Where to buy real estate in Toronto in 2019

Image by brigachtal from Pixabay

The spring market came a little late to Toronto this year, but for many sellers it arrived in the nick of time. Sales surged 17% in April 2019, compared with the year before. For many, this increased activity is a signal that Canada’s largest real estate market is finally stabilizing after a year of decline. While the decline was intended—Toronto’s housing market cooled considerably last year as industry and government officials tightened mortgage regulations, imposed taxes on foreign buyers and took other measures designed to curb runaway prices—it did raise concerns that this market interference had gone too far.

The thing about Toronto, though, is that market fundamentals are still strong. The city offers great employment opportunities, there’s been an uptick in immigration and businesses seem to be investing in the future. All of this lends itself to a strong economic base for this city—the sort of base that attracts workers, their families and the need for housing.

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These strong economic fundamentals also mean that Toronto’s housing market remains expensive. That’s one reason why this year’s list is dominated by neighbourhoods once considered completely undesirable.

But don’t get be fooled. A community can’t rise in this list just because it’s cheap; there are other factors that need to be in place. In this case, our top three neighbourhoods all benefitted from major investment in transit.

The Rockcliffe-Smythe neighbourhood is now more accessible by the Eglinton LRT line to Keele, while the Humber Summit neighbourhood is great for car commuters relying on Finch Avenue, Steeles Avenue, Weston Road, Highway 400 and Highway 401. Perhaps the most surprising inclusion on this year’s list is our No. 3 neighbourhood: Glenfield-Jane Heights, which includes the notorious Jane & Finch ’hood. The big draw for this neighbourhood is that housing prices are so much cheaper, and this is gradually attracting families and investors looking for value. Plus, with an already large immigrant base—mostly Spanish-, Italian- and Vietnamese-speaking residents—this neighbourhood is a natural draw for recently-landed immigrants who want to put down roots in Toronto by purchasing property.

Click Tap column headings to re-rank neighbourhoods. Click Tap on any neighbourhood name to learn more about it.

