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Monday, March 3, 2014

Which Interior Option?

We have a few condos as rental properties in our investment portfolio. Thanks to social media user groups, I found out about potential material changes to one of our downtown properties before receiving a call from the builder. It turned out that our unit wasn't just changed materially, it disappeared altogether! Tens of units were eliminated to make room for a third elevator, and ours was one of them! Most people affected on the user group had already been notified, and didn't have good things to say about their experience: they were given non-comparable alternative units to choose from; or a refund with minimum interests.

I was worried and thought for sure I was going to have to back out of the deal. A couple of days later I finally received the call from the builder representative. They gave me the bad news along with a few alternatives. One of the options was a comparable two-bedroom unit on a lower floor, with an additional bathroom with stand up shower, 50 more square feet, additional wrap around balcony, and corner unit with unobstructed park view - these are all pricey premiums of a downtown Toronto condominium. My first reaction was, you killed my unit and now you wanted me to pay more to continue to do business with you?! No way, I said to myself. I tried my best to remain calm and collected throughout the conversation with the builder rep. The rep said it was refreshing that I didn't yell at them, and that they were going to try to give me the alternative unit at no additional cost. We were talking about quite a bit in difference so I was very skeptical. The next day the official amendment paperwork came in, and guess what, they gave that super duper suite to me at no additional cost! I guess a little kindness to the builder rep goes a long way!

Now comes the fun part. This unit is closing next year so we need to select the interiors. This was the first time I was given the option to pick the interiors electronically. The builder sent me these pictures. I think I am still going to see and touch them in person, but for now I would like to run a poll to see which one is your favorite. From top to bottom, left to right, are kitchen cabinet, kitchen counter, kitchen backsplash, engineered hardwood floor, bathroom wall tile, bathroom counter (all Bianco Carrara), bathroom floor tile, and bathroom cabinet.





Unfortunately they are fixed combos so I don't get to pick and choose across different panels. Please vote for your favorite combination(s). Thanks! 

Interior Selections