Beamsville VS Ridgeway (Ontario) (low income, for sale, real estate)

[JustSomeGuy73]

I'm trying to help my elderly parents (who are 80 and 86) narrow it down to Beamsville or Ridgeway (Ontario). They've been on again, off again about moving, but this time I think they're serious. I threatened to move to BC if they don't get down to it and move to the Niagara Peninsula before this winter, and they seem to have taken that to heart now. I was secretly hoping they wouldn't as I was looking forward to moving to Vancouver Island, my parents would not move there though.

We've been down to the Hamilton-Niagara area several times now. Lots of places they liked, but we had to narrow it down, and we've got it down to Beamsville or Ridgeway now. We're currently living in Barrie, so a shorter, milder winter is definitely welcome. Seems Beamsville is a bit better for that than Ridgeway. Plus my mother grew up near Beamsville for part of her childhood and even worked in the area in the 1950s and 1960s. None of us know anything about Ridgeway, but we stumbled across it a few weeks ago and kind of like it. But, not sure it's the right place. It's hard to say which town has lower housing prices, as we've come across bargains as well as nice but pricey homes in both towns. My mother is favouring Beamsville since she knows it a bit from her past, but that might not be the best reason. Seeing as their driving skills aren't what they used to be, and they don't drive on major multi-lane highways (like 400 series or QEW) anymore, the town they choose should allow them to get around on slower paced small town roads or back roads. Seems for shopping, Beamsville doesn't have as much as Ridgeway would (via a 12 minute drive into neighbouring Fort Erie). Fort Erie seems to have every major store they want, and it's close enough to drive to (and no, they don't want to live in Fort Erie itself).

Initially they were looking to spend under $400,000. That ruled out much of neighbouring Grimsby and Fonthill and put us into Beamsville. Then I discovered Ridgeway and really liked it (it seems more so than my mother does). They've come to accept that they may need to spend upwards of $500k or even slightly more to get the house they want, so that seems to be the upper limit of their budget. It's hard to tell which one is more upscale or closer to major shopping. They want a brand new or less-than-5 years old house, preferably a large bungalow or bungalow-loft. Possibly a 2 story if it's exceptionally nice. Must be moderately classy, the more the better. We've made a short list of a few houses in both Beamsville and Ridgeway (including a nice, but pricey 55+ community in Ridgeway). It's easy comparing one house to another, but we really don't know how to compare the towns. That might be the deciding factor. There's not much information on either Beamsville or Ridgeway here on CD or anywhere online. So, any additional information would be great! I'm not sure how soon they want to put in an offer on a house, but since they want to move before winter, it could be soon. Maybe this week, maybe in the next weeks. Thank you in advance for any and all information!

[jambo101]

They must be in great health to want to take on the burden of household chores at their age.Most people i know that age are looking at senior community living. but if a house is what they want I'd just get a real estate agent in the areas mentioned to find them the house they are looking for that meets all their requirements.

[JustSomeGuy73]

Originally Posted by jambo101

They must be in great health to want to take on the burden of household chores at their age.Most people i know that age are looking at senior community living. but if a house is what they want I'd just get a real estate agent in the areas mentioned to find them the house they are looking for that meets all their requirements.

Well... that's just it. Their health is OK for people their age, but it's getting to the point where there's less and less they can do. They refuse to live in a "senior community" - whether they find it degrading or refuse to accept the fact they're getting older, they don't want to live in a senior community. Maybe a 55+ community, but not an "old folks home." They want me to stay with them, so we'll fix up the basement into a basement apartment for me, so I can work from home, and also take care of the house for them, drive them around if it's too far for them, etc. I am so sick of living in Barrie, I told them I'm moving back to BC. They didn't want to move there, but would move to the Niagara peninsula. It was a compromise, but I agreed to go with them if they moved before the winter. It was on again, off again many times, but they've finally gotten serious about it in the last few weeks. I guess they don't want to be left alone in Barrie.

