East GTA a growing homebuyer destination

If recent predictions about more homebuyers looking outside the downtown core in a post-pandemic world prove accurate, east GTA might just be one of the chief beneficiaries.

Communities such as Ajax, Oshawa, Pickering and Whitby have plenty going for them in their own right – close enough to Toronto to be benefit from easy transit and highway access, but also sufficiently distant to boast their own small-town feel.

Indeed, in its 2022 Housing Market Outlook, ReMax cites Durham Region as one of the strongest areas in the entire province in terms of price growth. Average prices in Durham rose 29 per cent in 2021 (as of Oct. 31) to $914,548, from $706,810 in 2020. The company forecasts another seven-per-cent increase in 2022 to $978,566.

Another realty firm, Royal LePage, shows strong home price growth in these communities in east GTA:

As for the new home market, the Building Industry and Land Development Association reports new condo sales in Durham are also on the rise – to 496 units in October 2021, compared to 45 in October 2020 and 40 in 2019.

What’s the appeal in the east? Convenient natural location just east of Toronto along Hwy. 401 is among the reasons, with Pickering just 40 km from downtown, Ajax 46, Whitby 59 and Oshawa 62. Living in these areas and commuting into the city is a real option – particularly with recent GO Transit improvements and the expansion of Hwy. 407.

Expanding attractions

As with any growing municipalities, these areas also offer expanding amenity and retail options. The Oshawa Centre, for example, is the largest shopping complex in Durham and is home to more than 230 outlets. And in downtown Oshawa, of course, there’s a variety of unique shops and restaurants.

Nature is also front and centre, as Oshawa is home to wildlife preserves such as the Pumphouse Marsh, Second Marsh and McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve. Oshawa Botanical Gardens boasts North America’s largest contemporary peony collection, and on Oshawa’s Lake Ontario shoreline, Lakeview Park offers many picnic areas, playgrounds, sports fields, a waterfront pier and sandy beaches.

In Whitby, more than 100 parks with more than 60 kilometres of trails, including the Bio-Diversity Trail, the Cullen Central Park Trails, Otter Creek Trail and the Whitby Shores Waterfront Trail, await residents. The 670-acre Lynde Shores Conservation area is known for its wildlife and provides habitat for nesting birds.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Located east of Toronto, east GTA comprises Pickering, 40 km from Toronto, population 91,771; Ajax 46 km, population 121,780; Whitby 59 km, population 128,377; Oshawa 62 km, population 159,458.

KEY LANDMARKS

• Casino Ajax
• Claremont Conservation Area
• Frenchman’s Bay
• Greenwood Conservation Area
• Petticoat Creek
• Pickering Town Centre
• Veterans’ Point Garden

SELECT HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS

Axess Condos
By Liberty Hamlets Inc.
axesscondos.ca

FourSixteen Condos
By Kaleido Developments
416whitby.com

Simcoe Condos
By Karmina Developments
karminadevelopments.com

The Landing Whitby Harbour
By Cartera
carttera.com

UC Tower 2 Condos
By Tribute Communities
uctowercondo.ca

Universal City
By Chestnut Hill Developments
chestnuthilldevelopments.com