In south Guelph, commuters are gobbling up new homes almost as fast as they’re built.
There aren’t as many real estate options in the city’s north end, but residents there say they love the neighbourhood and couldn’t imagine anywhere else.
“I’ve said to my husband (that) I don’t want to move, ever,”says north Guelph resident Cindy Ridi, who bought a house in the area more than 10 years ago.
Since moving in, the Ridis have had two kids, and they say the neighbourhood’s open green spaces and high-quality education make the north end desirable for many young families.
“When a house goes up for sale here, it’s usually gone very quickly,” says Ridi.
Deals are closed quickly on houses in the south end too, but a building boom means there are plenty of homes to go around.
Realtor Krystal Moore says south Guelph homes – closer to the 401 and access to Toronto – are often newer and bigger, as well as pricier.
“People will pay a little bit more to get things that are more modern and more spacious,” she tells CTV.
But while the homes are bigger, the parks are smaller and less mature than counterparts across the city like 80-acre Riverside Park – enough for some buyers, but not as many young families.
According to the Fraser Institute’s yearly rankings, Guelph’s north and south ends contain the city’s two highest-performing schools.
But while Sir Isaac Brock Public School in south Guelph comes in at a respectable 220th out of more than 2,700 schools across Ontario, north Guelph’s Edward Johnson Public School is tied for first.
And while buying property with easy access to Toronto is rarely a bad bet, house prices in north Guelph are rising fast on their own – the Ridis say they’ve roughly tripled their investment in a little more than 10 years.
CTV’s Max Wark is looking at real estate trends in southwestern Ontario this week on CTV News.