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Rank	Neighbourhood	Area	Average home price (2017)	Value	Momentum	Average price vs. area	Avg. price vs. metro district	Avg. price vs. outer region	1-year price change	5-year price change	Final Star Rating
1	Rockcliffe-Smythe	Toronto W03	$723,575	77.24%	83.77%	97.7%	63.03%	77.7%	6.71%	79.0%	★★★★
2	Humber Summit	Toronto W05	$706,722	84.89%	75.00%	94.2%	60.81%	75.0%	-4.97%	133.4%	★★★★
3	Glenfield-Jane Heights	Toronto W05	$745,701	88.99%	80.78%	92.0%	59.39%	73.3%	-3.66%	168.6%	★★★★
4	Keelesdale-Eglinton West	Toronto W03	$1,204,201	78.54%	78.73%	97.1%	62.67%	77.3%	7.14%	71.8%	★★★★
5	Little Portugal	Toronto C01	$916,466	48.13%	87.13%	89.3%	101.20%	124.8%	1.39%	186.1%	★★★★
6	Oakwood-Vaughan	Toronto C03	$615,053	72.57%	73.69%	51.4%	77.02%	95.0%	7.70%	71.1%	★★★½
7	Mount Dennis	Toronto W04	$1,306,366	99.07%	57.09%	68.0%	51.69%	63.8%	-1.51%	61.0%	★★★½
8	Kensington-Chinatown	Toronto C01	$701,448	37.87%	95.52%	96.8%	109.78%	135.4%	9.62%	473.2%	★★★½
9	Oakridge	Toronto E06	$712,802	93.47%	64.55%	86.8%	58.95%	72.7%	-4.68%	74.4%	★★★½
10	Black Creek	Toronto W05	$730,270	87.50%	67.72%	92.8%	59.90%	73.9%	4.55%	59.1%	★★★½
11	West Hill	Toronto E10	$864,733	87.31%	60.07%	88.3%	61.37%	75.7%	8.42%	57.2%	★★★½
12	Caledonia-Fairbank	Toronto W03	$874,039	60.82%	89.18%	112.6%	72.67%	89.6%	9.95%	85.6%	★★★½
13	Woodbine-Lumsden	Toronto E03	$886,913	74.63%	61.19%	86.2%	73.45%	90.6%	1.02%	65.1%	★★★½
14	Briar Hill-Belgravia	Toronto W04	$1,353,253	64.55%	78.36%	98.1%	74.53%	91.9%	-0.42%	83.1%	★★★½
15	Dufferin Grove	Toronto C01	$731,473	32.28%	98.69%	100.3%	113.72%	140.3%	14.72%	512.7%	★★★½
16	Weston	Toronto W04	$729,035	88.99%	58.21%	80.9%	61.47%	75.8%	0.80%	61.9%	★★★½
17	Woburn	Toronto E09	$746,787	81.34%	64.18%	99.9%	61.27%	75.6%	2.84%	65.9%	★★★½
18	Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown	Toronto W10	$702,736	73.13%	81.90%	106.3%	62.76%	77.4%	8.63%	74.0%	★★★½
19	Humbermede	Toronto W05	$772,315	89.93%	61.38%	91.5%	59.06%	72.8%	-1.87%	82.7%	★★★½
20	Eglinton East	Toronto E08	$631,198	83.77%	58.77%	84.3%	64.90%	80.1%	0.24%	65.6%	★★★½
21	Malvern	Toronto E11	$692,097	91.60%	54.48%	92.3%	53.04%	65.4%	-0.33%	61.4%	★★★½
22	Kennedy Park	Toronto E04	$729,499	91.42%	41.98%	91.5%	58.16%	71.7%	-1.65%	56.0%	★★★½
23	Rexdale-Kipling	Toronto W10	$813,832	78.17%	73.69%	103.9%	61.31%	75.6%	2.91%	69.4%	★★★½
24	Humberlea-Pelmo Park W4	Toronto W04	$742,644	77.61%	69.78%	90.0%	68.39%	84.4%	-5.68%	91.7%	★★★½
25	Elms-Old Rexdale	Toronto W10	$730,011	75.19%	74.07%	105.8%	62.41%	77.0%	8.70%	65.2%	★★★½
