Trevor Loose and Janice Woo may both be only 21 years old, but these investment bankers are too busy building their careers to worry about anything else. So when it came time to choose where to live, they both realized it would have to be in close radius to work.

“The biggest thing was location. I sometimes work 16 to 17 hours a day so it’s really a luxury to be able to walk within ten minutes to work and back,” says Loose.

Both Loose and Woo graduated from university last spring. Loose, who lived with his parents in Oakridge while attending university, says he used to drive to school and work and, with his current workload, the commute proved taxing and stressful. He says he and Woo needed a place to stay and it had to be fast. “The first criterion was that it had to be in the downtown core. We also wanted to move in at the start of September, and we found that at the Castello,” says Loose.

The building’s central location was an attractive option the roommates could not resist, and the duo even got permission for an early move-in. Granted,  they’ve lived there only a couple of months, but the young execs can already pinpoint advantages of living in the downtown core. “It’s quite a luxury being able to walk to work. Even in the winter, we’re about five minutes to the nearest Plus 15. There’s no stress having to drive to work and no $500 monthly parking fees to pay,” says Loose.

As far as location goes, the Castello lets both professionals savour the nightlife and uptown lifestyle they have become accustomed to when they can find the time. The trappings of trendy 17 Avenue are just three or four blocks away. There’s a 24-hour diner across the road and a Mac’s convenience store open round-the-clock. “I don’t think I could live 20 minutes away from downtown. I don’t think it would work for my current schedule,” says Loose, adding that in the suburbs everything seems to close around 9 or 10 p.m.

As their suite is Loose and Woo’s first stab at independence, they’re just beginning to furnish the 1,300-square-foot, two-storey abode, but luckily, thanks to its modern and stylish finishing, less is more when it comes to their décor. Loose says from the very beginning they were enamoured with the Castello’s features: nine-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, open and bright spaces, a cutting-edge kitchen and the extensive use of hardwoods, stone and stainless steel. “It’s one of the reasons we jumped into this opportunity. It’s just a gorgeous condo,” says Loose.

While Loose says they hardly have the luxury of being at home, it is a real pleasure just walking into their condo after a hard day’s work. “We get a decent amount of light all day.  On two of the walls we have floor-to-ceiling windows so it looks very spacious and open.” The Castello has a glass-encased ensuite bathroom that separates it from the master bedroom. “It’s got fog glass on three sides for privacy,” explains Loose.

The roommates are hoping to use their 300-square-foot concrete-and-glass balcony in the spring. “We have a natural gas barbecue hook-up but it’s getting late in the season to put things out there,” says Loose. There is also ample space in the underground storage stall big enough for stowing golf clubs and other paraphernalia.

Loose doesn’t see the need for a car, though his roommate has one parked in the heated underground parking. “I thought about getting one but now it doesn’t make sense based on the fact that I am at work Monday through Friday for long periods of time. On the weekends I am fairly central. I can even walk the five blocks to the train.” 

The two young professionals don’t have much free time in their 80-hour workweeks, but they do relax when they have the luxury of being home. “After work I come home, relax, and watch TV.  On the weekends we like to go out to dinner or the nightclub or the bars,” says Loose.

They also do a fair amount of entertaining, having friends over for a drink or just to hang out. Loose says that they try to cook when they’re home, although more often they order from work.  “If you’re standing in the kitchen you’re facing the wall of windows, so you can see outside. It’s pretty amazing,” says Loose.

Condo lifestyle aspects the roommates can agree on are easy maintenance and 24-hour security. “Cleaning is nice because it’s not as big as a house. There is also controlled access to the floors, so you don’t worry about break-ins,” says Loose.

The busy exec says he much prefers the condo lifestyle to owning a house. He notes that for many considering buying a condo, a deterrent is the potential for noise, but says he has no such complaints. In fact, wherever Loose ends up in his career, he says he is sold on living in a condo. “If it’s fairly central I don’t think there is much risk in the prices plummeting.”   CL