Toronto Suburbs?
Jun 20th 2017, 6:13 pm
#31
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 76
Re: Toronto Suburbs?
I would not say that that is a “very nice” house. It has the classic Canadian suburban architectural features: the front elevation is all garage door, the bottom half is roll on brick and the top half griege plastic siding. It’s squished next to the neighbours on a lot that is inappropriately small.
Nice floors though and I like the beer mats, if I had to guess I'd say it belongs to people who moved from Southall.
Nice floors though and I like the beer mats, if I had to guess I'd say it belongs to people who moved from Southall.
Jun 20th 2017, 6:45 pm
#32
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Re: Toronto Suburbs?
On the assumption that you know this because you are the owner of the aforementioned house, or a friend/relative of them, please note that you cannot advertise on the forums. The Site Classifieds are the place to put adverts, thx.
Jun 20th 2017, 7:00 pm
#33
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,018
Re: Toronto Suburbs?
Well, you put this quintessentially Indian (max internal space, min maintenance exterior, no concern for aesthetics) house on the internet, if it's not for people to make fun of, why's it here?
Jun 20th 2017, 8:05 pm
#34
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Posts: 44
Re: Toronto Suburbs?
This is super subjective... what kinds of things are you looking for? I can't speak for the eastern suburbs...
Oakville/Burlington have low crime and generally higher average education for parents, which broadly speaking also means higher affluence. (massive, massive generalization there.) They also have higher house prices (Oakville moreso than Burlington). Both are good in terms of amenities and shops and stuff nearby, and both have excellent town-run programs (music, swimming, that sort of thing). Both will have their slightly more run-down areas, but at least in Oakville, areas like Kerr Village that used to be more run-down are certainly turning over and becoming more trendy and on the up-and-up.
The newer areas of Oakville and Burlington have higher-density housing - houses more packed together on smaller lots and narrower streets. Some areas of Oakville actually don't even have dedicated parking, it's only street permit parking, and your permit might be for a street two streets over. That's mostly north of Dundas, though. THe older parts of Oakville have larger lots and more green space, but you'll pay for the privilege.
Burlington has a much nicer waterfront area; Oakville has kind of sold out to developers and private land owners along the waterfront, though Coronation Park and Bronte Marina are lovely spots, and there's actually a reasonably long walking trail along the water at Bronte. The trail more downtown Oakville is less good, but downtown Burlington's waterfront is absolutely gorgeous and absolutely massive.
Traffic issues in both cities are getting worse, though, as the cities expand but the transit routes haven't really been increased to deal with the uptick in demand. This is mostly referring to cars and roads... Upper Middle in Oakville is a nightmare during rush hour; Dundas is regularly busy, and the QEW is basically busy all the time. At least the GO Trains are regular and reliable and run all day every 30 minutes with extra trains during rush hour, so that's decent (my husband commutes to Toronto every day). Parking at the GO Station is also free, so that's a bonus, and Oakville, Appleby, and Burlington GO stations have oodles of parking (as does Clarkson in Mississauga; the other stations closer to Toronto like Long Branch and Port Credit have awful parking). My husband has never had any issues with the trains, always gets a seat, and loves that the quiet zone on the upper floor is militantly enforced, so he often sleeps on his commute.
That's a few thoughts off the top of my head... not sure what specific kinds of things you were looking for, though. Asking specific questions will get you better answers as opposed to just blanket stuff.
Oakville/Burlington have low crime and generally higher average education for parents, which broadly speaking also means higher affluence. (massive, massive generalization there.) They also have higher house prices (Oakville moreso than Burlington). Both are good in terms of amenities and shops and stuff nearby, and both have excellent town-run programs (music, swimming, that sort of thing). Both will have their slightly more run-down areas, but at least in Oakville, areas like Kerr Village that used to be more run-down are certainly turning over and becoming more trendy and on the up-and-up.
The newer areas of Oakville and Burlington have higher-density housing - houses more packed together on smaller lots and narrower streets. Some areas of Oakville actually don't even have dedicated parking, it's only street permit parking, and your permit might be for a street two streets over. That's mostly north of Dundas, though. THe older parts of Oakville have larger lots and more green space, but you'll pay for the privilege.
Burlington has a much nicer waterfront area; Oakville has kind of sold out to developers and private land owners along the waterfront, though Coronation Park and Bronte Marina are lovely spots, and there's actually a reasonably long walking trail along the water at Bronte. The trail more downtown Oakville is less good, but downtown Burlington's waterfront is absolutely gorgeous and absolutely massive.