26	Crescent Town	Toronto E03	$1,279,511	91.23%	40.86%	72.0%	61.35%	75.7%	-4.26%	52.4%	★★★½
27	Moss Park	Toronto C08	$1,306,424	38.06%	83.40%	101.0%	107.53%	132.6%	17.07%	433.1%	★★★½
28	Cabbagetown-South St. James Town	Toronto C08	$768,813	34.14%	79.29%	103.1%	109.79%	135.4%	-4.84%	240.8%	★★★½
29	West Humber-Clairville	Toronto W10	$1,391,603	70.15%	80.60%	109.5%	64.61%	79.7%	10.61%	67.4%	★★★½
30	South Parkdale	Toronto W01	$787,442	27.99%	94.40%	104.3%	116.95%	144.2%	13.42%	228.3%	★★★½
31	Clairlea-Birchmount	Toronto E04	$966,748	70.15%	64.93%	104.1%	66.17%	81.6%	2.71%	66.8%	★★★½
32	Mimico	Toronto W06	$1,098,825	51.49%	76.68%	102.4%	81.24%	100.2%	4.87%	77.3%	★★★½
33	East York	Toronto E03	$968,126	40.49%	80.60%	108.3%	92.34%	113.9%	10.23%	76.6%	★★★½
34	Danforth Village-East York	Toronto E03	$913,862	54.29%	53.54%	95.5%	81.36%	100.4%	2.18%	60.8%	★★★½
35	Rouge E10	Toronto E10	$1,507,003	55.41%	62.69%	110.5%	76.80%	94.7%	2.79%	63.8%	★★★½
36	Palmerston-Little Italy	Toronto C01	$778,635	22.20%	81.34%	111.7%	126.65%	156.2%	-1.47%	131.5%	★★★½
37	Thistletown-Beaumonde Heights	Toronto W10	$721,620	67.72%	67.16%	110.9%	65.43%	80.7%	6.69%	65.9%	★★★½
38	Weston-Pellam Park	Toronto W03	$874,229	86.19%	47.39%	94.0%	60.64%	74.8%	-2.11%	59.3%	★★★½
39	Beechborough-Greenbrook	Toronto W04	$915,568	66.60%	66.23%	96.7%	73.47%	90.6%	-19.28%	117.4%	★★★½
40	Etobicoke West Mall	Toronto W08	$744,769	72.01%	47.20%	69.4%	76.94%	94.9%	-3.81%	55.5%	★★★½
41	Bendale	Toronto E09	$1,480,988	76.87%	49.44%	102.0%	62.59%	77.2%	3.32%	56.2%	★★★
42	Trinity-Bellwoods	Toronto C01	$700,204	23.88%	75.00%	109.8%	124.46%	153.5%	3.86%	298.9%	★★★
43	Ionview	Toronto E04	$1,150,535	89.93%	27.05%	92.6%	58.84%	72.6%	-5.38%	46.2%	★★★
44	Regent Park	Toronto C08	$875,511	49.63%	50.19%	90.8%	96.69%	119.3%	-2.84%	58.7%	★★★
45	Greenwood-Coxwell	Toronto E01	$889,193	75.00%	28.73%	78.1%	73.58%	90.8%	-3.98%	47.9%	★★★
46	New Toronto	Toronto W06	$1,596,098	66.23%	56.72%	94.2%	74.73%	92.2%	-6.33%	62.8%	★★★
47	Englemount-Lawrence	Toronto C04	$971,303	36.57%	72.57%	80.1%	134.13%	165.4%	-0.82%	79.1%	★★★
48	Alderwood	Toronto W06	$873,114	49.07%	70.15%	102.9%	81.63%	100.7%	6.30%	65.1%	★★★
49	Blake-Jones	Toronto E01	$975,044	77.99%	25.93%	77.9%	73.37%	90.5%	-14.16%	28.8%	★★★
50	O'Connor-Parkview	Toronto E03	$1,005,905	51.68%	58.21%	96.1%	81.94%	101.1%	5.69%	60.5%	★★★
51	Cliffcrest	Toronto E08	$984,244	42.54%	72.39%	109.8%	84.53%	104.3%	7.68%	71.5%	★★★
52	Birchcliffe-Cliffside	Toronto E06	$725,980	39.37%	78.92%	121.8%	82.71%	102.0%	16.60%	66.4%	★★★
53	Morningside	Toronto E09	$1,201,571	82.28%	37.13%	99.5%	61.01%	75.3%	-7.83%	56.7%	★★★
