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Hi all,
So need a little help here.
My husband has been offered a job in Toronto and we want to buy a house there.
We are looking for new builds as the house we live in now is really old and thus not too warm in the winter. And I hear the winters can be a bit brutal in Toronto?
Can anyone recommend a family friendly area?
I have such a strong unit of friends here so I'm looking to build up a sense of community with my future neighbours.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Schang
Where is your husband's job located in Toronto? You will not find newly built single family housing within the core of Toronto - unless it is a rebuild of an existing property. A lot of people find it wiser to invest in housing close to the core to avoid commuting. Also, the return on renovating older housing in the core has been lucrative for some people (so far...) New builds are found primarily in the surrounding suburbs and commuter cities. Toronto is a city made up of residential neighbourhoods which attract many young families (High Park, The Beaches, Bloor West Village, Riverdale, Roncesvalles, etc). You might find that living in a downtown neighbourhood affords a better chance at joining a strong urban community than does living out in the suburbs. It all depends on your budget, lifestyle and tolerance for hellish commutes.
Where are you moving from? Most housing in Canada is well insulated, has central heating and is built specifically to withstand winter conditions - even older types of housing. "Winters can be a bit brutal..." well, compared to Vancouver, Miami, San Diego...yes, it would be brutal. Compared to Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, even Chicago or Buffalo, NY, not so much. We might get 2 or 3 big snow storms, and a few days of very bitter subzero temperatures. Mostly we get a damp cold and the temperature hovers between -5 and -10 Celsius. When you are dressed properly, it's quite tolerable.
Why not rent for a while, see if you like the area, then shop for a house? Why sink all that money into something without knowing if you will even enjoy living there? You might appreciate having the freedom and mobility to try different places, especially as you are new to the city. Personally, I'd only buy something if I knew I'd be there 5-10 years, minimum.
And winter is not brutal. Yes, it gets cold sometimes. Yes, it snows sometimes. And once in a while, there will be some nasty weather that causes some grief and wreaks a bit of havoc on the roads. But for the most part, a warm coat and/or gloves and a hat will do the trick.
+1 on renting. Just rent a house for a while until you get the feel of the city. otherwise you'll just buy in the first area you see and then 6 months later realize you would prefer something else.
New builds can be quite cold too; it just depends on the quality of the construction. Personally I think houses built in the 1960s are the best, but even a house built in 1920 is probably built to a higher standard than the crap that they put up today. Personal opinion.
Lastly, for winter, it's all relative. Compared to South Carolina, our winters are not good. Compared to the Bahamas, our winters are @#$#$#@ing brutal. Compared to Barrie, Ontario our winters are mild. Compared to Chicago, it's about on par I'd say.
You need to provide more information. Where will you be working? Toronto is a large, spread-out area. New homes will be quite far out of the centre, so you may want to re-think that. There are plenty of family-friendly areas, depending on what kind of lifestyle you would like to pursue. Commuting by car in Toronto is brutal, so living near reliable public transit is a big win. I also agree that you should rent for a while.
Thank you all so much for these replies.
My husband will be working in downtown Toronto. In the finance district.
We are moving from London, United Kingdom. A bit of a big move but pretty excited about a new adventure.
I would ideally like to rent a flat and experience the heart of Toronto but my husband is pretty settled on buying anew build. We have looked at areas like Oakville and Markham(some friends recommended these but they are pretty expensive) but were hoping there were other areas about.
We have a decent budget as we are selling our house here and would be looking for a new build, detached house but again in a family orientated area.
Thank you again for replying and your advice.
working downtown and living in Burlington and even Oakville doesn't make a lot of sense.
Keep in mind Toronto's traffic is notoriously bad, and transit hopelessly inadequate. Burlington is 60 km from downtown Toronto!
Yes the commuter train may only take 25-30 minutes, but one doesn't live right beside a train station (you will need to drive there), and your husband's office isn't located right next to Union station either. The total commute time will be definitely more than one hour one-way.
If you have to live in a suburban area, why not Etobicoke. Its southern part is very nice.
The entire Toronto is pretty much "family friendly" outside the core. All the low rise residential neighbourhoods.
Have you visited Toronto before? You can't underestimate how bad the public transit system is (particularly versus London), and your husband working in the financial district will be at the absolute epicenter of the most transit options. That said, you should ask your husband if he'll be ok with a 1.5 hour one way commute.
It's very interesting, you may find that the inner city is much more family oriented than the suburban areas quite frankly.
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