With so much interest in Toronto housing sales, local real estate marketing is more competitive than ever. One trend that's gained some traction over the last few years is lifestyle videos that go beyond the standard property tour.

Instead of merely showing you the property, these sequences are meant to animate the space with people who enjoy an alluring lifestyle, and ideally to establish an emotional connection with the prospective buyer.

Toronto realtor Karyn Filiatrault has made a name producing such videos for her listings, including a recent one for a penthouse unit at 318 King St. East. It's probably the most elaborate and, at times, bizarre advertisement for a condo that I've seen.

The film has generated a bit of buzz for its depiction of a business dinner that threatens to be derailed when the host repeatedly spills food and drink on herself while preparing dinner.

"It's super tongue-in-cheek and meant to make people laugh," Filiatrault explains. "I'm clumsy myself, so that's the inspiration for the plot line. The spills take her to the various rooms of the unit."

With a background as a television producer, Filiatrault writes and directs her lifestyle films with an eye for the unconventional. "They tend to be more engaging when they're glossy and sexy, but those aren't the only ones I do. It depends on the client and the property."

A previous film, for instance, follows a young girl around as she searches for her stuffed animals and invades the cookie jar, while another involves a maid sizing up a condo owner as he looks for his lost wallet.

In general, the sex appeal is dialed up for films about condos, as the buying market is younger.

A criticism that's been made of the recent King East film is that it supports conventional gender roles with the men talking business as the female host scrambles to prepare a meal.

Filiatrualt doesn't see it that way, though. "This is a strong woman who's put together and engaging," she explains. "I'm a strong woman myself and not in the business of creating fanciful stories to degrade women."

The dramatic food spills are meant to be funny and attention grabbing, which is one of the reasons why they're so outlandish. The whole purpose, she explains, is to create a visual record of the property that stands out from the pack.

In today's daily dose of news about the red hot Toronto real estate market, a wide-ranging feature from Bloomberg reveals that Toronto's well outpacing some of the strongest US markets when it comes to rising prices.

Not so long ago, Vancouver was the country's hottest housing market, now Toronto has eclipsed its west coast counterpart and is making a case for the title of hottest market in North America. 

We know that's the case when it comes to luxury homes, but it might also be true in more general terms these days. Consider the most recent housing market data from February, a month in which prices in the Toronto area increased by 28 per cent to an average of $875,983.

Using figures from the Zillow Group, Bloomberg notes that "the median price rose one per cent to $1.15 million in San Francisco in the 12 months through January and 8.9 per cent to $604,300 in Seattle."

Perhaps more surprising than these figures, however, is that while the average home in Manhattan is still significantly more expensive than Toronto at $1.25 million, prices have increased 18 per cent over this same 12 month period, which is well "below Toronto’s torrid pace."

And it doesn't show signs of letting up. For all the talk of a bubble that's been circulating of late, Bloomberg's report doesn't find many signs that it's about to burst.

Instead, the combination of low inventory, a quickly growing population in Southern Ontario, and the likelihood that interest rates will remain low all suggest that the Toronto real estate market could pick up even more steam.

Now that's a truly scary thought.

Today in Toronto there are a good range of events, from fascinating talks to a full-out dance party and an art exhibition that shows you what downtown would look like in a post-apocalyptic world. 

Toronto Restaurant Openings highlights the latest restaurant openings and closings in Toronto and also gives a preview of what's coming soon. Find us here every Thursday morning.

Open now

• Bottle Rocket Coffee has replaced the original Starving Artist at 584 Lansdowne Ave.

Recently reviewed

• XiangZi Hot Pot
• Superpoint Express
• Junked Food Co.
• Odd Espresso Bar
• Yellowtail Sushi
• Mojito Cubano
• Union Chicken

Opening soon

• Panini shop and cafe Pacific Park Social will be opening this spring at 2986 Dundas St. W. by Pacific Ave. in the Junction.
• Chicago-style deep-dish pizza joint Double D's is opening a second location in a couple of weeks, this time in Junked Food Co.'s original space at 1256 Dundas St. W. by Dovercourt.
• Plant-based (i.e. vegan) dessert spot Sweet Hart Kitchen should be opening its first brick-and-mortar location in early April at 68 Wales Ave. in Kensington Market.
• Raijin Ramen will be closing its Yonge & Gerrard location on March 19 (its current building is being demolished) and relocating a bit north up by Wellesley station.