54	Yorkdale-Glen Park	Toronto W04	$940,929	30.22%	76.31%	132.9%	100.98%	124.5%	-0.47%	83.1%	★★★
55	Eringate-Centennial-West Deane	Toronto W08	$1,616,335	66.79%	50.56%	71.3%	79.07%	97.5%	6.91%	49.2%	★★★
56	University	Toronto C01	$1,282,144	16.98%	90.49%	119.8%	135.83%	167.5%	3.24%	495.3%	★★★
57	Bathurst Manor	Toronto C06	$933,915	46.08%	58.77%	87.9%	107.75%	132.9%	-8.66%	68.8%	★★★
58	Rustic	Toronto W04	$936,804	55.60%	71.08%	103.3%	78.48%	96.8%	0.64%	102.7%	★★★
59	Woodbine Corridor	Toronto E02	$1,322,692	65.86%	34.70%	85.6%	78.73%	97.1%	-3.61%	48.2%	★★★
60	Islington-City Centre West	Toronto W08	$1,064,529	34.14%	70.71%	100.3%	111.16%	137.1%	14.44%	61.2%	★★★
61	Long Branch	Toronto W06	$1,575,584	39.37%	65.49%	112.7%	89.46%	110.3%	0.90%	73.9%	★★★
62	Humewood-Cedarvale	Toronto C03	$924,255	34.51%	65.67%	88.3%	132.41%	163.3%	10.49%	60.5%	★★★
63	Kingsview Village-The Westway	Toronto W09	$2,162,519	59.14%	49.07%	99.9%	77.67%	95.8%	1.68%	57.5%	★★★
64	Annex	Toronto C02	$2,115,505	14.55%	63.81%	106.9%	181.73%	224.2%	11.64%	49.1%	★★★
65	Forest Hill North	Toronto C04	$835,467	15.67%	64.55%	106.1%	177.78%	219.3%	13.88%	59.9%	★★★
66	Humberlea-Pelmo Park W5	Toronto W05	$761,846	64.37%	48.32%	108.8%	70.21%	86.6%	-0.70%	52.7%	★★★
67	Wexford-Maryvale	Toronto E04	$874,045	75.19%	34.33%	100.7%	64.02%	79.0%	-9.05%	55.8%	★★★
68	Corso Italia-Davenport	Toronto W03	$918,131	58.02%	36.38%	113.8%	73.45%	90.6%	-3.11%	48.1%	★★★
69	East End-Danforth	Toronto E02	$1,207,792	68.84%	18.66%	83.9%	77.16%	95.2%	-4.79%	34.3%	★★★
70	Runnymede-Bloor West Village	Toronto W02	$1,465,100	34.51%	46.46%	110.7%	101.50%	125.2%	3.96%	49.5%	★★★
71	Henry Farm	Toronto C15	$2,503,258	28.92%	63.81%	101.0%	123.12%	151.9%	-8.89%	73.7%	★★★
72	Bedford Park-Nortown	Toronto C04	$908,743	6.53%	77.24%	125.6%	210.37%	259.5%	6.68%	71.9%	★★★
73	Centennial Scarborough	Toronto E10	$959,693	57.28%	47.76%	109.8%	76.37%	94.2%	1.15%	52.0%	★★★
74	Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview	Toronto W09	$818,679	50.93%	56.72%	103.7%	80.65%	99.5%	12.89%	49.5%	★★★
75	Brookhaven-Amesbury	Toronto W04	$950,569	76.87%	23.88%	90.5%	68.80%	84.9%	-2.56%	34.4%	★★★
76	Dovercourt-Wallace Emerson-Junction	Toronto W02	$1,909,055	63.06%	24.44%	87.1%	79.88%	98.5%	-4.85%	40.1%	★★★
77	Newtonbrook East	Toronto C14	$1,283,280	25.19%	65.67%	93.1%	160.43%	197.9%	-10.89%	77.6%	★★★
78	Stonegate-Queensway	Toronto W07	$822,992	29.10%	73.88%	118.3%	107.84%	133.0%	18.27%	62.0%	★★★
79	York University Heights	Toronto W05	$2,621,947	65.86%	27.99%	107.2%	69.16%	85.3%	-4.50%	45.1%	★★★
