Our Top 3 Blog Posts of 2013

By Penny Munoz

In accordance with this month’s theme, we decided to have a look at what articles were most interesting to you! Based on page views, our top 3 most popular blog posts for 2013 were Coming Soon: Aqualina Bayside, The Grand Opening of Upper Unionville Phase 2, and Alaska Condos in Toronto.

In case you missed out the first time around, here is a quick recap to get you back up to speed on the most influential newinhomes.com blog posts of 2013:

In third place - Alaska Condos in Toronto

Bianca Pollak’s thought-provoking condo proposal was unveiled for the first time in February, and received an onslaught of backlash from community members. Residents of Yonge Street and Strathgowan Avenue were not shy to vocalize their dislike for the design of the 11-storey, mixed-use condo. Like all controversies, this article was bound to draw a lot of attention.

Our blog post aimed to provide readers with a little more information about Alaska Condos and its developers. Outlining the benefits of the great location, the blog post covers amenities nearby, such as shops, cafes, restaurants and the beautiful surroundings. It also discusses the London-based architect behind the design, Will Alsop, going into detail about previous designs that were considered unconventional. Alsop’s Rosalie Sharp Pavilion at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) was originally criticized for the long, slanted columns for legs, and the design for Alaska Condos boasts a similar tabletop-like structure. Community meetings are still ongoing in regards to the current proposal. What do you think about the design?

Coming in at number two - The Grand Opening of Upper Unionville Phase 2

The Grand Opening marked one of the most successful sales days of the year for low-rise housing, so it only makes sense that the blog post would receive an equally impressive amount of hits! Hosted by Fieldgate Homes, Arista Homes, Starlane Homes and Paradise Homes, the Grand Opening of Phase 2 of Upper Unionville in Markham was such a highly anticipated event that people actually lined up days in advance! The line-up for the event (which was on Saturday) started Wednesday night with future homebuyers camping out in their cars! On the first day of the event, 100 homes were sold. With an approximated 2,000 attendees that day, sales representatives were busy all day taking orders (aka making sales).

Looking back at these beautiful 34’, 38’, and 42’ singles, 25’ and 28’ semis and limited new freehold Urban Townhome designs on 13’, 20’ and 25’ lots, we can still recall the excitement in the air that day. As the original article says, “Whenever a team of homebuilders gets together to develop a major community, we get excited,” but after such an astounding turnout that day, we can officially call it a game-changer.

Fast forward seven months and there are just a few homes available at Upper Unionville! Consider yourself in luck - if you missed your opportunity the first time around, don’t let it pass you by again! Go to http://www.liveatupperunionville.com/ right now and join more than 700 families that have chosen to call Upper Unionville home.

And in first place - Coming Soon: Aqualina Bayside

Published in May, this blog post is about the first phase of a multi-building master-plan in Toronto’s East Bayfront neighbourhood. Aqualina Bayside has attracted so much attention that it comes as no surprise that this was our most visited article of the year (we’re willing to share the credit on this one). The Tridel and Hines master-plan will surely invigorate the city with brand new retail, office and residential spaces. Set on a 10-acre site between Lower Sherbourne and Parliament at 261 Queens Quay, the community is going for LEED® Platinum Certification, which is Ontario’s highest standing in sustainable building standards.

Aqualina features suites starting in the mid $300,000s and reaching more than $2 million, ranging from 500 to 2,200 square feet. This 13-storey building was 80% sold by the end of the Grand Opening! Do we have your attention now? If so, you’d better visit the presentation centre at 261 Queens Quay East right away because there are only a few units remaining!