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Introduction
The crafting of great news and feature articles is truly an under-appreciated
art.
Veteran award-winning journalist Michael B. Davie is a master of this
art-form, seemingly effortlessly creating stories that are at once compelling.
engaging, thought-provoking, well-written and well-researched.
The News & Features series of books presents a small but interesting
selection of the author’s work that in total, encompasses more
than 10,000 articles published in the Toronto Star, Hamilton Spectator,
Globe & Mail, Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun and many other major
newspapers coast to coast.
Commentary by the author is also included throughout. This is an insightful
look at the work of one of Canada’s leading journalists.
Author’s Note:
I most enjoy writing on a vast array of subject matters. Each new story
presents its own challenges, irritations and rewards.
Included in this volume is a lengthy education story I wrote for BIZ
magazine and the remaining articles are largely Star pieces with a few
from The Spectator.
As always, the it’s a matter of emphasizing the interesting and
important facts in a way that readers will find compelling and will
desire to read more.
A study of these articles should reveal clues and tips as to how it’s
done.
Note the short paragraphs and efforts to instil the process with clarity.
The key is to make a read as effortless as possible.
Chapter 1:
Real Estate Writing -
Making dry subject matter work
Author’s Note:
The biggest challenge in writing about an array of condominium developments
is trying to make this dry subject matter interesting to the reader.
Let’s face it, most condo towers look much the same and tend to
be in the heart of urban areas. The all tend to offer similar amenities
and features.
The trick then is to make this lifeless material sing. I’ve found
the best way to meet this challenge is to focus on the whatever element
or elements may set one project apart from another.
This can include a particularly convenient or scenic location, unusual
architecture or art or an unusual bargain or a building with some history
behind it or an unusual sales technique.
Rockefeller buyers
get taste of Big Apple
Early buyers at The Rockefeller can enjoy a free weekend
in New York City to celebrate their purchase.
To mark the opening of its newest phase of the NY Towers development
at Bayview and Sheppard Aves. today, the Daniels Corp. is offering one
of several incentives to those who buy early.
A choice of a weekend trip for two to New York, free hardwood flooring
in the living room/dining room, free maintenance for a year, or a free
upgrade to a stainless steel kitchen are among the incentives buyers
can choose from this weekend only.
Those opting for the trip to New York will get airfare, accommodations
and dinner for two at the Rockefeller Center, the Manhattan landmark
the new condominium tower is named after.
Located just west of the existing four buildings at NY Towers, the 20-storey,
218-unit Rockefeller is minutes from Highway 401 and the Don Valley
Parkway.
It's also close to Bayview Village shopping centre and the new Bayview
subway station.
Prices start at about $170,000. Construction is to start next year,
with occupancy in spring 2005.
Standard features include granite kitchen countertops with ceramic tile
backsplashes and custom-designed cabinets and trim.
Penthouses feature electric fireplaces, French doors and marble foyers.
Residents will also have year-round access to The Rockefeller Club recreation
centre, which includes an indoor pool, a spa, a sauna, a lounge, a billiards
room and a home theatre.
There is also a 24-hour concierge and a building ambassador to assist
residents with chores such as hanging a picture or carrying in packages.
The sales centre is located at the southeast corner of Rean Dr. and
Sheppard Ave. E. and is open Monday to Thursday from noon to 6 p.m.
and weekends from noon to 5 p.m.
For more information, call 416-221-3939 or visit the Web site at www.therockefeller.com.
Last chance for golf
at CityPlace project
If you're planning to play at the nine-hole golf course on the west side of Spadina Ave. south of Front St., you might
want to hurry.
Next year, the temporary course Concord Adex Developments opened four
years ago will likely be turned into a construction site, as the huge
CityPlace project near SkyDome moves on to the next phase.
The course had a life-expectancy of up to seven years, but the booming
condo business has meant that the project, which will bring 6,000
units to the 17-hectare site, has moved forward rapidly since it was
launched in 1999.
Concord Adex recently started selling units in the first towers to
be built on the west side of Spadina, and construction is expected
to begin early next year.
Meanwhile, the company will be donating the profits from all $20 green
fees collected between now and the end of October to the United Way
of Greater Toronto. The promotion is expected to net up to $50,000 for United Way.
Construction is also moving forward at HarbourView Estates on the
east side of Spadina Ave., the largest phase on the CityPlace site so far.
More than 1,300 people attended the official groundbreaking for the
project in late June. The excavation is complete, and below-grade
construction is under way.
The four-hectare HarbourView Estates will have four towers,
ranging in size from 19 to 49 storeys, as well as a seven-storey building
with 101 lofts and a 30,000-square-foot recreation centre.
This phase of the project, when completed, will consist of more than
1,600 units and about 2,000 residents.
After HarbourView Estates, the only site left for Concord Adex to
develop on the east side of Spadina is that of the sales office, where
the tallest tower for the complex is planned.
That's why the company has decided to move to the 10-hectare west
side, where nine condominium towers and parkland will replace the
golf course and driving range, which is expected to continue operating
longer than the course.
Concord builder recognized
for R-2000 homes
A GTA home builder is drawing national recognition for its energy-efficient
housing.
Concord-based Fifthshire Homes Ltd. was given an Energy Efficiency Recognition
Award at the 8th annual Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance Awards conference
hosted recently by the Canadian District Energy Association.
Fifthshire was recognized for its leadership in building R-2000 homes.
Every certified R-2000 home has better air quality and uses about half
the energy of a comparable-sized house with conventional construction,
says Peter Love, president of EnerQuality Corporation, which oversees
the R-2000 program in Ontario.
All R-2000 homes must exceed the minimum Ontario Building Code standards
and must also employ construction processes that ensure the homes are
more energy efficient, have good air quality and are generally healthier
to live in than standard homes.
Love says every R-2000 home delivers a "meaningful and ongoing
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions- it's a win-win situation: the
environment benefits and the homeowner has lower heating and cooling
bills."
Joe Vella, vice-president of Fifthshire Homes, says he strives to "provide
customers with homes built specifically to improve indoor air quality
and be highly energy efficient," a practice that provides good
value to the customer while protecting the environment.
Fifthshire has previously received a number of energy efficiency awards.
For more information, visit the Web sites: www.r2000.org and www.fifthshire.com
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