We had been working with a real estate agent who showed us a bunch of resale homes between Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Grimsby and Beamsville. But my parents didn't feel he was showing us the right kinds of houses - either because he didn't understand our needs (we repeated them many times), or there just wasn't the kind of house my parents wanted. My father does not like resales, and to an extent, neither does my mother, though she would be OK with a 5 year old house. So, we gave up on older resales and have been looking at new construction and former model homes (some of which are as old as 5 or 6 years old, but have never really been "lived in"). Since they are being sold by the builder, the sales people are a bit biased and will obviously recommend their own neighbourhood and houses. So, it's been hard to get an objective view on this.

But, that's beside the point. The real question is, how does Beamsville compare to Ridgeway? Any feedback on these two towns would be most appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[JustSomeGuy73]

Well, we went back yesterday to take another look at a few houses we'd already seen in Beamsville and Ridgeway. My mother and I had already seen them, my father had only seen a couple of them in Beamsville on a previous trip. This was his first time seeing Ridgeway. Due to time constraints and trying to arrive on time for an appointment to see houses, I had to drive straight to the first appointment in Ridgeway, which took us through a rural area, right to the new home development. Unfortunately, my father got the impression that Ridgeway was a small, rural farming community in the middle of nowhere. First impressions are important, and with him, it stuck.

Even after the appointments were over and I showed him Crystal Beach, the small and quaint downtown core of Ridgeway and the 12 minute drive to Fort Erie with EVERY major store he shops at, he still seems convinced that Ridgeway is a small hick town. Maybe it is, but I think it's a nice middle class semi-rural village with a few upper middle class neighbourhoods (new home development). There's some basic shopping within a 2 to 3 minute drive and within a 12 to 15 minute drive, you can have tons of major retail stores in Fort Erie. In the event you want a fancy mall, Costco, a specialty store, etc, you might need to drive a bit further to Niagara Falls, Ontario or St. Catharines, maybe even Welland. Or even across the border into Buffalo, NY. Quite honestly, in Barrie, it can easily take 15 minutes for us to get to Canadian Tire or Walmart with traffic and lights. Driving from Ridgeway to Fort Erie is a longer distance, but a more laid back easy drive that also takes about the same amount of time. Me personally, I'd rather have the Ridgeway to Fort Erie drive!

Beamsville and neighbouring Grimsby seem to have a decent amount of shopping, even some different stores (like the SuperStore). But it seems Fort Erie has more. Mind you, we didn't go into each and every store. Maybe they're small stores and don't have the selection of a suburban store. I think if we lived in Beamsville, we would actually have less shopping and need to go to Hamilton or St. Catharines more often (which is further away). And more traffic. For my parents' sake, since they still insist on driving, the lighter the traffic, the better. They don't drive on the highway anymore, so just local roads and back roads is all they can handle. Otherwise, I would have to drive them. I don't mind, the less of that, the better. Or at least, the closer, the better! Eventually, they may not drive at all and I will have to drive them everywhere.

For those who know the areas, are these assessments accurate? Thank you in advance!

[lucknow]

I don't understand why Ridgeway or Beamsville in this position you are in. Both towns are somewhat in the sticks no matter how you look at it. I would think St. Catherines would be a far better fit for you. There are very nice new subdivisions in west St. Kitts that are close to everything including a brand new regional Hospital that will open in 2013. St. Catherines is THE retirement community of southern On. and it has no end of services and supports for old folks. My inlaws who are 93 and 87 have a beautiful townhome in St. Catherines that suits them perfectly.

Honestly, Beamsville is just a little town in the middle of nowhere. It's mainly a farming town and the shopping is awful.The shopping in Grimsby is little better either. People who live there are forever driving into St. Catherines or even Hamilton for things. For old folks who are looking for a semi rural life, NOTL is a far better choice because it's close to St. Catherines and all it's services. Niagara Falls is a better choice than Ft. Erie or Beamsville for the same reason but it's not as good in the medical area as St. Kitts.

St. Catherines has the best winters in the area for sure. The Ft. Erie area can and does get the same winter weather as Buffalo and that is 3 times the snow Barrie gets. It's cooler in the summer than St. Catherines though. St. Catherines is one very very hot place. Hot and humid but that's not really a hardship with AC.

