Ajax Pickering Real Estate Blog

From New Home and Condos

The charm of old Kentucky is thriving at Heathwood Homes’ Lexington County neighbourhood in Ajax. The company’s Colonial-style residences have proven a real hit with purchasers who appreciate the community’s location, as well as Heathwood’s signature design and outstanding value. This neighbourhood beckons you to come “Home at Last” to an outstanding Heathwood home in outstanding surroundings.

This master-planned community nestled amid rolling topography on Audley Road between Kingston Road East and Rossland Road West. Lexington is just perfect for homeowners who want to live in the midst of comprehensive amenities. A short drive takes you to a number of golf courses, recreation centres, libraries, excellent schools, tempting shopping centres and of course, Lake Ontario and one of the prettiest segments of the Waterfront Trail. In addition, Ajax encompasses over 465 acres of parkland and natural areas plus nearly 38 km of walking trails.

Lexington County will project itself as a unique community with ranch-style stone entrance gates and white rail fences framing the homes, parks, green spaces, playgrounds, country gazebo, plus a large pond and walking trails to a wooded ravine bisected by Carruthers Creek. Home exteriors enhance their surroundings with architectural focal points that reflect southern charisma. Among the various designs you’ll find peaked gables, accent windows, shutters, brick arches and porches – all making you feel at home from first glance.

When you step inside, the appeal continues with luxurious standards such as custom-designed extra-height kitchen cabinets, breakfast bars, imported ceramics, 9-foot main floor ceilings, thick broadloom, oak pickets and handrails, colonial-style doors, gas fireplaces and much, much more.

The 2,216-sq.-ft. Richmond (Elevation A) priced from $305,900 is one of Heathwood’s most popular designs at Lexington County. This homestead is adorned with a covered balcony nestled into a peaked gable that has attractive vertical trim. An elliptical transom tops French doors sheltered by a barrel ceiling and cradled behind railings and columns.

The sunken foyer includes a step up to the artfully designed main floor accentuated by decorative columns and half walls. Two windows and French doors leading to the balcony bathe the immense raised two-storey Great Room in natural light. With the large dining room adjacent to the kitchen, formal entertaining is convenient. Or, for more casual snacks, a breakfast bar is really handy. At the back of the home, the family room is warmed by a gas fireplace flanked by windows. To access the backyard deck, families can use the sliding doors in the breakfast room. The laundry room is located on the main floor, as is a powder room.

Head upstairs via the gracious curving stairway and discover a comfortable haven in the owner’s suite. The walk-in closet is large, and the ensuite offers an oval tub and separate shower. From the hallway railing, the view to the Great Room below is stunning.

Even better the Richmond is available with a finished lower level – adding 567 sq .ft. for only $11,000 more! Just imaging moving into a home that is fully finished – top to bottom – and never having to worry about the mess, hassle or expense of doing it later!

Heathwood’s two-storey homes range in size from 1,926 to 3,092 sq. ft. and are priced from $274,900. You’ll also find a brand new bungalow design at 1,784 sq. ft. priced from just $264,900. Be sure to ask a sales representative about The Winner’s Circle – a bonus offer that allows you to add up to $16,000 worth of upgrades to your home choice for just a fraction of the cost, as well as the company’s H.O.M.E. Program that makes it possible for you to save thousands.

When you purchase a Heathwood home at Lexington County, you can relax knowing that for more than 20 years, the company has excelled at meeting and exceeding homeowner expectations in fine communities across the
GTA. Heathwood’s commitment extends to building homes with the same sense of pride that the families who live in them experience.

Project Name: Lexington County
Location: Ajax
Housing Type: Detached bungalow and two storey homes from 1,784 to 2,392 sq. ft.
Starting Price: $264,900

New Homes & Condos Magazine is an excellent source of housing information for those looking for information on new homes in Ontario, Canada. We offer the most up-to-date information on new communities across the Greater Toronto Area.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information - 416-388-1960

From New Home and Condos

Imagine this – a community where unique homes line the quiet cul-de-sacs, crescents and enclosed enclaves; where no thoroughfare traffic means a safe place to walk the dog and for the kids to play; where urban conveniences await around every corner; all set on a backdrop of natural beauty and rural charm.

You can imagine it, or you can see it with your own eyes by visiting the aptly named Tribute community, Imagination – a new neighbourhood in Ajax where country meets convenience to bring you everything you want in a community and in a home. With the six new show homes at Imagination, imagining all the possibilities for your dream home is easy.

At Imagination, it’s easy to picture nature as part of your daily life (which is increasingly difficult to do with urban sprawl). Ajax boasts more than 465 acres of parkland and natural areas, and many of the town’s neighbourhood parks include naturalized areas where plants and flowers are allowed to thrive. Residents of Ajax also appreciate the local waterways like Duffins and Carruthers Creek. A certain hotspot also includes the sparkling shores of Lake Ontario, which features six kilometres of Lake Ontario waterfront – the longest undeveloped waterfront in the Toronto area that’s accessible to the public, and is ideal for picnicking, relaxing or getting active on the many walking/biking pathways.