80	Bayview Village	Toronto C15	$2,664,929	3.73%	81.53%	180.8%	220.34%	271.8%	0.22%	96.9%	★★★
81	Yonge-St. Clair	Toronto C02	$938,422	4.10%	68.10%	131.8%	223.95%	276.2%	9.57%	61.5%	★★★
82	Highland Creek	Toronto E10	$1,377,618	49.25%	38.25%	113.4%	78.86%	97.3%	-10.69%	53.7%	★★★
83	Newtonbrook West	Toronto C07	$848,109	38.06%	48.32%	89.8%	115.77%	142.8%	3.77%	59.3%	★★★
84	Guildwood	Toronto E08	$987,603	72.76%	27.05%	92.5%	71.27%	87.9%	-7.38%	46.2%	★★★
85	Maple Leaf	Toronto W04	$908,986	43.47%	33.96%	109.2%	83.00%	102.4%	-9.44%	45.9%	★★★
86	Steeles	Toronto E05	$806,554	65.86%	12.13%	93.4%	76.39%	94.2%	-8.78%	34.3%	★★★
87	Downsview-Roding-CFB	Toronto W05	$1,234,296	68.66%	39.18%	105.0%	67.78%	83.6%	6.66%	40.7%	★★★
88	Roncesvalles	Toronto W01	$2,099,546	43.84%	24.63%	92.5%	103.73%	127.9%	-0.35%	35.3%	★★★
89	Kingsway South	Toronto W08	$1,016,076	7.84%	83.96%	159.2%	176.44%	217.6%	14.20%	71.4%	★★★
90	South Riverdale	Toronto E01	$933,688	53.17%	21.08%	90.7%	85.39%	105.3%	-6.10%	42.7%	★★★
91	L'Amoreaux	Toronto E05	$784,794	60.26%	27.05%	95.9%	78.46%	96.8%	-1.25%	40.6%	★★★
92	Rouge E11	Toronto E11	$832,235	65.67%	30.04%	114.8%	65.95%	81.3%	5.82%	35.6%	★★★
93	Milliken	Toronto E07	$3,378,544	72.20%	27.43%	94.2%	69.94%	86.3%	0.71%	39.5%	★★★
94	St. Andrew-Windfields	Toronto C12	$806,087	24.44%	62.13%	78.7%	283.92%	350.2%	-2.16%	65.4%	★★★
95	Agincourt North	Toronto E07	$873,976	77.80%	13.81%	91.2%	67.74%	83.6%	-6.42%	33.5%	★★½
96	Tam O'Shanter-Sullivan	Toronto E05	$1,325,612	73.51%	18.66%	89.8%	73.45%	90.6%	-11.14%	39.4%	★★½
97	Wychwood	Toronto C02	$2,300,349	45.90%	22.20%	65.6%	111.40%	137.4%	2.11%	30.3%	★★½
98	Willowdale East	Toronto C14	$1,773,134	11.19%	68.28%	112.1%	193.32%	238.4%	14.68%	65.2%	★★½
99	Willowdale West	Toronto C07	$968,178	14.93%	61.57%	115.6%	149.01%	183.8%	-5.73%	76.2%	★★½
100	Junction Area	Toronto W02	$969,265	58.96%	16.04%	88.7%	81.36%	100.4%	-0.33%	25.8%	★★½
101	Victoria Village	Toronto C13	$909,570	62.87%	21.64%	67.6%	81.45%	100.5%	-12.90%	42.3%	★★½
102	Broadview North	Toronto E03	$1,426,676	68.66%	3.36%	89.7%	76.44%	94.3%	-13.34%	19.4%	★★½
103	Clanton Park	Toronto C06	$1,066,035	31.16%	42.16%	97.8%	119.89%	147.9%	-5.74%	51.8%	★★½
104	Hillcrest Village	Toronto C15	$1,220,567	56.90%	9.14%	73.5%	89.59%	110.5%	-10.44%	33.8%	★★½
105	Parkwoods-Donalda	Toronto C13	$1,902,021	48.69%	26.87%	85.1%	102.57%	126.5%	0.59%	38.9%	★★½
106	Lansing-Westgate	Toronto C07	$1,685,373	11.94%	61.38%	124.0%	159.84%	197.2%	-0.86%	62.8%	★★½
107	High Park-Swansea	Toronto W01	$954,582	14.18%	62.50%	126.3%	141.63%	174.7%	8.94%	58.5%	★★½
108	Danforth	Toronto E03	$1,186,697	57.46%	5.60%	94.1%	80.22%	98.9%	-10.84%	27.2%	★★½