[JustSomeGuy73]

Thanks lucknow! I was hoping you would come across this thread and reply, as I know you are quite familiar with the Niagara peninsula. My mother had her heart set on Grimsby for the longest time, but then discovered that neighbouring Beamsville was a bit more affordable. My dad doesn't mind a bigger city but my mother and I would prefer a smaller town. Plus, it may be hard to sway her from Beamsville (or Grimsby). I personally do not find Beamsville or Grimsby that appealing. Nothing bad, but no "wow" factor either. We're not wine drinkers either, so living in wine country is not a benefit. My parents are retired and I will be working from home soon, so commuting to work is not a factor.

My hunch about the shopping in Beamsville was right. But for years, my mother has dreamed about living in Grimsby (or Beamsville, close enough). I kind of like the idea of living in a small town, but would choose Ridgeway if it was up to me.

We had considered Niagara-on-the-Lake, but the prices of homes are quite high, We actually looked at St. Catharines a few weeks ago. I agree, it has the nicest weather in the area and a lot of retirees live there. But, it seemed too much like Barrie, where we are now. A big suburban type city of about 130,000 people, and heavy traffic (though maybe not as bad as Barrie). My dad thought St. Kitts would be nice based on limited knowledge he's gleaned from the odd newspaper article, but once we got there, we really didn't "feel it" - I didn't get the right vibe from it either. My mother didn't think it was classy enough, which is odd, she's never been one to be materialistic like that. If anything, she's been a very modest person. Two weeks ago, out of the blue, she wanted to look at houses in Fonthill, until she discovered that we could not afford most of them, except maybe a nice new townhouse or smaller detached home. But she doesn't want a townhouse. She wants a big new house, a bungalow preferably, but she's currently fixated on a nice (and budget breaking) 2 story house in Beamsville which I think is the wrong choice in so many ways.

After reading up on St. Catharines here on CD and on Wikipedia, we decided not to pursue it any further (didn't get a good feeling about it). We did not get a favourable impression of St. Catharines. St. Kitts seems to have a high unemployment rate too, and a larger-than-normal percentage of low income families. Now that my mother is on this kick about living in a classy place, that's a hard one to overcome with her. She spent part of her childhood in Dunnville (not exactly classy), and her first job, as a teacher, was in Fonthill in the 1950s and maybe into the 1960s. So, she's partial to the Niagara region. If she likes it so much, I'm not sure why she didn't move back sooner.

But I'm wondering if we were a bit hasty in dismissing St. Catharines. We also ruled out Niagara Falls. I kind of liked it, but my parents didn't. The house prices in NF and St. Kitts seemed OK - not an extreme bargain, but not overpriced either. NOTL seemed too pricey. Now you've got me thinking. It's not too late - my parents haven't signed anything. In fact, I think they would rather wait until they sell up in Barrie before putting in an offer on a new house in the Niagara region, so we have a bit of time, but would need to make another trip down there. Believe me, it's a chore, loading up two elderly people, and a dog who hates car rides into my gas guzzling van, paying for the 407 toll both ways ($20 each time from Hwy 400 to the end of the 407 in Burlington, but should be less, now that I got a transponder). Ends up costing over $100 each time we make a trip there, more like $120, and with food, about $150, and it's 3 hours from Barrie to Ridgeway. And it take the entire day - we leave at 8 or 9 am and get back by midnight. So, the fewer trips, the better.

I didn't seem to find an abundance of new home builders in St. Kitts or NF. My parents want to buy a model home, because it's new, never been lived in, and you can negotiate a better deal than having a home built for you where you pay full price for everything. Plus, with a former model home, you can move in as quickly as 30 days, instead of waiting 6 to 8 months for a new home to be built. And at their age, half a year is a lot - when you're 80 and 86 years old, who knows how much longer you'll be around. And my father doesn't like resale homes, especially if they're more than 5 years old. My parents have always bought brand new homes where they picked the lot, the house model, etc. So even picking a model home is new experience for them.

