Prospective homebuyers in search of larger homes, more space and possibly outside the Greater Toronto Area, might want to make their way to Niagara Region, where Silvergate Homes has built a reputation for exceptional quality and a commitment to customer service.

We spoke with Sales and Marketing Manager Kelly Anderson for insights on how this local family business, building homes in the area for 40 year, caters to the demands of increasingly discerning homebuyers, in a challenging market.

What is your outlook for 2025?

I think 2025 is heading in the right direction. With interest rates on a steady decline, this should give buyers more confidence.

There is a lot of demand out there for housing – new buyers, downsizers, right-sizers – they all want to purchase and are just waiting for the right time. The right time for a lot of these people might be spring – so builders should gear up and get ready for a busy market. There are a lot of builders out there with fabulous projects, so buyers should see some excellent options. That, mixed with lower rates, should spice things up for 2025.

What do you see as the greatest opportunities and challenges for homebuilders in 2025?

The last few years certainly haven’t been a walk in the park for builders. Higher interest rates slowed the market and created some uncertainty, causing some buyers to hesitate. Additionally, all the red tape in our municipalities makes the development process quite lengthy and challenging to bring product to market on a timely basis. The longer is takes builders to get projects to market, the greater the affects on the price of homes and condos. However, given that the market has been slow; there will be an abundance of homes and condos available going into 2025.

And for homebuyers?

Although the interest rates have declined, some homeowners are still considering all options and are slightly nervous to purchase. But a great opportunity for homebuyers is the amount of product that is on the market. There are some great builders with such a variety of low-, mid- and highrise housing available. If you’re in the market, you will have lots of opportunity to purchase any style of home you’re looking for.

Silvergate has a number of communities under development at the moment – Merritton Mills, Luna and Harbourtown Village. How are things coming along at each?

We have a lot on the go at the moment. Merritton Mills is a five-storey condo in a fabulous area in St. Catharines, surrounded by great amenities such as The Keg, Sobeys, Starbucks and Johnny Rocco’s. We are slightly more than 30 per cent sold and we will begin road reconstruction in the spring. Occupancy will begin late 2026 or early 2027.

Luna is our boutique bungalow townhome community in Thorold. We have sold our model home and will be moving into a new home. We have a few units left to sell, with closing dates as early as May and June, as our talented team has already completed the colour selections.

Harbourtown Village in Fort Erie is our beach town community, and we have a ways to go, as this is one of our larger sites at the moment. With more than 35 homes closed, we are working our way through Phase 2 and anticipating launch of Phase 3 late summer. This community is a great place to retire, or for secondary home, if you like long walks on the beach.

And you have Prudhomme’s Landing coming soon to Lincoln… What does that community entail?

Prudhomme’s Landing is a master-planned waterfront community. There are more than 4,000 homes going in – single-family, townhomes, bungalow townhomes, rear lanes, back to backs, three-storey, mid- and highrise. All these homes will have access to our waterfront park containing a splash pad, skating rink, bandshell, butterfly park, farmers’ market, trails and a possibly a pier, where people will be able to travel by boat over to Toronto Harbourfront. (The pier is pending approvals). There will also be quite a bit of commercial ventures coming – groceries, restaurants, coffee shops and amenities right at your fingertips.

We will be opening our sales office this spring, with our first phase offering being detached homes.

How does it differ from what else might be available in the area?

Everyone will have a water view. Whether it’s a single-family, townhome or condo, this community allows everyone to leave their front door and walk minutes down to the park to enjoy the spectacular waterfront views. We purposely planned this community so that it goes from lowrise homes to highrise – everyone will have that luxurious waterfront view.

What else about Silvergate Homes that you really would like prospective homebuyers to know?

When you buy with Silvergate Homes, you become part of our family. Although we have grown exponentially over the last few years, we maintain that family-oriented culture within our company values. We recognize that this is a biggest purchase someone will ever make, and we want them to feel confident in their choice to buy with us. A lot of our building is referral-based – we built a home for a buyer’s parents, sibling or friend and that’s why they have come through our door today and are asking Silvergate to build their dream home.

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AND ON A PWERSONAL NOTE...

How do you spend your time away from the office?

When I’m not working, you can find me at the gym, practising my Italian on Duolingo, playing Catan with the kids – an awesome board game about negotiations. Or walking our two German Shepherds through the neighbourhood.

We also do a lot of teambuilding at Silvergate. Even when we may not be working, we’ll get together and go to a game, dinner, attend events or hang out at one of our company barbecues.

Who or what is your greatest inspiration for what you do, personally and professionally?

I love what I do. Some days can get pretty crazy busy and there’s barely time to get a coffee in – but I wouldn’t change it for anything. There are always new communities, product type and clientele that we are dealing with. Every day is different, and that’s what I think keeps it exciting.

My inspiration would be our builder, John Passero. Growing his small family business to where it is today – from 12 houses a year to upwards of 70, while still maintaining a good company culture where we all love coming to work every day. It makes you want to do a good job every day. We also give back to our community, an admirable thing. Big Bothers Big Sisters, Project Share, Humane Society and most recently doating $200,000 to Ronald McDonald House, and building the new family room at our local St. Catharines hospital.

What’s on your reading, binge-watch or podcast list these days?

One of my personal favourites and an easy read is one I read every year – Move Your Bus – a great book to apply to your life and business relationships. Current binge-watch is Landman with Billy Bob Thornton – an excellent show.