BAM to Launch Two Fantastic Communities Soon

25 May 2012 2 Comments

by John Amardeil in News

Last night at 9 pm, four of our team members were still working in the office.

It’s a busy time for us and we couldn’t be happier. Not just because we have a lot of work — which is always something to be thankful for. We’re happy because we’ll soon launch two extraordinary communities.

The first one, Treetops, will open by preview appointment only in a matter of weeks. Treetop is an exciting community, very dear to my heart. Once it’s finished, it will count 1,800 homes close to Alliston, built by Orchard Ridge Homes and Brookfield Homes, who’s also a client of ours. They’re both excellent builders and I couldn’t be happier to see them involved.

On any given day, golf will be one of many things to do at Treetops, thanks to its green areas and proximity to the Nottawasaga Resort.

Treetops will be an excellent community for active families.

One of the reasons why I’m so excited about Treetops is that its homes will lay on a natural wonderland, surrounded by over 45 acres of park and forest and sitting just next door to the Nottawasaga Resort. We’ve helped to design a community with fitness stations found along the trails, and a great community park that’ll offer beach volleyball, a sports field, a splash pad, and much, much more.

Treetops will be a fantastic community, especially for active families that like to spend time outdoors. I for one would’ve loved to raise my kids there. Check out its website, its blog, and its Facebook page (where we’re incentivizing registrations with a sweepstake called Register and Win).

Mystique’s homes will be certain to impress those who appreciate fine details and beautiful architecture.

We’re also launching Double Oak’s Mystique community. Located in Georgetown, Mystique will wow registrants too, although for different reasons than Treetops. If you follow Double Oak’s work, you know it’s focused on crafting luxurious homes with incredible attention to detail (suffice it to say that founder Kieran Keaveney is an architecture school graduate and a connoisseur of diverse Architectural schools).

Mystique will feature French Country-inspired two-storey and bungalow estate homes, which were designed by Hicks Partners of Oakville and include kitchens by Scavolini. Prices will start from the mid $700’s to $1.3 million.

How busy are you these days? Are you working on any exciting stuff?

On Bowling and Marketing

11 May 2012 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Activities Tags: ,

BAM went bowling last night.

What does this have to do with real estate marketing?

Everything, as it turns out. Because last night we went bowling with Empire Communities, a longstanding client of ours. This was actually their idea, but it resonates with me because I’m a big believer in having close ties with our clients.

On a superficial level, having close ties with a client makes work so much easier. You just can’t help caring even more than usual when you’ve had fun together and when you’ve talked about topics unrelated to work. It’s just human nature.

On a deeper level, close ties are automatically established when you and your client stand on the same side of the fence. It sounds basic, yet many agencies only look out for themselves. Likewise, many clients don’t help their agencies excel at the work they’re paid to do.

I for one would rather butt my ahead against a client’s if I knew their direction was against their best interest. I could just take the money and do as I was told. But that’d be the easy way out. And no one who cares should take the easy way out.

What are your thoughts about client relationships?

Thoughts From Chicago on Toronto’s High-rise Buildings

04 May 2012 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Thoughts

Frank Sinatra never sang about Chicago, but maybe he should have. It’s a great town, possibly one of the best towns in the States. Except maybe in the winter. (Correction: as a reader pointed out on BAM’s Facebook page, Sinatra did sing about Chicago. Thanks, Ian!)

I’m in Chicago for the weekend, and as always whenever I come here, I’m reminded of the Great Chicago Fire, which as you may know killed around 300 people in 1871 and destroyed some 3 square miles of the city, including over 17,000 buildings.

The Home Insurance Building was the first building to use structural steel in its frame and is generally noted as the first tall building to be supported, both inside and outside, by a fireproof metal frame. (Image and text via Wikipedia).

Tragic as the fire was, it helped make Chicago the great town it is today, thanks to the rebuilding frenzy that began shortly thereafter. So enthusiastic was the rebuilding, in fact, that more than 300 buildings were being erected only 6 weeks after the fire.

And with leading architects of the day laying out the foundations, it’s little wonder that the first skyscraper in the world was built in Chicago in 1885, only 14 years after the fire, and that Chicago was being nicknamed “Paris on the Prairie” by 1909.

Luckily, neither of Toronto’s two great fires caused as much damage. Yet we have our fair share of great buildings like the CN Tower, the TD Tower, the Royal York Hotel, and the gold-coated Royal Bank Plaza Towers (how’s that for cool?).

What’s more, the high-rise market has also been getting great buildings like the Seventy5, designed by a London-based design firm where Jade Jagger is creative director, or the One St. Thomas, designed by legendary New York architect Robert A.M. Stern.

I think Toronto will keep erecting great buildings. Some of them will make history. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take another fire.

Tonight’s the Night

27 Apr 2012 2 Comments

by John Amardeil in Activities, Awards

It’s almost time: in only a few hours, at 6 pm tonight, almost everyone in the industry will arrive, spiffed up and ready to have a good time, to the Paramount Event Venue on Weston and Highway 407.

The occasion? 2012’s BILD Awards.

Having already blogged about BAM’s list of nominations, (and having also campaigned for you to vote for Pathways as the winner of the new People’s Choice Award), all I can I say at this point is that we’re really excited about our nominations, and hope we’ll take a bunch of prizes home!

Oh, and I should probably warn you — we’re bringing noise makers.

Will we see you at the Awards tonight?

Vote for us! BILD’s New People’s Choice Award

23 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Awards

As I said about a month ago, I am thrilled that BAM’s nominated for eight BILD awards this year.

Adding to my excitement, BILD just introduced a new category to the awards. Called the People’s Choice Award, it aims to get both consumers and BILD members to vote on what they think is the best project in the GTA.

Among the communities nominated for this new award is Pathways in Caledon East, which already has five other nominations, including the coveted Best Project of the Year and Best Social Media Campaign (a nomination I’m particularly proud of).

Every release at Pathways has been a success.

Homebuyers were hungry for information from the beginning.

Hosting frequent activities played a key role in fostering a sense of community.

The Pathways Facebook page proved an important part of the campaign, thanks to a stream of relevant content and sweepstakes.

Having worked so hard on Pathways along with the builder, Brookfield Homes, my team and I are thrilled to see it all recognized. We love having yet another delighted client and yet another community brimming with happy homeowners.

Of course, we’d love it even more if Pathways won the new People’s Choice Award.

So check out its social media campaign, composed of a blog and a Facebook page. If you live in Caledon East, drop by to see the homes for yourself. You’ll find it’s a fantastic community, one where people love living.

Convinced yet? Click here to vote for Pathways!

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries