Josh Sherman, Freelance Journalist Profile

Articles

Moving away .... and not coming back

3 weeks ago | torontosun.com | Josh Sherman

Meghan Bennett and her husband, Yonge Au, decided they were leaving Toronto after the birth of their son. Although they had an affordable, rent-controlled two-bedroom apartment in Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighbourhood, it was clear they needed more room. “I work from home 65 per cent of the time, so our son’s room was also my office,” said Bennett, 38. “We knew that we would need to find space eventually as he gets older, and Toronto is just not realistic for buying a house,” Bennett added.
What lies beneath

1 month ago | torontosun.com | Josh Sherman

With its brightly coloured playground, winding paths, and mature trees, Gallanough Park, in Vaughan, may look like a regular suburban green space — but, buried beneath it, an important piece of infrastructure is hidden. Just below the surface of the park, there’s a new underground stormwater facility with the capacity to store 8,762 cubic metres of rainwater— or about three-and-a-half Olympic-size swimming pools’ worth.
Building new homes and the high cost of infrastructure

2 months ago | msn.com | Josh Sherman

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Building new homes when there is no infrastructure

2 months ago | torontosun.com | Josh Sherman

As Geranium Homes was planning Midhurst Valley, a multi-phase, approximately 5,000-home development currently under construction in Springwater, Ont., they were faced with a very expensive problem. “We’re effectively challenged to build a city there with no infrastructure,” said Vimal Patel, vice president of land development at Geranium Homes.
Rate cut hasn't boosted demand in Ontario cottage country yet

Oct 10, 2024 | postcity.com | Josh Sherman |Julia Mastroianni

The Bank of Canada’s first rate cut in four years hasn’t boosted demand for real estate in southern Ontario’s cottage country, experts say, though there are signs that the vacation property market may soon begin recovering from a prolonged post-pandemic downturn. “It really hasn’t improved things yet — it’s just not enough,” Bonnie Looby, president of the Lakelands Association of Realtors, said of the BoC’s June 5 move to cut the overnight rate by 25 basis points, bringing it to 4.75 per cent.
Rate cut hasn't boosted demand in Ontario cottage country yet

Jul 25, 2024 | streetsoftoronto.com | Josh Sherman |Julia Mastroianni

The Bank of Canada’s first rate cut in four years hasn’t boosted demand for real estate in southern Ontario’s cottage country, experts say, though there are signs that the vacation property market may soon begin recovering from a prolonged post-pandemic downturn. “It really hasn’t improved things yet — it’s just not enough,” Bonnie Looby, president of the Lakelands Association of Realtors, said of the BoC’s June 5 move to cut the overnight rate by 25 basis points, bringing it to 4.75 per cent.
Rate cut still not enough to entice Toronto buyers back into the market

Jun 26, 2024 | streetsoftoronto.com | Josh Sherman |Julia Mastroianni

The day after the Bank of Canada cut its overnight rate for the first time in four years, Toronto realtor Mark Savel saw a flurry of interest from potential homebuyers. “I had three listings up — they all saw a spike the next day of showings,” he said. Since then, though, it’s been stagnant. “After that, I’d say it’s actually gotten a hell of a lot quieter than it has in recent months,” said Savel, who works in the Dufferin and Eglinton area for Sage Real Estate Ltd.
The Cost Of Not Doing Business: Billions Lost As New Condo Projects Shelved In GTA

May 29, 2024 | storeys.com | Josh Sherman

On a single job site, Nick Ainis’s construction-management business employs hundreds of sub-contractors. Combined, his army of trades can log upwards of a hundred thousand well-paid hours putting up a mid-sized condo building. But, as developers delay project launches in response to the higher interest rates that have pushed away potential homebuyers, he and his labourers see their prospects in the formerly booming market dwindle.
A Towering Achievement: Tridel Celebrates 90th Anniversary (With More Toronto Development Plans)

May 16, 2024 | storeys.com | Josh Sherman

The history of the Toronto condo can’t be told without dedicating a chapter (or several) to Tridel. The pioneering Toronto real estate developer has built enough homes to house a mid-sized city, and was among the first in Canada to embrace the then-new condominium model in the mid-20th century. “They really were at the forefront of this industry, and not only were they successful in understanding it, they dominated it, frankly,” Tridel’s president, Jim Ritchie, tells STOREYS.
"A Brutal System": Toronto's Affordable Housing Lotteries Need An Upgrade

May 2, 2024 | storeys.com | Josh Sherman

Early last year, Westbank Corp. and the City of Toronto opened a lottery for 37 affordable apartments at the former’s Mirvish Village rental development on the iconic site of the late Honest Ed’s store. By the time the lottery closed on March 6, 2023 — just three months after launching — it had attracted 8,429 applications. Several months later, in August, another lottery for 104 apartments at Canary Landing, near the Distillery District, closed having garnered 6,520 expressions of interest.