Traffic issues in both cities are getting worse, though, as the cities expand but the transit routes haven't really been increased to deal with the uptick in demand. This is mostly referring to cars and roads... Upper Middle in Oakville is a nightmare during rush hour; Dundas is regularly busy, and the QEW is basically busy all the time. At least the GO Trains are regular and reliable and run all day every 30 minutes with extra trains during rush hour, so that's decent (my husband commutes to Toronto every day). Parking at the GO Station is also free, so that's a bonus, and Oakville, Appleby, and Burlington GO stations have oodles of parking (as does Clarkson in Mississauga; the other stations closer to Toronto like Long Branch and Port Credit have awful parking). My husband has never had any issues with the trains, always gets a seat, and loves that the quiet zone on the upper floor is militantly enforced, so he often sleeps on his commute.
That's a few thoughts off the top of my head... not sure what specific kinds of things you were looking for, though. Asking specific questions will get you better answers as opposed to just blanket stuff.
Our main priorities are kids, family life, we want somewhere that has stuff for the kids to do, good schools, good transport links, close to some kind of shops or shopping centre, if our dog comes with us then somewhere with close walks.
Top 3 priorities
1. Schooling
2. Kids activities
3. Transport links
and of course all within an affordable budget
3/4 bed house, parking, garden not massive but average size $500k but depends on exchange rate, and other factors could be $600k
Hope this helps towards more specific answers
Jun 20th 2017, 8:20 pm
#35
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Joined: Dec 2010
Location: Whitby, Ontario
Posts: 730
Re: Toronto Suburbs?
[QUOTE=h35j34;12276903]hey,
Will have a look into the info on schools, prob best starting another thread on schools and try keep this one on areas.
I am just so surprised at how expensive the housing is so far out of the city.
So for those who live in Oakville, Burlington and Pickering, Ajax and oshwa can you give me the good and bad points of these?
We live in north Whitby - we have had good experience with public and high schools in the area, and find the transport links good - handy for both 401 and 407, under an hour to airport and accessible by public transport.
Although not as expensive as Oakville etc on the west side, prices have increased rapidly, particularly over the last year, but seems to have slowed now. A lot of residential development over the last few years - the area is pleasant and family friendly, with good access to Toronto and countryside to north and east.
PM me if you have specific queries 😀
Will have a look into the info on schools, prob best starting another thread on schools and try keep this one on areas.
I am just so surprised at how expensive the housing is so far out of the city.
So for those who live in Oakville, Burlington and Pickering, Ajax and oshwa can you give me the good and bad points of these?
We live in north Whitby - we have had good experience with public and high schools in the area, and find the transport links good - handy for both 401 and 407, under an hour to airport and accessible by public transport.
Although not as expensive as Oakville etc on the west side, prices have increased rapidly, particularly over the last year, but seems to have slowed now. A lot of residential development over the last few years - the area is pleasant and family friendly, with good access to Toronto and countryside to north and east.
PM me if you have specific queries 😀
Jun 20th 2017, 8:27 pm
#36
limey party pooper
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 9,982
Re: Toronto Suburbs?
Why do you want to be near the city? Will you be working downtown?
Jun 20th 2017, 8:41 pm
#37
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Joined: Jan 2011
Location: Orton, Ontario
Posts: 2,032
Re: Toronto Suburbs?
Many thanks for the info, thats all great.
Our main priorities are kids, family life, we want somewhere that has stuff for the kids to do, good schools, good transport links, close to some kind of shops or shopping centre, if our dog comes with us then somewhere with close walks.
Top 3 priorities
1. Schooling
2. Kids activities
3. Transport links
and of course all within an affordable budget
3/4 bed house, parking, garden not massive but average size $500k but depends on exchange rate, and other factors could be $600k
Hope this helps towards more specific answers
Our main priorities are kids, family life, we want somewhere that has stuff for the kids to do, good schools, good transport links, close to some kind of shops or shopping centre, if our dog comes with us then somewhere with close walks.
Top 3 priorities
1. Schooling
2. Kids activities
3. Transport links
and of course all within an affordable budget
3/4 bed house, parking, garden not massive but average size $500k but depends on exchange rate, and other factors could be $600k
Hope this helps towards more specific answers
I am sure some of the towns in the East side of the city offer similar amenities, but I am not so familiar so can't give you any specifics.
Jun 20th 2017, 8:46 pm
#38
Magnificently Withering
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: Oakville, ON
Posts: 6,891
Re: Toronto Suburbs?
Many thanks for the info, thats all great.
