As a real estate agent him­-self, Joel Gwillim knew exactly what he wanted when it came time to shop for a condo of his own—and he was very specific about his desires.
“I always wanted to be in Emerald Stone,” says Gwillim, referring to the pilot Beltline project by ProCura. “It’s one of the nicest buildings I’ve seen—it has a really nice presence when you walk into it.”

Gwillim had been renting down­town for about a year when he received notice that his rent would double, and parking costs triple, in January 2007. As is the case with many renters who have the ability to buy, this was Gwillim’s signal that it was time to become a homeowner.

Having lived downtown already, and being a bachelor and man-about-town, he had no desire to leave the core and the activity centred there. He had seen what the area had to offer in the way of new projects (the type of building he wanted to get into) and had looked at new, modern buildings along the lines of Sasso, Chocolate, Stella and, of course, Emerald Stone, and in the end the latter was where he wanted to be.

“I wanted something newer, but I didn’t want to wait a year to get into it,” Gwillim says. Emerald Stone was completed in 2004, and fit the bill perfectly.

He was attracted to more than the look of the building—the location and amenities held considerable sway as well. Located at the corner of 8th Street and 15th Avenue S.W., Emerald Stone is seen as a “landmark project” by the area alderman and by the Connaught/Beltline community. From here, resi-dents have enviable access to 17th Avenue shopping, dining and bars as well as the same on 1st Street S.E. and in Mission; high-end dining is located on the ground floor of the building at Ric’s Grill.

Amenities abound inside as well, giving the option of staying in, going out, or both. Fitness facilities allow residents to stay in shape and keep up their appearance on the local social scene, while in-house foos-ball, billiards, darts and virtual golf offer the option of bringing that scene closer to home. “(The common space) has a real pub atmosphere,” says Gwillim, who says that he likes to have friends over to enjoy the com-mon amenities before heading out for a night on 17th Avenue.

The only downside to being so close to the trendy 17th Avenue bar scene is that it’s almost too easy to dine out and have drinks regularly, he says.

Emerald Stone was designed to comple-ment its surround-ings in this desirable, historic neighbour-hood, with a mix of red brick, emerald green glazing, terra cotta stucco and stainless steel and glass railings on the exterior. Water features in the common areas as well as an out-door patio round out the building’s lifestyle.

Gwillim chose a two-bedroom/two-bathroom condo to capitalize on resale opportunities, and searched out a roommate with a compa-tible lifestyle. His condo, of which he is the second owner, features interior specifications such as Berber carpet, cherry hardwood and tile, fireplace with built-in entertainment niche, in-suite laundry, stainless steel appliances and oversized balcony. He also thoroughly enjoys the quality of the climate control in the building, citing as an example his level of comfort during the heat wave of summer 2007.
A somewhat unexpected benefit of living at Emerald Stone is management company Collier International, says Gwillim. “They’re always on top of things. You don’t feel like your monthly contributions are going to thin air.”

As a realtor, Gwillim’s sugges-tions to buyers are to seek profes-sional help and to give yourself the time to search and do your research.
“Have someone help you that knows what they are doing and has sold similar suites before. Finding your perfect place takes time and knowledge—give yourself enough time to look around and be content with your decision, and remember to leave enough time for your possession.”

He also recommends buyers look into all aspects of their pro-spective home: parking, monthly condo fees, the history and struc-ture of the building, property taxes, future development around the building, and having your condo documents professionally reviewed. He says that when he is helping his clients to buy a condo, he looks through the history of the property to compare which suites have been listed and sold, their time on the market and any price reductions.

“I love doing showings, so I tell my buyers to take their time, be picky, and that I’m here for them … because it certainly is a big step and a big decision in their life.”
Gwillim currently has a suite in his own building conditionally sold, to friends.

“A friend of mine and her boy-friend asked me to help them find a downtown condo suite for under $500K. I showed them suites in a few of the newer complexes. I said, ‘Why don’t we check out my com-plex?’ She was hesitant at first but we saw two suites and she fell in love with the one we wrote an offer on. I’m excited to already have friends as neighbours … and I trust they will enjoy their stay too.”  CL