Within minutes of Minto’s initial release at Harmony in Barrhaven, the homes were officially sold out. In fact, hours before the sales centre opened at 9 a.m. June 3, signs were posted outside warning that those who were not already in line would be out of luck.
Several dozen hopeful homeowners braved chilly temperatures to get in line early – some camping out for three days – to ensure they would get one of the 50 lots of singles and townhomes available.
At least one potential buyer was frustrated to discover that even though she had arrived more than two hours before the sales centre opened, the most she could hope for was to be put on a waiting list for the next release, which is expected in September.
With people camping out since Wednesday for the grand opening of Harmony, our Phase 1 lot release of 50 homes are sold out! 1/2
— Minto Communities Ottawa (@MintoCommOttawa) June 3, 2017
But for Cham Tanh, knowing the project would be popular, he and three friends were determined to get ahead of the crowd and became the first in line when they set up tents on Wednesday morning, a full three days before sales would begin.
“We wanted four units close by. We knew that in order to do that we had to get here early,” he said.
The four friends are also related – three of them are married to three sisters while the fourth is married to Tanh’s sister – and it was important for them to find homes close to each other.
‘The most popular site’
“This is what opened up,” said Tanh, “Close to the highway, close to the Costco; it was the most popular site.”
As for camping out, his brother-in-law and business partner Andrew Ha added: “We came fully prepared. We had tents, chairs, tables, generators,” which allowed the independent software developers to work while they waited.
Their determination paid off as all four got the homes they wanted, all within six lots of each other.
“Overall the mission was a success,” said Tanh.
Congratulations to all 50 new homeowners as we look forward to taking you through your homeowner journey! pic.twitter.com/gvO9kq91Qa
— Minto Communities Ottawa (@MintoCommOttawa) June 3, 2017
Harmony is a 28-acre community of 238 homes made up initially of townhomes and single-family homes on lots ranging from 30 to 43 feet wide. Back-to-back towns and terrace homes are to be released later.
The development sits between Strandherd Drive and the Jock River, just west of Greenbank Road.
Its appeal, Minto says, is partly its location – it’s close to Hwy. 416 and between Marketplace and the new Costco and CitiGate business park – and partly due to a low supply of new housing in the area.
Minto’s other two projects in Barrhaven – Chapman Mills and Quinn’s Pointe – are close to selling out and there are only a handful of other developments offering single-family homes.
It’s the first time in recent years that Minto has sold out of an initial release so quickly and more than 2,000 were on the registration list. But despite Harmony’s popularity, the builder is restricted in how many lots it can release as the project continues to move through the approval process.
“We are really excited about our launch of Harmony,” said Minto Communities’ senior vice-president Brent Strachan. “The location of the community combined with our community design and our home designs (including some new designs introduced for this release) made it a great opportunity for anyone looking for a new home in Barrhaven.”
