Trust, as they say, is everything. And when it comes to buying a home, especially an estate home intended for retirement, buyers want to know and trust who is delivering it.

Enter Tillsonburg Developments in Tillsonburg, Ont., a third-generation homebuilder with deep roots in the local community.

We sat down with Kirby Heckford, born and raised principal of the company who has other local businesses, to discuss a little history, the current state of the industry and some ideas to make the future better for homebuyers.

Let’s start with an easy one… how was 2025 for Tillsonburg Developments?

To be honest, it was a so-so year. It’s like a lot of us homebuilders, we haven’t had very much success over the last two or three years. Our biggest problem that we have right now is that we need HST off our homes so they can compete against resales.

And how does 2026 look?

We’re getting more people looking because they believe things are stabilizing and are well prepared financially. We’re not first-time home builders. Our buyers typically aren’t as concerned about shorter term market fluctuations, as they’re buying a home for the second or third time, and our price points suit more mature buyers. Our subdivisions are along a golf course, with wooded lots, and ravine lots with water features. So, we’re kind of unique in our own way.

Such an approach, though, clearly means HST relief is even more important for a company like yours because you’re not appealing to first-time home buyers…

Correct, correct. We really need that to be eliminated and hopefully that’ll be part of the budget on March 26. Time will tell.

We need to get the market going. The province is putting all this money into roads and other infrastructure, yet potential homebuyers are stagnant. Some of them don’t feel good about buying right now. Nothing’s promoting them to buy. There’s no incentive.

We really need to straighten out housing – it’s so important. The stress test needs to be a little lighter for the younger generations to buy homes. Everything makes it so difficult for them.

What more do you think governments can do?

I’m a developer, too, so I put in the roads. The red tape and all the extra fees… it’s just ridiculous what we pay… hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees that are taken from us all through this process. I think people would be shocked.

Even when you have a registered subdivision, and say three years go by, you have to pay another fee to keep it active. You should pay it once.

The process is broken. It’s just difficult, moving through the proper channels. It should be simplified.

What new developments or phases is Tillsonburg Developments introducing this year?

We have phase one of The Bridges Estates subdivision open, a year or so ago, and we’re waiting to open phase two until conditions improve. Homes there start at $1 million, and our townhomes start at about $825,000. Lots are minimum 60 ft., and some are 165-ft. deep. They’re really nice sized lots.

Who are your typical buyers?

Some are buying as retirement homes, maybe they’re originally from here, worked in one of the surrounding cities and are coming back to retire. Tillsonburg is a lovely town, with a great, vibrant little downtown with all the amenities, yet still has that small-town feel.

What is it about the town of Tillsonburg that makes it an attractive place to build and buy new homes?

There are a lot of automotive jobs here, in an industrial subdivision. Our proximity to Lake Erie… we’re only 30 minutes away. We’re also just 35 minutes to London, 45 minutes or so to Kitchener-Waterloo and 1.5 hours to downtown Toronto. We also have our own hospital, a great community centre and sports facilities. It’s a very progressive little town, very clean and we do still have a really nice downtown.

What sets Tillsonburg Developments apart from other area homebuilders?

We build way above average homes. We focus on quality because we know many of our buyers are buying a home for the second and third time, and they understand value. Plus, they’re dealing with a local company, not a large builder from another city. I’ve got other businesses in town, I have kids in business and grandkids coming along, so you’re dealing with somebody who cares about the town and the communities we build here.

I sit on a lot of local boards and do what I can to make sure the town’s going in the right direction. I’m looking at the long term, not the short haul. That’s what separates us.

What do you look forward to most in 2026?

We’re considering doing some models and some spec homes so they’re complete when people are ready to buy, but we need this HST off so that we can compete against resale.

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AND ON A PERSONAL NOTE...

What or who is your most influential inspiration for what you do?

I’ve always enjoyed designing and building nice quality homes. That’s just me. If you came into my subdivisions, even my standard subdivisions, you can see the ones I’ve built versus what the others have built, just take a little more care and pay attention to detail. Different details and finishes… That’s basically who we are.

Away from the office on your downtime, you’re happiest when you…?

I spend a lot of time in the wintertime in Florida. Things are pretty normal down here, given everything that’s going on. It’s not perfect… There are fewer Canadians here, a lot of them have sold. But you can’t beat the weather.

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

I’m not really a TV guy… and when I am relaxing, I like to disconnect. I guess I’m old school. I like sports and things like that, but when I am in Tillsonburg, I’m focussed on work. Here, I want to disconnect and relax.