For over 30 years, Real Estate News, published by WinnipegREALTORS®, has been educating consumers on the ins and outs of the real estate market.
Until now, that education has focused mainly on single-family homes. However, over the past few years, condominiums — in particular new developments — have come into their own.
Whereas five years ago there may have been a relative handful of new developments in a few areas in the city, that is no longer the case.
Today, new projects of varying sizes and price points are popping up all over the city. Not only that, but the variety of those projects has cast a new light on condominiums.
With townhouse condominiums and bungalow-style condominiums now complementing a broad selection of apartment-style units, a wide range of consumers, from first-time buyers to young families to empty-nesters, are considering the low-maintenance, turnkey lifestyle associated with condominium living.
Consequently, it’s important that consumers be educated about all the nuances associated with buying a condominium. That’s where a new publication, Real Estate News Condo Lifestyle, comes in.
“Condominium sales have really started to gain momentum over the past two to three years,” said Peter Squire, the market analyst for WinnipegREALTORS®. “The condominium market is really coming into its own.
“All the new projects city-wide are providing home buyers with more options. That can be confusing, so I think it’s very important that consumers be informed, and then educated, about all those options, and about all the things you need to take into consideration when buying a condominium.”
David MacKenzie, the WinnipegREALTORS® president for 2015, said that the magazine’s mandate is clear-cut.
“Our goal is for Real Estate News Condo Lifestyle to be the go-to source for information on new condominiums,” he said. “It’s going to be a great resource for buyers.”
A full-colour, glossy magazine, Real Estate News Condo Lifestyle will focus primarily on new condominium developments. It will contain feature articles, informative lists and how-to features, that will aim at giving consumers the low-down on all the developments out there, and the lifestyle that’s part and parcel of living in a cutting-edge condominium community.
“One of the features of the magazine is that all advertisers in the publication will be listed on our new Real Estate News website — there will be a separate condo section on it — for easy reference,” said Chris Dudeck, chair of the Real Estate News’ committee.
MacKenzie said consumers can look forward to a magazine that keeps their needs squarely in mind.
“Not only will the magazine help buyers focus on specific areas, but it will also help them gain the product knowledge they need to make an informed choice, something that’s critically important no matter whether you’re a first-time buyer, young couple or empty-nest couple,” he said. “With all the varieties of condos available at so many price ranges, you need to get information that will help you make an informed decision.”
Dudeck said the articles in Real Estate News Condo Lifestyle, which is published every two months, will deal with a wide variety of topics.
“They’ll be very informative, and will deal with the issues that are part of choosing to live the condo lifestyle, such as the purchase process, items to consider, guidelines associated with living in a complex, amenities that come with the lifestyle, things like that and more,” he added.
“The magazine will take most of the new developments and put them in one place so you can find the condo in the area, and with the amenities you want, that fits you best.”
MacKenzie said the timing of Condo Lifestyle couldn’t be better.
“It’s a good time to be looking for a new condominium — selection has never been better, and there always seem to be more coming on stream. With all the different options out there, it’s a great time to buy.
“With Condo Lifestyle as your go-to source for new condominium projects, you’re going to be able to find a condominium that suits you, both in terms of your needs, and the area you want to live in,” added MacKenzie.