I've tried to make friends here but everybody is unanimous about being anonymous .

No chocolates, no flowers, not even a donut or a cuppa. 

[Rob Randall]

 

So nobody liked "sales are brisk" in post #302 above? Not one person? Come on. I whiffed with the Legato/separation thing, too. Sometimes I feel like I don't know you people at all. As if we were all just a bunch of strangers or something.

 

abrupt; curt:

I was surprised by her rather brisk tone.

 

 

I missed that completely. I thought you meant sales were strong enough they could afford to be dismissive. I guess because that's not the common definition of "brisk". Brusque is more common in that context but I don't know if "Sales are brusque" quite works.

 

Thanks for joining us, tune in tomorrow for another edition of "'Dissecting the Frog: Breaking Down the Science of Comedy".

[ovovov]

read about the $1600/sqft article at YVR,  700ish /sqft @yates on yates much less cheaper

[Citified.ca]

An artist's rendering of The Yates on Yates' rooftop terrace situated 21-floors above the streets of downtown Victoria. The signature common area will feature multiple seating lounges, a full outdoor kitchen, a dog run, even an urban agriculture component.

 

Canada Day marks start of sales for 20-storey Yates on Yates condo dev

http://victoria.citi...ates-condo-dev/

 

The official sales launch for Chard Development's The Yates on Yates condominium project in downtown Victoria’s Harris Green district is planned for noon on Canada Day, Citified has learned.

 

Slated to rise 20-storeys above the 800-block of Yates Street, the sleek and modern 116-unit mixed-use residential and ground floor commercial tower will be comprised of one, two and three-bedroom suites. A small collection of townhouses is set to be released at a later date.

 

With home layouts and designs often viewed as industry-leading statements in the local real-estate market, developer Byron Chard says a key component behind the appeal of Chard homes relates to incorporating the most coveted attributes of previous projects into the company’s latest pre-sale offerings.

 

"The Yates on Yates represents the culmination of over twelve years of our commitment to the downtown core and builds on every one of our past successes. Each one of our units has the distinction of featuring an integrated modern design that also retains years of best-practices developed in-hand with our purchasers," said Chard, who recently oversaw the completion of the company’s sixth residential building in the city, the 10-storey, 84-unit Escher on Broughton. [Full article]

[Kapten Kapsell]

Thanks for the update Mike! 

Has Chard provided details on the Johnson street portion of this development, i.e. will it be built in a concurrent timeframe?

[Mike K.]

Not a lot to report on the second tower at this time, unfortunately.

[Gil Resch]

 A few observations which follow as questions after observing floor plans here and elsewhere:

 

1. It seems there are no gas fireplaces even in the penthouses--noticed this at Bosa's Encore as well. Is this a trend or a spillover from what is happening in Vancouver? If my observation is correct, will this not undermine prices of two bedroom and larger units in the future when (and if) we see more normal market conditions return?

2. Are all microwaves (including here it appears) being placed under counters (same Bosa)?  In Bosa's case almost on the floor in many units. Is this what buyers will want long term--or am I just too tall and my back/knees too old. Related, it appears that Chard is trying to provide more kitchen storage than many. 

3. Note the un-stacked washer dryers in many units. Is there a trend toward un-stacking washer/dryers?

4. At what price point and size does having at least one bathroom 'suite' with separate tub enclosure and shower enclosure become mandatory for long term value retention on resale? I note that a number of units here have the suite.

5. Are others surprised that developers, as here, continue to offer some townhouses in these complexes, in spite of what I believe is a  provincially mandated allocation of strata fees based exclusively on square footage? 

 

Look forward to your thoughts.  

[VicHockeyFan]

1.  I wonder if these are even necessary anymore, if the place if not piping for gas for cooking or clothes drying.  A gas clothes dryer is awesome, BTW.  Can't you get an electric radiant heater that has the same effect - you feel the heat on your skin.

 

2.  I think under-counter is better than a microwave shelf.  But built-in is also nice.

 

3. I can see this making sense, if you use the area above them for the "linen closet" or pantry.

 

4. That's a tough question, for sure.  You might need to get the slide-rule out to work on a pie-chart or X-Y axis.

 

5.  Aren't townhouses just a way to make the ground floor more palatable?  ie. nobody really likes ground floor apartments (except me, I used to own one), unless you throw them a bonus like a private entry, as townhouses do.

[Kapten Kapsell]

I've always been wary of high strata fees that accompany townhouses at the base of towers... the fees are usually much lower at "townhouse only" complexes where you aren't paying for elevators etc.

[sdwright.vic]

Got rid of my Microwave years ago. Replaced with a good convection oven. My pizza reheats nice and crispy in 5 minutes @ 425F