Closed

• Mexican cantina Milagro's location at Yonge & Lawrence is no more.
• Further south at Yonge & Eglinton, Italian resto Quattro e Quattr8 has also shuttered.
• Another Italian spot nearby, Pastissima at Yonge & Eg.,  has also closed after being in business for almost 40 years.
• Baton Rouge at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre is gone, and Hendriks Restaurant & Bar looks to be taking its place this fall.

Other news

• Cereal Box Cafe is having a one-day pop-up at Offsite tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. with intentions of opening a permanent location somewhere in the city this summer.

Have you seen restaurants opening or closing in your neighbourhood? Email tips to editors@blogto.com

It's technically still winter in Toronto, so even though we've been spoiled with warm weather, we shouldn't be too surprised that the mercury's going to drop again.

While the temperature should hover above zero today, Environment Canada's forecast says it might drop to -15 by Friday night.

It's supposed to stay chilly on Saturday and Sunday, as well as into next week. 

Despite the deep-freeze, sunny skies are on the way, so bundle up and enjoy the fleeting days of winter by going skating, taking in a lakeside art exhibition, or sugaring off right in the heart of the city. 

Weekend events in Toronto will have you nicknaming our town "party city" with a stellar list of quality dance affairs. There's also a huge International Women's Day march and a sugar shack at the beach. 

As much as we like to complain about the TTC, there's lots to praise about our transit system, including our subway stations. While many are somewhat anonymous from a design standpoint, there are a handful that stand out from the pack for their modernist flair, integration with the landscape, and public art.

Here are my picks for the best-designed TTC stations in Toronto.

Plenty of comic and graphic novels take place in Toronto, but none are quite like the Toronto Comics Anthology, or TO Comix.

That's because its annual anthologies feature stories all about the city by up-and-coming artists as well as indie veterans.

TO Comix launched its fourth anthology, called Yonge at Heart, on Kickstarter and hopes to crowd fund $14,000 by March 31 to bring its 210-page, full colour comic to market.

The Toronto Comics: Yonge at Heart kickstarter has launched! We've brought you three great volumes before, and with your help we'll bring you our best book yet: 210 pages of all-new colour comics with a foreword by the talented @jefflemire. Preorder today at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/742428467/toronto-comics-yonge-at-heart Thanks so much to our artists and writers for the countless hours invested in this book. Thanks especially to our readers for their encouragement and boundless support! Y'all rock. #makingcomics #comics #torontocomics #toronto #milestones

A post shared by Toronto Comics Anthology (@torontocomicsanthology) on Feb 28, 2017 at 11:14pm PST

Yonge at Heart features distinctly Toronto pieces, such as the "Honest Minotaur," about a monster lurking beneath Honest Ed's, by Steven Andrews and Ally Rom Colthoff; "Dundas & Dragons" by Aaron Feldman and Jamie Reihl; and "Cabbagetown Creeps" by Sam Ruano and Jason Song Quinn.

The book should be ready by the time the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) rolls around. In the meantime, you can check out the other three anthologies online. 

If you've always wanted to live an elevator ride away from a rooftop club and pool party mecca, then the Thompson Residences might be your kind of place. For better or worse, this is the ultimate in King West living.

Located around the corner from the Thompson Hotel, this more recent development is less than a year old and composed exclusively of condo units. It was originally branded 629 King West Condos, but took the Thompson name along the way.

This, in case you were wondering, is not a cheap building. The one bedroom, two bathroom unit we're looking at now is listed at $949,000 with monthly fees of $904. Jeez.

What do you get for nearly a million here? The unit itself is nice if unremarkable, with the best feature surely being the 650 square foot terrace, which feels open and secluded all at once. You could spend a summer out here an be very happy.

Access to Lavelle, the rooftop pool, restaurant, and bar will prove a nice amenity for some, though the cost-to-use value of such things is always a bit dubious. You'd imagine this condo will appeal to the type of buyer who likes the status conferred by proximity to the club.

Specs

• Address: #214 - 629 King St. West 
• Price: $949,000
• Bedrooms: 1
• Bathrooms: 2
• Parking: 1
• Walk Score: 99
• Transit Score: 100
• Maintenance Fees: $904
• Listing agent: Yann Danyluk
• Listing ID: C3712693

Good For

Someone who likes to entertain but isn't at the stage where they can afford a large condo or house. The outdoor space can accommodate plenty of people, while the open layout of the unit also encourages social gatherings.