[lucknow]

Well, I have to tell you,I think you are going to have a tough time. Model homes just don't grow on trees around here. LOL. By the way I travel quite often between Niagara and Huronia and I NEVER go on the ETR. There are lots and lots of free routes.

One of the biggest differences between Barrie and St. Catherines is that Barrie is a bedroom community and St. Catherines is not.

Since your parents are so particular why don't you have a new house built to your own spec. I'm quite sure you can have something built within that 400K figure you mentioned. Of course that extends the lead time over buying a built house BUT it doesn't if you can't find anything you like.

Have you looked around St. Davids in NOTL? That is a beautiful little upscale village and I see they are building new homes there. You are right on the escartment and minutes from NFs, St. Kitts and NY state.
My own prejudices are going to show here but you couldn't get me to live in Beamsville or in the entire town of Lincoln for that matter for anything. I'd just as soon live in Angus and being from Barrie you should know what I mean about that.

Grimsby I hate. It's a little strip between the lake and the mountain and that is cut in half by the QEW. The air is dirty and dusty because of the inversion from the mountain and it's noisy because the racket from the QEW just reverbs off the hill. There is NO shopping, No healthcare worth a darn, no services to speak of. It's just a way station between Hamilton and St. Catherines and again it's a bedroom town and I hate bedroom towns more than anything else.

If your parents want to maintain some sence of independence they really need to live in a place where everything they need is close at hand. That is why I recommend the greater St. Catherines, Niagara Falls area. Within that area there are endless choices. Like I mentioned earlier you have a lot of little villages like St. Davids, Queenston,Virgil, Jordon is good even if it is in Lincoln, Vineland is OK and they have a large retirement community there and it's still only 10 minutes to the new Hospital.

[tarp]

If they want Fonthill but the prices are too high, they should look at the northwestern areas of Welland immediately bordering Fonthill. Beautiful area and closer access to all the shopping and services they will need.

I agree about Grimsby and Beamsville. Not an appealing place due to the highway noise and lack of services. It just feels like a semi-rural rest stop area. If you're looking at the northern part of the Niagara region, why not just live in Port Dalhousie, for the same pricetag and get a more appealing environment?

My main concern with Ridgeway would be access to medical care. Fort Erie no longer has a hospital. By the way, Ridgeway is a village within the Town of Fort Erie. Likewise with Crystal Beach and Stevensville. Another concern would be who is going to shovel all that snow?

[JustSomeGuy73]

You're right, we had a tough time finding model homes, especially bungalows, but I actually found a few! Through an online search, I found and contacted every home builder in Niagara Region. Initially I started out with Hamilton (upper, Hamilton Mountain). I didn't mind Hamilton. Definitely not the small town feel my mother and I were hoping for, but I could put up with it. But then my mother decided to go for Grimsby. But we found there wasn't much selection in model homes, and we found some in Beamsville and discovered that Beamsville is lower priced (looking about half way up the escarpment in the Beamsville Bench area). Interesting about the noise and dust issues in that thin strip of land called Grimsby. I guess we didn't spend enough time there to notice that, but thank you for pointing that out.

As for Virgil, St. Davids, Niagara-on-the-Lake, etc, I didn't find any bungalow model homes, or really ANY "model homes" for sale (or "inventory homes" as some builders call them). But you're right, there are some new homes being built, but we'd have to order one and wait at least 6 months, and we'd love to move before having to endure another Barrie winter. And at my parents' age, time is not on their side, so moving 6 months sooner is significant. I also noticed that the closer to NOTL, the higher the price. Queenston, Jordon and Vineland did not seem to come up in our search. I guess there weren't any new homes being built there, or at least no bungalows or I'm sure I would included it in my search. My mother would consider a two story home (which would open up a LOT more selection, and be better value for the money). But, her arthritis is giving her trouble with stairs already, and these things tend to get worse, not better with time. So I think we're better off with a bungalow and fewer stairs.