109	Don Valley Village	Toronto C15	$1,069,615	52.43%	24.63%	81.8%	99.73%	123.0%	-15.31%	48.6%	★★½
110	Scarborough Village	Toronto E08	$1,338,629	37.13%	32.28%	116.7%	89.89%	110.9%	-6.71%	44.5%	★★½
111	Lambton Baby Point	Toronto W02	$1,837,206	23.51%	52.99%	122.7%	112.50%	138.8%	13.72%	57.4%	★★½
112	Leaside	Toronto C11	$1,287,180	15.86%	33.40%	111.9%	154.39%	190.4%	11.86%	28.3%	★★½
113	Playter Estates-Danforth	Toronto E03	$3,287,905	26.31%	29.10%	126.9%	108.17%	133.4%	-3.86%	25.2%	★★½
114	Rosedale-Moore Park	Toronto C09	$1,700,179	5.60%	68.47%	119.9%	276.31%	340.8%	19.90%	63.3%	★★½
115	Yonge-Eglinton	Toronto C03	$1,112,402	26.49%	19.59%	95.3%	142.88%	176.2%	-8.43%	38.7%	★★½
116	Markland Wood	Toronto W08	$977,718	53.36%	25.56%	84.3%	93.48%	115.3%	-11.53%	42.6%	★★½
117	Westminster-Branson	Toronto C07	$1,649,747	61.75%	3.17%	63.7%	82.17%	101.3%	-21.79%	24.1%	★★½
118	Lawrence Park North	Toronto C04	$940,485	34.89%	17.35%	82.8%	138.64%	171.0%	-2.49%	31.3%	★★½
119	Agincourt South-Malvern West	Toronto E07	$958,013	52.24%	25.19%	106.5%	79.04%	97.5%	-7.36%	45.1%	★★½
120	Pleasant View	Toronto C15	$1,707,152	65.86%	4.85%	66.1%	80.51%	99.3%	-12.84%	27.8%	★★½
121	Mount Pleasant West	Toronto C10	$1,553,112	21.64%	22.76%	103.2%	143.46%	177.0%	-2.42%	31.8%	★★½
122	Mount Pleasant East	Toronto C10	$1,516,934	30.97%	20.71%	93.8%	130.52%	161.0%	-2.68%	35.0%	★★½
123	Princess-Rosethorn	Toronto W08	$1,154,177	20.15%	45.90%	115.0%	127.48%	157.2%	0.37%	53.8%	★★½
124	North Riverdale	Toronto E01	$1,321,537	41.60%	0.75%	103.0%	96.99%	119.6%	-27.05%	2.8%	★★½
125	High Park North	Toronto W02	$2,368,252	25.56%	33.77%	121.1%	111.06%	137.0%	6.81%	36.7%	★★½
126	Lawrence Park South	Toronto C04	$1,374,148	8.77%	23.88%	118.8%	199.02%	245.5%	-10.16%	44.1%	★★½
127	The Beaches	Toronto E02	$2,012,771	21.83%	21.83%	125.5%	115.48%	142.4%	4.55%	28.2%	★★
128	Edenbridge-Humber Valley	Toronto W08	$3,757,271	9.14%	43.28%	152.6%	169.15%	208.6%	-3.72%	43.5%	★★
129	Forest Hill South	Toronto C03	$1,319,395	1.31%	17.35%	210.6%	315.75%	389.5%	-9.04%	39.6%	★★
130	Bayview Woods-Steeles	Toronto C15	$1,199,256	41.04%	16.04%	91.0%	110.88%	136.8%	-5.67%	36.1%	★★
131	Banbury-Don Mills	Toronto C13	$1,199,256	8.77%	42.91%	140.9%	169.85%	209.5%	8.80%	48.0%	★★
132	Humber Heights	Toronto W09	$2,507,174	31.16%	89.18%	129.6%	100.78%	124.3%	9.78%	95.6%	★★
133	Casa Loma	Toronto C02	$4,755,258	6.53%	14.74%	124.0%	210.70%	259.9%	-2.02%	27.0%	★★
134	Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills	Toronto C12	$2,700,000	6.90%	36.94%	110.8%	399.62%	492.9%	-7.26%	53.2%	★★