The Town of Ajax also has a dynamic, rapidly growing business community, with over 1,500 businesses. Hwy. 407 is just to the north and Hwy. 401 is to the south, so getting to Toronto and beyond is a breeze.

In the centre of it all, you’ll find Imagination, where the homes themselves are carefully designed and built to bring you high-quality without disrupting the natural surroundings. Nestled on Carruther’s Creek Forest, Imagination features a collection of detached homes on 37-, 45- and 55-ft. conservation lots, ranging from 1,801 to 3,887 sq. ft. and starting from a very affordable $299,990.

The six show homes – Celebration, Imagination, Carson, Galloway, Dali and Van Gogh – let prospective purchasers see what Tribute homes have to offer.

The 3,842-sq.-ft. Van Gogh, Elevation A, is a true work of art. A stylish portico welcomes you and your guests into the foyer, which leads to an elegant dining area to the right, and a sunken living area to the left. The main floor also features a laundry room, a library/home office and a hobby room which offers access to the garage. The Great Room lets you cozy up with your family by the fireplace, where you’ll enjoy every minute of quality time. The designer kitchen is every cook’s dream, featuring plenty of storage space for all of your gourmet goodies and chef’s tools, an island, and a sunny breakfast area – a nice spot to stop for a steaming cup of joe and a quick browse through the morning paper before going to work.

At the end of a stressful day, the master bedroom with a generously sized walk-in closet and luxurious ensuite awaits upstairs – a private escape where you can soak away the cares of the day before turning in for the night. The other three bedrooms are spacious, and feature large walk-in closets and convenient access to two additional bathrooms. The computer area is an out-of-the-way place to surf the Internet or do homework. The basement awaits a future recreation room.

All Tribute Communities homes feature custom quality construction, spectacular interior finishes, trendy colour selection and fabulous finishings. The Tribute Communities-Builder Guarantee, Tarion Warranty Corporation Coverage and superb customer service make the entire home-buying experience one to remember for all the right reasons. Tribute Communities is the recipient of the Tarion 2005 Builder of the Year (High Volume Builder), and has also been recognized as highest in customer satisfaction in an independent customer survey by J.D. Power & Associates.

Location: Ajax
Housing Type: Detached homes on 37, 45 and 55-foot lots
Starting Price: From $299,990

New Homes & Condos Magazine is an excellent source of housing information for those looking for information on new homes in Ontario, Canada. We offer the most up-to-date information on new communities across the Greater Toronto Area.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information - 416-388-1960

Anne Howland, CanWest News Service

Home prices across Canada are ripe for a fall, says one bank economist.

Adrienne Warren, senior economist with Scotia Economics, said a bustling real estate market has led to housing in many regions of the country being overvalued, increasing the risk of prices dipping in the longer-term.

“The fundamentals underpinning Canada’s real estate market are still quite good,” said Warren in Scotia Economics’ latest Real Estate Trends.

“Unemployment is low, immigration is high and apartment vacancy rates are tight. There is little evidence of overbuilding or speculative buying. The industry also has relatively little direct exposure to subprime lending, with these loans accounting for only about five per cent of domestic mortgages in recent years, compared with about 20 per cent in the United States.

“Yet there is little doubt that current trends are unsustainable,” added Warren. “Affordability is becoming increasingly stretched for many would-be buyers after almost a decade of rising real estate prices. More recently, economic risks have increased in the wake of the intensifying financial market turmoil stemming from the U.S. subprime mortgage problems.”

RBC Economics reported that real estate affordability in Canada in the second quarter worsened in every housing type, every province and every major city.

“In the second quarter, Canada’s housing affordability experienced one of the largest and most broadly based quarterly deteriorations since the mid-1990s,” said Derek Holt, assistant chief economist with RBC. “Higher real estate prices, mortgage rates, utilities and property taxes all combined to drive the country-wide deterioration.”

The Scotia Economics report noted that, in all 15 cities examined with the exception of St. John’s, N.L., house prices are above their long-term trend, with big regional variations, from one per cent above trend in Ottawa, to 25 per cent in Edmonton.

The average deviation at mid-year was roughly eight per cent, the report said.

“Some deviation from underlying trends is to be expected at the late stage of a real estate boom,” said Warren. “At the peak of the prior two housing cycles in 1976 and 1989, national home prices were 12 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively, above their long-term trend. The smaller degree of overshooting this time around, and the sustainability of price appreciation, may reflect in part an undervaluation of Canadian real estate prices in the late 1990s and into the early part of this decade.”

The Canadian Real Estate Association said last month that the national average price of a home sold in July was $311,495, a 12.6 per cent increase from a year earlier.

Warren estimated that average real home prices in the United States carried a near-record 14 per cent premium in 2005, but have since slipped below trend due to increased supply of housing and weakening demand.

In Canada, she added, most major markets are still sellers’ territory, where prices rise faster than inflation. Cities enjoying the biggest price increases have the tightest supply-demand conditions, including Regina and Saskatoon.

“The further domestic home prices climb above underlying economic fundamentals, the greater the risk of an eventual correction,” said Warren.

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information - 416-388-1960