That isn’t a surprise to Christianne Child, president of Guelph & District Association of Realtors (GDAR) that MoneySense magazine recently named Guelph as the second-best place in Canada to buy a home in 2019.
“I am not surprised but I am very honoured that we are continuously mentioned as one of the best places to live and buy real estate because we are a great city,” Child told GuelphToday by phone on Friday.
Child said buyers are finding a number of factors attractive when deciding to purchase in Guelph, including its proximity to Toronto, lower home prices in relation to Toronto, Guelph’s diversity and strong jobs market.
“There are people still coming our way from Toronto because they see the value in all that we offer. We can give you grass and parks and places to walk. It’s not just tall buildings and concrete,” said Child.
Another strength of the Guelph market, said Child, is that once people move to the Royal City they rarely want to leave. Some residents will hop from neighbourhood to neighbourhood to find the best fit for their family.
“I find that we have everything — if there is anything you are looking for, we are a home,” said Child.
In its report, MoneySense highlighted Guelph’s 6 per cent unemployment rate, an average house price of $527,300 and an average household pre-tax income of $83,010.
Windsor was named the number one city in Canada to buy real estate, in part because of its effects to attract global investment over the span of more than a decade. In 2008, Windsor’s vacancy rate for homes was the highest in the country at 15 per cent.
“In my opinion, we are the best place to live, but Windsor also deserves to get it,” said Child.
With the good reputation comes some challenges. Some residents in Guelph are being priced out of upgrading to a bigger home.
“The problem that we are running into is a lack of affordable housing,” said Child. “The people who do live here and want to upgrade and move up can’t because of the money that comes from these larger cities that are able to purchase these units.”
Even some older residents looking to downsize after becoming empty nesters are finding it difficult to find a new home because there aren’t enough houses being offered for sale.
“For some people, it has meant staying in Guelph isn’t really an option for them,” said Child. “Supply has started to increase, which is beneficial, but we still need more supply to come in.”
Child said real estate agents take a lot of pride in Guelph’s reputation as a top place in Canada to buy a home.
“When we put families into a new home there is a sense of pride that we have because we are helping. We just want to help to facilitate that dream home for families and lifestyles, and memories and adventures,” said Child. “I think Guelph offers all of that.”