Value: Measures how affordable the neighbourhood is compared to the surrounding area and the region overall
Momentum: Measures how quickly prices are appreciating in this neighbourhood, with an emphasis on long term appreciation

For more, please see our complete methodology

Toronto’s top 3 neighbourhoods to buy

1. Rockcliffe-Smythe

Not a millionaire? Want to own a detached home close to downtown? Take a look at this year’s No. 1-ranked Toronto neighbourhood: Rockcliffe-Smythe.

Why did this way-under-the-radar neighbourhood make it to the top spot? The homes here have ample yards and almost every one comes with dedicated parking. (Not many Toronto ’hoods can boast the same.) It’s super-close to the newly built Stock Yards Village, a buzzy outdoor shopping mall at St. Clair Avenue and Weston Road, with a Roots, Winners and Nations, a grocery store that bonuses busy parents with a play area, games room and arcade.

Commuters have plenty of options as the neighbourhood is close to the 24-hour St. Clair streetcar line and pretty close to major inner commuter driving routes. The extension of the Eglinton LRT line to Keele will add even more accessibility to this area. And it’s just steps from an inner-city ravine system (can we say hiking and biking?).

However, we weren’t the first to spot this awesome up-and-coming neighbourhood. That prize goes to Toronto Life, which listed Rockcliffe-Smythe among their top three ’hoods for first-time buyers in 2015, a year before BlogTO awarded the neighbourhood a top spot, followed by a “best kept trendy ’hood” award from Airbnb in 2017.

Why is MoneySense late to join the Rockcliffe-Smythe fan club? Data. Our more conservative ranking forecasts possible future appreciation based on past performance and current conditions. But that doesn’t mean Rockcliffe-Smythe was completely off our radar. In 2017, the neighbourhood ranked No. 73 out of 142 Metro Toronto locations. In 2018, it moved up the list but still didn’t crack the top 25. Now, in 2019, this west-end neighbourhood has taken the No. 1 spot in the Metro Toronto ranking.

This leafy residential community is mostly made up of single-family detached homes. With large amounts of green space, including the centrally located Smythe Park, the area attracts middle-income buyers who want a good single-family home close to downtown.

Average prices here are a smidge lower than surrounding communities, but the real saving can be found when comparing average Rockcliffe-Smythe to average Metro Toronto or GTA houses, which are 47% or 22% more expensive, respectively.

2. Humber Summit (W05)

Humber Summit began as a pioneer community—that’s why the time-travelling Black Creek Pioneer Village attraction is located here. It was originally centred around the grist and saw mills of the 1840s. Over time, this community evolved into a resort community: a place where Toronto socialites could come and unwind at the shores of the Humber River. However, many of these resort cottages were destroyed in 1954, when Hurricane Hazel ripped through the area.

Through the process of rebuilding, this community became the middle-class neighbourhoodit is today, with a well-established Italian community, along with growing South and East Asian communities.

For commuters, several major roadways pass through, including Finch Avenue, Steeles Avenue, Weston Road, Highway 400 and Highway 401.

For the most part, the homes in this neighbourhood are semi-detached back-splits with attached single and double-car garages. The average house price is 39% cheaper than in Metro Toronto, and 25% cheaper than the GTA average.

3. Glenfield-Jane Heights

Ask just about any realtor who has worked longer than a decade in the Toronto markets and they’ll tell you to avoid this neigbhourhood. Full stop.

But times change. Funding and resources are directed into less-than-desirable areas and things start to improve. And eventually, that improvement starts to reflect in the numbers. Crime goes down. Families move in. Developers start to build. And before you know it, a neighbourhood has overcome its old reputation. It happened in The Junction; it happened in Parkdale; and it’s happening at Moss Park. Next on the list is this year’s No. 3-ranked Glenfield-Jane Heights.

It’s infamous as part of Toronto’s notorious Jane-Finch area—Canada’s equivalent to The Bronx. But, being a lower-priced neighbourhood in a large, expensive city, home buyers have slowly started to move in and set down roots.

These days, the community is home to a large immigrant population, with a high percentage of Spanish-, Italian- and Vietnamese-speaking residents. While many still live in high-rise apartment buildings and semi-detached houses, there are streets of single-family homes where a strong sense of community is starting to build.

Jane-Finch Mall is popular for shopping, and a number of parks are located throughout Glenfield-Jane Heights, including Firgrove, Oakdale, Spenvalley, Stanley, along with parts of Derrydown, Topcliff, Downsview Dells and Northwood.

In 2008, then-Toronto City Councillor Anthony Perruzza attempted to rebranding the neighbourhood using banners attached to hundreds of hydro poles. The banners displayed the name “University Heights,” a moniker given to the Jane-Finch area in municipal planning documents. The rebranding didn’t really eliminate the area’s tarnished reputation. But plans to construct a light rail line—the Finch West LRT—is going a long way to help change and gentrify this inner-suburban neighbourhood. The LRT station is scheduled to open in 2023 and the influx of labour and investment into the area, due to this infrastructure project, is helping a great deal with property values.

While the communities’ average household income is typically lower than the average household income for the GTA, this is starting to change as home buyers and investors realize its untapped potential. Houses here are more than 40% cheaper, on average, than the City of Toronto average house price, and more than 25% cheaper than the average GTA house price. While property prices fell almost 4% last year, five-year price growth is more than 186%, making this area both a strong purchase in terms of value and potential future price momentum.

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