I’ve learned a lot about neighbourhoods and homes from those clients of mine relocating here from out of town. On any given Saturday or Sunday, I’m on tour with visitors trying to get a sense of where they want to live, trying to figure out from our unsystematic road layout, imperfect internet research and nebulous notions, what is where and how they might find that fitting.
We identify houses and neighbourhoods and then visit them one by one and try to narrow things down. It is a voyage of discovery, a trip along the learning curve and the best way to figure out where in a new town you might want to live. One of my 365 Rules about Real Estate is:
Buying a house is a process of elimination followed by an final compromise.
We drive around and we narrow things down and along the way, my clients point out things to me that I don’t know, hadn’t realized or have taken for granted. Things like:
We have a lot of homes that back onto green space
We have a lot of parkland and wooded areas
We are really, really spread out
Our houses all look alike
We are terrible drivers
We love hot tubs
It’s mostly flat
These are perceptions, maybe mostly true, maybe not. I think the comment “our houses all look alike” has much to do with the neighbourhoods and price ranges that we are looking in.
Today let’s take a look at that. What does the average house look like in different neighbourhoods around Waterloo Region.
East Bridge
In East Bridge, you will get an open concept home. It will have a gas fireplace and a finished basement. There will be a large deck off the back. You will likely get main floor laundry in the mudroom off the side entrance (or from the garage). Harwood floors and ceramic tiles will also be on the main floor. Central vac, walk in closet and formal dining rooms are common.
Price: $560,000
Lot size: 50×120
House size: 2800 square feet
Style: 2 storey
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 4
Age: 20 years
Beechwood West and Upper Beechwood
In Beechwood, you’ll be part of a community with swimming pools and tennis courts and lots of trails. Your home will likely back onto some kind of greenbelt. Gas fireplaces, formal dining rooms, main floor laundry are common.
Price: $670,000
Lot size: 60×130
House size: 2600 square feet
Style: 2 storey
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 4
Age: 40 years
Clair Hills
In Clair Hills you may or may not get a finished basement. You will get an ensuite and fenced yard. Your home will be open concept.
Price: $400,000
Lot size: 40×100
House size: 1700 square feet
Style: 2 storey
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 3
Age: 10 years
Doon
You get a few more bells and whistles in Doon. Things like quartz counter tops and cherry kitchen cabinetry. The basement is probably finished and the yard is fenced. There will be an ensuite.
Price: $420,000
Lot size: 40×100
House size: 2000 square feet
Style: 2 storeys
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 3
Age: 20 years
Forest Hill
Older neighbourhoods give you more land and less house. There will be mature trees in the yard and on the street. The basement will be finished though may be a little dated. If you don’t have a swimming pool then one of your neighbours will.
Price: $330,000
Lot size: 50×150
House size: 1100 square feet
Style: Raised Bungalow
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2
Age: 60 years
North Ward
This is the house your parents grew up in. Families were bigger but houses were smaller. There will be a retired neighbour next door that will have a snow blower working for you after every snowfall. Solid houses with small rooms and retro basements.
Price: $310,000
Lot size: 50×130
House size: 1100 square feet
Style: Bungalow
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms:2
Age: 60 years
Lackner Woods
Like Belgium, these houses are small but nicely formed. They are comfortable and all you really need. They are great starter homes, perfect for first time home buyers.
Price: $400,000
Lot size: 30×80
House size: 1700 square feet
Style: 2 storey
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 3
Age: 10 years
Stanley Park
I don’t sell a lot of houses in Stanley Park. I think it’s because people don’t move away very often. Here, you might get a wood burning fireplace. You’ll get a big lot, a big backyard with lots of landscaping, likely a nice patio. Inside, a spacious living room and a galley bathroom (if there is such a thing).
Price: $340,000
Lot size: 70×130
House size: 1500 square feet
Style: sidesplit
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2
Age: 60 years
