[IDreamofBimmers]

Hey mtl folks...

I will be moving to mtl early next year and would like suggestions for where to live. Anyone have suggestions as to what are some of the nicer areas??

I'm going to be working downtown (999 Rue University) and going to school (at McGill most likely). so i'd like to be close to both.

I want a condo w/ a view of the city or water on a high floor (i'd be ecstatic)!! w/ an underground garage

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[NiceAndSlow]

Originally Posted by IDreamofBimmers

Hey mtl folks...

I will be moving to mtl early next year and would like suggestions for where to live. Anyone have suggestions as to what are some of the nicer areas??

I'm going to be working downtown (999 Rue University) and going to school (at McGill most likely). so i'd like to be close to both.

I want a condo w/ a view of the city or water on a high floor (i'd be ecstatic)!! w/ an underground garage

Any help would be greatly appreciated

my ex gf's condo is up for sale.. if u want info.. let me know.

[Bimmerista]

Other than his ex-girlfriend's condo there are lots of other condos for sale as well - I suggest contacting a real-estate agent if you are set on buying. However, renting might be better for you if your stay is less than 3 years and there are lots of appartments for rent - concrete building with garage and air-conditioning central or individual unit (not window sill) will run between $1,700 to $2,000 for a 2 bedroom.

Good streets to look at are Drummond, Mountain, and Peel all locations to be situated between Dr. Penfield and Sherbrooke. There is also Stanley but only one building there fits the bill and its renovation made all heating be by natural gas. If you don't mind that, the building is very nice indeed.

[IDreamofBimmers]

Thanks for the info bimmerista!
But at 1700-2000/mo, wouldn't it make more sense to buy?
I've seen condos selling in the mid/upper 200k range downtown...

[Me_Hi]

for $2000 / month you get a really nice condo or even a nice house not far from downtown. Stay away from the Cote des Neige and the east end. Laval is beautifull and brand new but very "French". otherwise, great decision moving there. I lived in Montreal for 10 years and it's been the best out there. Nice people, more relaxed, cops are nicer, etc.

[IDreamofBimmers]

Thanks Me_HI... I'm actually thinking of downtown around McGill or the old port!

Now... does anyone have leads into ICAO

[Bimmerista]

Originally Posted by Me_Hi

for $2000 / month you get a really nice condo or even a nice house not far from downtown. Stay away from the Cote des Neige and the east end. Laval is beautifull and brand new but very "French". otherwise, great decision moving there. I lived in Montreal for 10 years and it's been the best out there. Nice people, more relaxed, cops are nicer, etc.

The price range you are referring to would be the lower end of the market for downtown Mtl condo prices - so I would be a little weary. A decent condo downtown is upper 3 to upper 5s, depending.....

Now real estate here never tanked as a result of the metldown, so prices have stabilized but not fallen (except condos between $5K and $1m downtown, and they are down about 25%). So it might take you a while to get your money out on re-sale, since there are several projects on ice which will however come back on once credit flows and therefore demand and supply will remain as they are for a while in the downtown core. So, if your window is 3 years, rent - longer, buying might make sense.

[Tonybest]

+1

Anywhere in our Greater Montreal Area, a majority of residences in the 650k+ will have "lost value" if it was bought in the past 5 years.

[IDreamofBimmers]

oh wow... the city is a lot more expensive than i realized...
Thanks for the reality check. My range was between 250-350, so it seems like i'm way off

Guess i'll be renting!
Where are most of the hot spots?

[montreal red]

i live bout 10mins away from mcgill. near place des arts metro station. my building has an underground garage (thats where my M sleeps).... anyway, if you want i could ask around for you. there are quite a few apartments here that are for rent. are you going to grad sch? or undergrad?

btw, if you are buying an apartment, you can get a decent downtown apt for bout $350k... in fact i'll be moving out of montreal next year so i will be selling my apartment soon. pm me if you have questions bout montreal or mcgill.

[IDreamofBimmers]

Well the goal is to get a job in Montreal and then go to grad school part-time.
I want to do an MBA / MPA if possible. I think it would be wiser to do it at McGill than concordia...

[Me_Hi]

[QUOTE=IDreamofBimmers;5606546]Thanks Me_HI... I'm actually thinking of downtown around McGill or the old port!

that's a nice area... dream place to live in.....good choice....YOU GUYS ARE LOADED ! talking about 100's of thousands like it'c pocket change.....

[Luongo]

I lived in Montreal from 1992~1999. For studio apartments in downtown, rents ranged between $400~600 CAD. I lived on a $1,200 / month budget through 4 years of dental school. I'm sure things have gotten a bit more expensive with inflation.

BTW, the best apartment near McGill is LaCite.

http://en.lacite.com/accueil.aspx

Check it out.

[Bimmerista]

Luongo, those (youthfull) days are long gone (snif).

The past 15 years have been very kind to real estate and the occupancy rates for appartments reached peakes unheard of historically. In 2005-2007 one would hear on the news about annual appartment shortages and people litterally in the streets bcs they had no place to go, nothing available for rent. Now the froth is off but the market is vibrant still.

Me_Hi, I hear you, most of us here are older (but not necessarily wiser).

[Bimmerista]

Originally Posted by Luongo

BTW, the best apartment near McGill is LaCite.

http://en.lacite.com/accueil.aspx

Check it out.

La Cité is a concrete building with central air/heat. The rents are more expensive than the surrounding ares and the square footage is smaller than some of the appartments available in the surrounding (older) buildings. The top floors have spectacular views of the mountain or the downtown. It has a shopping centre next to it with a grocery store and pharmacy so that's practical.

On the down side, the parking, while available garage, is open to all pulic and there is no reserved residents-only parking. Therefore you never really know where you park from day to day and there is more vandalism as a result as well.

There is a sports complex also in one of the towers (there are 3 of them) and both complex building are favorites of Montreal's same-sex/brotherly love community (at least that was the case a while back)

[IDreamofBimmers]

Hmmm... well i don't mind older buildings as long as they have nice apts w/ some character (+ heat/air) and a private garage. I think those are the most important...

I didn't realize Montreal was that sought after. I have friends who live there who've told me that it's pretty cheap to live in mtl...

[montreal red]

Originally Posted by IDreamofBimmers

Hmmm... well i don't mind older buildings as long as they have nice apts w/ some character (+ heat/air) and a private garage. I think those are the most important...

I didn't realize Montreal was that sought after. I have friends who live there who've told me that it's pretty cheap to live in mtl...

well they arent that wrong ... to be honest montreal is cheap compared to other cities in canada. i've lived in toronto and vancouver before and if you compare the rent in downtown toronto and downtown vancouver, montreal is like half of the prices in those cities... so i still think its cheap. but cheap is a relative term.

[IDreamofBimmers]

cool!! thank you guys for the info