I know what you mean when say you wouldn't live in Beamsville, etc. You'd rather live in Angus. I gotcha! My mother chose Oakville back in 1972 and she puts Grimsby, Beamsville and Fonthill on the same pedestal. I like small towns that are middle class or upper middle class, but I'm flexible and would consider (and have lived in) more humble working class towns and cities. At this point, I'd favour a nice little small town. My father tends to like more modest cities like you do. I'm not too fond of bedroom communities, northern cities or suburbs anymore though. My father isn't stuck up on living in an upscale neighbourhood like my mother is (though he would live there for her sake), but he likes large suburban type cities, so he'd probably love St. Catharines. As long as it's in a new house that's well built. He chose Barrie back in 1992. Neither my mother nor I would have chosen Barrie. I guess that's what makes it hard for us to pick a place that all three of us will like.

I'm going to talk to my parents about this tonight. Just when I thought we had it narrowed down to two towns, I think we may have to take a step back and look at a few more areas. However, my mother seems to have her heart set on Beamsville, and also on one particular house there, so I'm not sure if she could be swayed. Maybe we'll revisit the idea of St. Catharines, Niagara Falls or any of those small towns between there and NOTL. If we open it up to 2 story inventory homes from new home builders, that should make it easier. Ideally under $400k, which might be doable in St. Kitts or NF. I may have to give up on my hope of a small town. But I think my parents are getting tired of looking, and they are just trying to decide between Beamsville and Ridgeway. I know the shopping isn't the greatest, but it doesn't seem to be a deal breaker for my parents. My mother puts location as a top priority, my father put the house and value for money as a top priority. I'm flexible on both of those, but would rather go for a quaint, small town.

[JustSomeGuy73]

Originally Posted by tarp

If they want Fonthill but the prices are too high, they should look at the northwestern areas of Welland immediately bordering Fonthill. Beautiful area and closer access to all the shopping and services they will need.

I agree about Grimsby and Beamsville. Not an appealing place due to the highway noise and lack of services. It just feels like a semi-rural rest stop area. If you're looking at the northern part of the Niagara region, why not just live in Port Dalhousie, for the same pricetag and get a more appealing environment?

My main concern with Ridgeway would be access to medical care. Fort Erie no longer has a hospital. By the way, Ridgeway is a village within the Town of Fort Erie. Likewise with Crystal Beach and Stevensville. Another concern would be who is going to shovel all that snow?

Thanks! Great to hear another point of view. I know, on a wordwide forum, especially one that's US-centric, it's hard to find people who know a lot about the Niagara region in Ontario.

Fonthill seemed nice, but not the kind of place I would choose. A bit too secluded, even if the houses are nice (and a bit too pricey in my opinion). I guess we didn't really look at the northwest part between Welland and Fonthill because there probably weren't any new home builders building houses there currently. Or if there are, they probably didn't have any bungalows (no stairs are a big bonus). For similar reasons, I think that's why Port Dalhousie did not come up on our radar. I wonder if we were too hasty in ruling out some of these other areas?

I agree about your thoughts on Grimsby and Beamsville. I'm not sure why mother finds them so appealing, because I sure don't. I guess the fact that Ridgeway/Fort Erie does not have a hospital anymore should be a concern. I didn't know that about the hospital. But luckily my parents are relatively good health for their age, so they don't go to medical appointments too often. And since there's a new home subdivision for people 55+ in Ridgeway, it gave us the impression that it was a good place for retirees like my parents.

As for shovelling all that snow... it would be me. Or I will hire a contractor to do it. But I've checked the weather statistics, and all of the places mentioned in this thread get less snow than Barrie, where we currently live. St. Catharines being the best, with almost half as much. Ridgeway is somewhere in between. If it were up to me, I'd move to Vancouver Island where there is virtually no snow! (If I had to choose a place in Canada). But my parents do not want to move there. If they can't make up their mind soon, I'll go there myself! Seriously! I'm almost ready to! If not, I might just be a snowbird and go to the southern US or the Pacific Northwest for January and February and hire a contractor to clear the snow for my parents.