Our main priorities are kids, family life, we want somewhere that has stuff for the kids to do, good schools, good transport links, close to some kind of shops or shopping centre, if our dog comes with us then somewhere with close walks.
Top 3 priorities
1. Schooling
2. Kids activities
3. Transport links
and of course all within an affordable budget
3/4 bed house, parking, garden not massive but average size $500k but depends on exchange rate, and other factors could be $600k
Hope this helps towards more specific answers
Our main priorities are kids, family life, we want somewhere that has stuff for the kids to do, good schools, good transport links, close to some kind of shops or shopping centre, if our dog comes with us then somewhere with close walks.
Top 3 priorities
1. Schooling
2. Kids activities
3. Transport links
and of course all within an affordable budget
3/4 bed house, parking, garden not massive but average size $500k but depends on exchange rate, and other factors could be $600k
Hope this helps towards more specific answers
In my area of Oakville, which was moderately affordable when we moved here over 10 years ago, we were able to make change from our purchase of a 4-bed house on a decent sized lot, having sold a 700-sq-ft 2-bed apartment in west London. Today, houses in the same neighbourhood are selling in days for over three times what we paid; we wouldn't be able to afford our house if we were moving now.
Like Schnooks, I can't speak for the Eastern suburbs with any degree of knowledge. But, in general, housing is generally cheaper as you get further away from downtown Toronto, and also cheaper as you move away from the lakeshore. Decent houses within easy reach of the GO carry a bit of a premium.
Oakville has excellent kids' activities, plenty of trails for walking the dog, easy access to wider countryside (while there's no such concept as the "right to roam" here, the local Halton Region Conservation Authority has a number of beautiful areas to hike, bike, X-country ski, etc). The Town's recreation and culture department publishes a semi-annual guide to all the various courses, activities, etc. There are sports clubs galore. Schooling options are not nearly so pressured as they were in the UK before I left (and I gather have only become moreso in the intervening decade). Find a nice house; send your kids to the local school that meets your criteria: Catholic or not; French (immersion or whole-language) or English; they're all much of a muchness.
As for transport links - again, not much more can be said than has already. The GO train serves Toronto. Local bus routes tend to hub at the GO stations, so local public transportation is not great except if you want to end up at the GO. The QEW is busy; the 407 is expensive; local roads get full at rush hour. One advantage, I suppose, of living west rather than east of the Toronto Metropolis is that you don't have to get all the way across town to reach Pearson airport. However, internal flights in Canada are notoriously expensive, there's no such thing as a quick hop to the Med for a week in the sun (the equivalent here, a quick jaunt to the Caribbean or Mexico, is a more costly prospect but many people decide by February that they're going to go anyway just to escape the snow...)
Jun 20th 2017, 9:08 pm
#39
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Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 76
Re: Toronto Suburbs?
Mods
Not sure how to delete my account so if you could do it for me or in box me on how I can close it my self I would appreciate it. I do not want to be part of a community that has people like this in it.
Jun 20th 2017, 9:13 pm
#40
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Joined: Oct 2007
Location: In a darkened room somewhere.............
Posts: 34,030
Re: Toronto Suburbs?
If you don't want to be part of BE any longer, then you can just log out and not visit/post again.
HTH.
Jun 20th 2017, 9:15 pm
#41
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Joined: Feb 2017
Location: https://t.me/pump_upp
Posts: 261
Re: Toronto Suburbs?
I don't know how much more specific we can be.
In my area of Oakville, which was moderately affordable when we moved here over 10 years ago, we were able to make change from our purchase of a 4-bed house on a decent sized lot, having sold a 700-sq-ft 2-bed apartment in west London. Today, houses in the same neighbourhood are selling in days for over three times what we paid; we wouldn't be able to afford our house if we were moving now.
Like Schnooks, I can't speak for the Eastern suburbs with any degree of knowledge. But, in general, housing is generally cheaper as you get further away from downtown Toronto, and also cheaper as you move away from the lakeshore. Decent houses within easy reach of the GO carry a bit of a premium.
Oakville has excellent kids' activities, plenty of trails for walking the dog, easy access to wider countryside (while there's no such concept as the "right to roam" here, the local Halton Region Conservation Authority has a number of beautiful areas to hike, bike, X-country ski, etc). The Town's recreation and culture department publishes a semi-annual guide to all the various courses, activities, etc. There are sports clubs galore. Schooling options are not nearly so pressured as they were in the UK before I left (and I gather have only become moreso in the intervening decade). Find a nice house; send your kids to the local school that meets your criteria: Catholic or not; French (immersion or whole-language) or English; they're all much of a muchness.