Move On If

You want more space. You can snag a two bedroom condo for this price pretty easily, even if it won't be located in a building that's legitimately in the middle of it all. Bang for your buck is not a feature here.

Thanks to Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage for sponsoring our condo of the week. All editorial written and selected by blogTO.

March Break events and activities in Toronto will make adults feel like kids again, and kids feel like lil' kings and queens. It's going to be a busy week of fun filled with movies, hikes, castle jaunts, museum takeovers and more. 

Good news for blues, folk and jazz music fans of Toronto, Hugh's Room won't be just another defunct live music venue we recall fondly.

Owners, neighbours, and members of the community hinted at the possibility of re-opening the much-loved live music venue as a community-run space after it suddenly shut its doors early this year.

After a lot of organizing and fundraising, that dream has come to life. A not-for-profit corporation has formed to manage the Roncesvalles club, which will now be called Hugh’s Room Live.

Since the club announced it was shutting its doors, the building it called home was been sold. Fortunately, a new lease has been signed with the current owner, and the plan is to re-open the venue by April 19.

According to a press release, original general manager of the club, Anthony Ferrando will return to run the newly mandated space, while renowned music consultant Derek Andrews will run booking and marketing. They're also hoping to rehire most original staff.

Hugh's Room Live is still raising funds through a Go Fund Me initiative. So far they've raised $83,000, which will get the venue up and running again. Their ultimate goal is $250,000, which would help sustain it for the long term.

The next steps will be forming a board, revamping the food menu and fixing building issues. Though the current organization can't refund artists and ticket holders from scheduled shows before the venue suddenly closed, they're looking into it.

The real estate market in the Toronto area is wildly hot right now, pricing hordes of prospective buyers out of the market, so Ontario's Finance Minister Charles Sousa is exploring ways to cool it down.

One idea he's considering includes following British Columbia's lead by imposing a foreign buyer's tax, reports the Canadian Press today.

"A year ago I was thinking, 'Let market forces prevail,'" Sousa said, according to the Canadian Press. 

"But now I'm concerned about...the ability of people to enter the marketplace. (There are) bidding wars everywhere you go, it appears, and I'm sensitive to that. I'm sensitive to the degree of fast appreciation in the short term and what will that do over the long term."

In November, the province gave land transfer tax rebates to first-time home buyers and upped the land tax transfer rates on homes that sold for more than $2 million.

The average price for a house (including detached homes, townhouses and condos) in the GTA reached $875,983 last month. That's a 28. percent increase since February 2016.

Toronto Food Events rounds up the most delicious festivals, pop-ups, winemaker dinners, supper clubs and other food related happenings in Toronto this week and next. You can find us here every Friday morning.

The best fitness clubs in Toronto provide a good space to break a sweat. The best gyms aren't excessively busy, and offer a variety of classes, good quality equipment and solid range of amenities to keep you coming back.

Here are the best fitness clubs in Toronto.

St. Patrick's Day events for March 17, 2017 in Toronto range from the authentic to the terrifically enormous and rowdy. Whether you're inside a sprawling brewery surrounded by fiddlers and green beer, or at a cozy pub with friends, St. Paddy's is a great excuse to be merry in March.

Last summer, Pokemon Go lured the whole city down to the lake. But in 2017, the world's largest rubber duck will have Toronto flocking to the water during the annual Redpath Waterfront Festival from July 1 to 3. 

As part of the Ontario 150 Tour, Redpath will bring its waterfront programming and the rubber duck to five other Ontario towns - Owen Sound, Sault Ste. Marie, Midland, Amherstburg and Brockville.

At 61 feet tall, 79 feet wide and 89 feet long, this 30,000 pound rubber duck is a copy of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's Rubber Duck sculpture.

Hofman's original has garnered lots of criticism since it began its world-wide tour in 2007.

"It's easily the most visible public conceptual artwork in the world today—more so than any Banksy street tableau or Pussy Riot punk performance, if for its China tours alone," wrote Kriston Capps in The Atlantic's CityLab back in 2014.

"Rubber Duck is festival-ready, an insta-Instagram, approved by parents, developers, and even the authorities in such restrictive places like Baku. (A rubber duckie doesn't trigger government censors, silly.)."

