I guess this is following on from Lorena's excellent post -- you'd be really surprised as to what you can find out there if you look. Not just Social-Media, but regular forums, etc. When I purchased my new home, there was an entire forum dedicated to that community. They were really involved and it really painted a good picture and gave a sense of 'community' there. Reading a lot of opinions helped guide my decisions, as well.

Without a doubt. There is no better way to get "insider" information than paying attention to what the online agents, purchasers and the community are saying about projects. What is even better is if the builder is also online to answer issues that are raised online.
The downside is that you rarely see builders online, and you have to take everything you hear with a grain of salt, as there are so many false rumours and unfounded gossip being spread around.
Best sources for online information, Twitter feeds. I get so much information form peeking at what people are saying online live from events and walkthroughs with clients.

Forums are also a great way to get inside views on both old and new projects. Twitter is great to feel the "vibe" of a project, but forums normally have a lot more depth.

Jeremy said:
...you have to take everything you hear with a grain of salt, as there are so many false rumours and unfounded gossip being spread around...

Couldn't agree more. I wish we saw more builders online answering questions and issues!

i didn't use any social media tool, not familiar with facebook or twitter. i use online forum to see
what people talk about the projects that i'm interested in. Sometimes can't take all of that. I still need to make my own decision.
because of your question, i tried to look up any facebook account about the condo I bought.
I only found one member that is the creator of the account.
Just wonder. If I want to find out any social media about the condo, do i just type the name of the
condo in Search Input box at facebook? Or, are there any other sources to look up the info?
thanks.

^^Hi Sampan..
What is the name of the condominium building that you purchased?
Try the following:
1. Go to www.Twitter.com and you will see a large search box. Try typing in the name of the condo or the builder into the search box, and see what people are saying
2. The easiest method is a simple Google Search.. Google the building name, and try adding "twitter" or "facebook" after the name... see what people are saying!

We have a quite active social media presence with a Facebook and Twitter account as well as a blog and we LOVE it when people interact with us on each platform!
Being asked questions, having people comment on renderings/photos etc. or contributing to a blog story is what we want and we encourage it.
Our aim is to build an online community of interested followers who know where to look if they want certain information.
Anything that can help educate the market and provide a better idea of not only the product, but the company behind the product, is always a good thing!

Thanks Matthew,
I purchased One Valhalla in Etobicoke.
I tried to enter the name of the project in Twitter's search box but nothing come out about this project.
I did find some condo sites with forums talking about this project before my purchases.
There're not huge discussion for this project.

Cityzen said:
Anything that can help educate the market and provide a better idea of not only the product, but the company behind the product, is always a good thing!

Ahem! Isn't that the point of social-media? To engage and connect with people. To allow them to research, and help answer their questions.
Social media and the online word is revolutionizing the way people search and research products... new homes included!

Wow.. I just read a poll that says that one in ten people say that they have found a new apartment or house via social media use... interesting...

In a way any of my future home purchases can be credited to social media as I've built so many great relationships with my realtor buddies via twitter. It all started with social media. On a side note, the realtors I've used in the past using the "throw a dart at the yellow pages and hope they are good" method will never get my business again! Social media really allows you to get to know your realtor, their work ethic and their knowledge.

I find it interesting how many people use social media to find realtors/homes. Maybe I need to lay off the goofiness on my Twitter/Facebook account?
Personally, I feel as though our Blog is a far more powerful tool than the Facebook/Twitter presence (however, I'm sure it's all a part of the bigger picture)

^^Funny. I was just having a conversation with Cliff this morning regarding the definition of "social media", and what it actually means.
Anyway, we didn't come to any conclusions on the definition, but I do think that your blog would definitely be part of your social-media presence.
Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein have a good definition of social media, and define it as such:
"a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, which allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content." here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6W45-4XFF2S0-1/2/600db1bd6e0c9903c744aaf34b0b12e1

oddly enough i do several million dollars a year in real estate sales as a broker and a majority of my clients sill dont even know how or what social media is.....im not big in the condo game....tend to do more housing and higher end stuff but it shocks me that almost none of my clients last year use twitter and some arent even on facebook ( a few are as parents to monitor their childrens actions)

^ Twitter is an incredibly powerful tool and if Real Estate Professionals are just using it to look for clients you're missing 99% of what makes Twitter so great.
Twitter is now the last thing I check before I go to bed and the first thing when I wake up.
It is a newsfeed where important news that I want/need finds ME.
For personal stuff - I am a big Football (Soccer for the locals) fan - I follow lots of different football news websites and football personalities and I get the news before they hit the major sites. Sames goes with movies etc. I'm on top of movie reviews etc. like never before because I'm not jumping between websites to find the information.
For Real Estate there are some incredible tweet-sources that range from agents, to websites, to developers, to Toronto based blogs to mortgage brokers....they're all there. I was reading tweets about the proposed mortgage changes days before they actually happened. I read about the affects of the new changes last week almost immediately as they happened. We get project information on new developments before they are anywhere on the net. We get news, opinions, views - the lot from Twitter in REAL TIME. Once you start to engage with those people it takes it to a whole new level.
The WORST twitterers are the ones that come on and all they do is tell me about how great they are and about their listings and their open houses. I can't unfollow quick enough. That's not what Twitter is about.
Twitter for me is about gaining knowledge and sharing knowledge. Too many agents are worried about keeping all the information to themselves because they're worried about others taking it from them. This is 2011, there is no room to think like that anymore.
For me (whether right or wrong), Twitter is my feed for knowledge and to engage with people who I find interesting. My blog is my outlet for that knowledge and to reach a larger audience.