As for transport links - again, not much more can be said than has already. The GO train serves Toronto. Local bus routes tend to hub at the GO stations, so local public transportation is not great except if you want to end up at the GO. The QEW is busy; the 407 is expensive; local roads get full at rush hour. One advantage, I suppose, of living west rather than east of the Toronto Metropolis is that you don't have to get all the way across town to reach Pearson airport. However, internal flights in Canada are notoriously expensive, there's no such thing as a quick hop to the Med for a week in the sun (the equivalent here, a quick jaunt to the Caribbean or Mexico, is a more costly prospect but many people decide by February that they're going to go anyway just to escape the snow...)
In my area of Oakville, which was moderately affordable when we moved here over 10 years ago, we were able to make change from our purchase of a 4-bed house on a decent sized lot, having sold a 700-sq-ft 2-bed apartment in west London. Today, houses in the same neighbourhood are selling in days for over three times what we paid; we wouldn't be able to afford our house if we were moving now.
Like Schnooks, I can't speak for the Eastern suburbs with any degree of knowledge. But, in general, housing is generally cheaper as you get further away from downtown Toronto, and also cheaper as you move away from the lakeshore. Decent houses within easy reach of the GO carry a bit of a premium.
Oakville has excellent kids' activities, plenty of trails for walking the dog, easy access to wider countryside (while there's no such concept as the "right to roam" here, the local Halton Region Conservation Authority has a number of beautiful areas to hike, bike, X-country ski, etc). The Town's recreation and culture department publishes a semi-annual guide to all the various courses, activities, etc. There are sports clubs galore. Schooling options are not nearly so pressured as they were in the UK before I left (and I gather have only become moreso in the intervening decade). Find a nice house; send your kids to the local school that meets your criteria: Catholic or not; French (immersion or whole-language) or English; they're all much of a muchness.
As for transport links - again, not much more can be said than has already. The GO train serves Toronto. Local bus routes tend to hub at the GO stations, so local public transportation is not great except if you want to end up at the GO. The QEW is busy; the 407 is expensive; local roads get full at rush hour. One advantage, I suppose, of living west rather than east of the Toronto Metropolis is that you don't have to get all the way across town to reach Pearson airport. However, internal flights in Canada are notoriously expensive, there's no such thing as a quick hop to the Med for a week in the sun (the equivalent here, a quick jaunt to the Caribbean or Mexico, is a more costly prospect but many people decide by February that they're going to go anyway just to escape the snow...)
Lake Ontario is wide as the English Channel, I enjoy living within walking distance of the lake in Burlington.
If you need to work in Toronto then the GO train is the wisest option. Commuting by Car can be nightmare especially during winter snowstorms. The best train service is the Lake shore line.
Goo luck with your choice.
Jun 20th 2017, 10:11 pm
#42
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 76
Re: Toronto Suburbs?
Thats the best answer you can come up with is it? DBD gets to insult, mock and be generally unpleasant and you snip my comments and then tell me off like a naughty school child.
Jun 20th 2017, 10:21 pm
#43
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Joined: Oct 2007
Location: In a darkened room somewhere.............
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Re: Toronto Suburbs?
He didn't insult or mock you though, just a house, I'm not sure why you're taking it personally tbh. Bottom line is that his posts in this thread haven't broken any site rules that I can see, as they weren't insults aimed at another poster - yours definitely was, hence the 'snipping'.
Jun 21st 2017, 1:04 am
#44
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Joined: Jan 2011
Location: Orton, Ontario
Posts: 2,032
Re: Toronto Suburbs?
And to be fair your first post in this thread was in no way helpful to the original poster, he stated his budget was 500k and you post a house for over a million. You stated that, in your opinion, it was a nice house. Dbd merely stated, that in his opinion, it wasn't.
Jun 21st 2017, 1:50 am
#45
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,018
Re: Toronto Suburbs?
And to be fair your first post in this thread was in no way helpful to the original poster, he stated his budget was 500k and you post a house for over a million. You stated that, in your opinion, it was a nice house. Dbd merely stated, that in his opinion, it wasn't.
I conclude that I could not now afford any of the houses I've owned and I bought them on a third of the current household income. Frankly I don't see much sense in moving to Toronto from the UK at the moment, a major part of the appeal was always having more cash for stuff (tangible and intangible) and that's not on offer right now.
I did like this house, it has a proper lot and costs less than the Burlington one: https://www.realtor.ca/Residential/S...Ontario-N0G2E0
Last edited by dbd33; Jun 21st 2017 at 1:52 am.