When the knock-off version comes to the city, you can expect to see lots bright yellow flashes all over social media. And be sure to listen for spontaneous outbursts of "Rubber Duckie" (you're the one). 

RaceSim1 is Toronto's first simulating racing centre. Located at Bloor and Clinton, RaceSim1 allows Torontonians to race luxury cars without the the cost, danger, and anger management issues incurred from driving on the real streets of Toronto.

I visited RaceSim1 on a Saturday night, excited to out-swerve the bus driver whose disregard for laws and cyclists I had just survived.

RaceSim1 is located down a flight of stairs in a small, minimalist room. There are five cockpit stations ($10 per 15 minutes with price breaks for larger chunks of time), each with a Sparco Official Racing seat, 49” LED TVs for screens, a 5.1 surround sound system and an XBOX One that powers the experience.

Behind the stations are a few comfy chairs for observers. Traditional gaming snacks (bags of chips, soda, and sports drinks) are available for purchase, but in keeping with the theme, there's no liquor license.

RaceSim 1 offers two games, Project CARS and Forza Motorsport 6. Both of these race simulation games are hyperrealistic, allowing players to race video game versions of real cars on real racetracks that have been replicated to the letter.

I chose to try out Forza, half because Forza had a wide array of different car options to choose from (but sadly not the Honda Civ I requested) and half because Forza sounds like forsaken (which is how I feel when I'm in the driver's seat of a car).

As someone who is a permanent pedestrian, I was worried how I would fare with RaceSim1. Like Mortal Kombat on Nintendo 64, would I do terribly? Like the Lion King on Sega GameGear, would it be too scarily realistic?

Like the lore of right-wing parents, would the video game brainwash me into being a completely different person who thinks that whatever is okay in the video game is also cool in real life?

As it turned out, all of the above. I was spectacularly bad at the game (a bystander “complimented” me on keeping a reasonable speed and I went completely off the racetrack several times) but it was really fun and incredibly realistic.

I found myself shaking and sweating in a way I haven’t since the Young Drivers lessons I took at the ripe age of 29, and my heart was pounding in a mix of anxiety and adrenaline.

It was incredibly exciting and the kind of activity that seems like it would be boring to do for an hour when planning it but goes by in a flash when actually doing it. (And yes, I am a completely different person who no longer abides by rules of this jurisdiction anymore.)

RaceSim1's immersive gaming is a great choice for something different to do that isn't an escape room or a board game cafe.

It's a fun venue for hanging with friends and the space can be rented out for private parties (think a small bachelor/bachelorette party or a low-key birthday).

With racing leagues forthcoming, RaceSim1 has the potential to be the high adrenaline, high excitement go-to racing spot in Toronto - after the TTC, of course.

Toronto's latest tourism initiative grabbed plenty of attention when it was released this week.

The new video drew much praise for its fresh portrayal of the city and its various features, from the diversity of our food scene to the excitement generated by our musicians and sports teams.

For the most part, the video gets it right. It's a compelling ad for a city that seems to be getting more and more global attention. And it's a marked departure from Toronto's previous marketing efforts.

As retro and quirky as tourism videos from the 1970s and 1980s appear nowadays, it's still possible to discern which ads worked and which ones didn't. Some seemed good, like the Canada - Your World Next Door campaign.

Launched in the late 80s, it continued in the early 1990s and played heavily in the States nearest to the Canadian border, though it got some play in Europe as well.

Closer to home, the provincial tourism board transitioned from its highly successful "Yours to Discover" campaign and was trying out "Ontario the Incredible," which didn't have the same resonance.

Still, it was noteworthy for its occasional urban focus, which leaned heavily on Toronto's entertainment options. No longer did those pushing the charms of the province think they needed to stick solely to boosting the wonders of the rural landscape.

If "Ontario the Incredible" was mostly forgettable, it still wasn't as bad as what was cooked up in the 200os. Facing a full blown crisis following the SARS outbreak, Toronto tourism responded with its "You Belong Here" campaign.

To the ad's credit, the annoying tune is easy to recall and the city shots establish a certain excitement. Where it falters is the use of B-grade celebrities to push the city. Doug Gilmour, the Barenaked Ladies and Jason Priestly just didn't have the star power for this thing to take off.

