Express Yourself
Sifton offers quick-closing on just-for-you homes
“Wow,” you say, “We’re happy our home sold so quickly!” But now there’s a dilemma: how do you get into a new one by the closing date? It’s a relief that you won’t have to carry two mortgages, but you also don’t want to be ‘homeless’ or have to settle for something decorated to someone else’s tastes.
When Mary and David Zurawel experienced this exact situation, they turned to Sifton to purchase an ‘express’ home. This is a type of new construction home without finishes and furnishings, so the customer decides how it should reflect their taste and lifestyle.
According to Brittany Ready, Sifton Sales Representative, “An express home’s exterior is finished and the interior is framed. While there are no exterior structural changes to be made, the buyer can change the interior layout somewhat. For instance, they can reconfigure the ground floor if they don’t love where the kitchen is.”
Related: Accelerate Your Home Search in the Ontario Housing Market with Sifton
The Zurawel’s Port Hope home sold quickly leaving them to find a new place in just a few months, so building from the ground up wasn’t an option. Mary, a retired RN and medical office administrator, and David, a retired chiropractor, were doing a quick move to London to be nearer to their son, who lives in the city’s west end. They had heard great things about Sifton from friends in the medical community, so buying a condominium in Whispering Pine – part of Sifton’s Warbler Woods development – was perfect with its location off of Westdel Bourne south of Oxford Street. They were pleased that they found a great solution despite London’s challenging housing market. The couple had moved several times so knew the many house construction steps and were happy that they didn’t have to deal with those, especially considering the time and cost to build a new home in Ontario. They needed a new home quickly that reflected their style without the hassle of going through the building a house checklist.
Whispering Pine is one of Sifton’s well-thought-out communities that blends with its woodland surroundings while offering nearby the city amenities of schools, shopping, dining and entertainment. It’s a five-minute drive to West 5, Sifton’s newest development with unique boutique shopping and specialty dining experiences.
“We select locations [for development] that offer a wide range of options and are attractive to buyers at all stages of life,” says Phil Masschelein, Senior Vice President of Neighbourhood Development. Adding that Sifton builds communities, not just homes. “We enhance the community feeling.”
In addition to the express-home condos in the Whispering Pine community, express single-family homes are available in Rosewood in Thorndale and Ilderton’s Clear Skies development – two Sifton developments in small communities just outside of London. According to Ready, express homes can be ready for occupancy within 120 days of purchase in these two developments. “How long is also affected by how many changes are made and what the budget is. Many want to personalize the house and reconfigure at least some part of the home to suit their needs.”
This was the case for the Zurawels. They picked the home they liked but ended up making several changes to its layout. “We picked the one [a model] with a very large dining room because we like to host family functions,” says Mary. “They [Sifton] are the kindest souls you’ll ever come across,” she says regarding the process of making extensive interior changes. Sifton staff were empathetic to their need for a quick, stressless move to London.
The couple decided to change the location of the staircase, enlarged the primary bedroom’s ensuite, flipped the location of the kitchen so the working area faced the outdoors and closed off the den with French doors. It all added to the cost of this piece of real estate, “but it was well worth it,” Mary says.
The couple worked closely with Gabi Brown, Interior Design and Decor Consultant, who runs Sifton’s dedicated Décor Studio. Brown walked the couple through the process of choosing millwork, paint colours, flooring, lighting and all the aspects of finishing a new home. They had previously gone through the process of building a home in Ontario, but still found Brown’s advice very helpful. “She works so fast and is a whirlwind of activity,” Mary explains, adding “It’s lovely to have someone help you through the process.”
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Recently having celebrated its 100th year in business, Sifton prides itself on the strong, long-standing relationships it has with other respected members of the local business community. For instance, Cardinal Kitchens is the supplier of choice for kitchen cabinetry. “They [Cardinal] were wonderful to work with, with lots of choices and selection,” says Mary.
“We’ve worked with Cardinal Kitchens for 40 or 50 years,” says Toby Stolee, Vice President of Construction. “We use quality trades and suppliers who we have relationships with. We don’t jump around and are loyal to the trades we work with. They know our standards and there’s mutual respect.” He adds that this is one of the hallmarks of Sifton’s reputation as a builder of high-quality homes.
This is a big factor in having happy owners, along with a dedicated Client Services team, headed by Scott White. “I do the final walk through with the customer,” he says. Like most reputable builders, Sifton is registered with the Tarion Warranty Corporation.
White further explains that new homes – model, express and newly built – are covered by warranties that last up to seven years for both minor and major structural defaults. “Deficiencies are going to happen, but we have very few of them. When it happens, they are minor. We’ve never had a major warranty issue,” he adds.
The Ontario housing market is tight and the cost to build a house is rising, so Sifton has partnered with RBC. “People buying from Sifton have lower mortgage rates than buying from another company because of our partnership Sifton and the Preferred Builder Package,” explains Matthew DaCosta, Senior Mortgage Specialist. “As part of our builder promotion, we give buyers cash at closing to help with closing costs as part of the Preferred Builder Package.” He adds that the package also means that some fees are also waived. Buyers of express homes get a firm approval for a mortgage and RBC will hold the rates, as well.
Because the real estate market in Ontario has been on such a roller coaster over the past few years, Sifton has partnered with Thrive Realty to ensure maximum exposure for its model and express homes, says Stolee.
After the quick sales and high prices of the London real estate market after the pandemic, Amanda McGuire, Broker with Thrive Realty, says, “In the fall of 2022 and into 2023 we started to feel the market slow. We hit the bottom of the average sale prices and prices started to increase. But the market is righting itself and becoming more balanced now.”
She feels it’s a good time to buy a home because prices aren’t going to return to pre-pandemic pricing.
Thrive’s Real Estate Representative James McGuire says, “We think people should jump now before prices go up.” He adds, “We’re encouraging people to ‘date the rate and marry the house,’” meaning that taking a shorter-term mortgage now is preferable to waiting until rates drop and prices go up.
The McGuire’s think that for buyers interested in new construction homes, purchasing an express home is a great idea. “It gives the best of both worlds,” according to Amanda, “for buyers who want to have choice in finishes and design but want a shorter closing at 120 days.”
The Zurawels agree. With Sifton, the were able to personalize their home to their own tastes, style and needs but in a shorter timeframe, which was a big factor for them at the time.
“We came here to support family. The kindness and caring of the people at Sifton made a big difference.”
When moving to London or one of the smaller surrounding communities and you need to do it quickly but want the house to be a reflection of you, there is an express home right for you. Sifton welcomes you to contact a member of their sales team to find the home you need and love.
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Author: Jill Ellis-Worthington for Sifton Properties Limited