In any case, nothing could have been worse than what followed. Toronto Unlimited was meant to be a major branding exercise for the city, not just a series of ads, but it all went horribly wrong.

There's still plenty of criticism and discussion of this re-branding idea available online, but it's easy to get a sense for how ill-conceived the campaign was just by looking at one of its video spots.

Um, you'd think there might be even one image of Toronto in there? Nope. It's just someone throwing out a host of slogans with little enthusiasm or desire to show the viewer what the fuss should be about.

It's somewhat amusing that our most shaky marketing attempts occurred in and around a decade ago. In the time that's intervened, Toronto does seem like a more confident city. Perhaps that's finally starting to show in the way we promote ourselves.

The last couple of years have been very kind to those in the business of flipping homes. With real estate prices increasing at alarming rates, there's certainly lots of money to be made for savvy investors with a good eye for properties with potential.

Take this Bloordale house at 380 Margueretta St., for instance. When it was on the market last spring, it was listed at $789,000. That proved a bit low even though the place needed some major upgrades, and it ultimately sold for $1,126,000. 

After the deal was closed, the place was gutted before getting a full reno that wrapped up not too long ago. Some of the original character of the house remains, but it now shows off a thoroughly modern design sensibility. 

It was re-listed at the end of February for $1,449,000, which was a conservative but not ridiculous price to start the bidding at. Just a few days later, it closed for $1,850,001— about what you'd expect these days. 

There shouldn't be much shock or outrage over this. Having walked by numerous times pre- and post-renovation, I can testify that it's a solid home that's deceptively big (four bedrooms isn't so common in the neighbourhood) and now looks good. 

The Essentials

• Address: 380 Margueretta St. 
• Last known selling price: $1,126,000 (May 2016)
• Hit the market at: $1,449,000
• Time on market: 4 days
• Sold for: $1,850,001

Why it sold for the price it did

This is what a Toronto house that costs just shy of $2 million looks like. It's freshly renovated (including the basement), there's decent outdoor space, and with four bedrooms and four bathrooms, enough room for a good-sized family. The three-minute walk to the subway doesn't hurt.

Was it worth it?

Is a Wayne Gretzky rookie card worth over $600K? While homes aren't quite like collectibles in terms of their inherent worth, their value is still largely dictated by the market, and in today's local housing game, this house has a lot to offer for $1.85 million. If the price says anything, it's that Bloordale's stock is on the rise.

Torontonians are in the best shape of their lives! Or at least that is what the sudden influx of gyms and spinning studios would have us believe. 

US fitness chains like Equinox, Orange Theory, Pop Physique and SoulCycle now call Toronto home. They're competing against homegrown outfits like Torq, The Rosedale Club and MOVE Fitness, not to mention established players like Goodlife.

Canadian chains like SPINCO and Greco Fitness have also opened locations in Toronto in the past twelve months.

So with all these newfound workout options in our midst, is this a great time to be in the fitness industry or have things moved too fast?

This is an industry that can be pretty cutthroat. Toronto has had a long list of popular fitness brands that ultimately didn't make it. Some might remember names like Extreme Fitness, Diesel Fitness and Premiere.

William Sautner, owner of The Rosedale Club, thinks US chains realized an underserved market in Toronto's high-end gym world and swooped in.  

"The big chains like LA fitness, Equinox and Soulcycle figure it’s an untapped market and have the money to make it work, so here they are," he says.

He also believes there's a lot of room in the middle. Ivan Ho, general manager at Fit Factory Fitness, agrees.

"Equinox does a great job capturing the high end market, Planet Fitness does a great job capturing the lower income suburban market."

In fact, Planet Fitness has major expansion plans for Ontario this year. Their $10 membership model captures a huge audience and is stiff competition for smaller, local gyms who simply can't go that low. 

"New places are coming to Toronto," admits Torq's Julie Mitchell. "But it’s actually good for us because it’s not that we’re trying to share the same customers, it’s that we’re actually finding more customers as a result."

"I think this rise in boutique options is really interesting," she says. "People don’t want to be part of a big gym, they want specialty, and don’t want to be tied to big commitments. They want to be able to go to different places, belong to two or three different types [of gyms]."

Whether the US chains' gamble on Toronto's fitness market pays off in the long run remains to be seen. Until then, in a very Canadian way, locals are kindly welcoming the competition.