Where to buy GTA real estate in 2018

An aerial view of Toronto, Ontario (Dan Sedran/Shutterstock)

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Realtors agree the Greater Toronto Area’s 2017 real estate market can be summed up in one word: Volatility.

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The first few months of the year saw prices skyrocket, soaring more than 30 per cent higher than they were at the same time the previous year. Then, in April, the Ontario government introduced the Fair Housing Plan, a slate of measures to address affordability including a 15 per cent tax on foreign buyers in the GTA and surrounding area.

Suddenly, the first quarter’s record sales turned into a drastic drop. A long-predicted housing crash never came, however, with price growth slowing but not reversing in the second half of the year.

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“It was really a rollercoaster,” said Toronto-area RE/MAX realtor Nadia Childs. “Towards the end of 2017 I think we saw buyer confidence return.”

Some buyers who bought at the peak of the market ended up in trouble when the frenzy ground to a halt, but Childs said she welcomed the province’s measures. In 2017 overall, the average property price in the GTA increased by 12.7 per cent — hardly a U.S.-style housing meltdown.

That meltdown could still be around the corner, but Childs thinks it’s unlikely.

“In Toronto in particular, we’re a world-class city,” she said. “Until rates go back to where they were in the mid-’90s, I don’t think much is going to change.”

Top 25 neighbourhoods

ClickTap column headings to re-rank neighbourhoods. ClickTap on any neighbourhood name to learn more about it. Search by neighbourhood or area to filter results.

Rank	Neighbourhood	Area	Average home price (2017)	Value	Momentum	Realtor Grade	Average price vs. area	Avg. price vs. metro district	Avg. price vs. outer region	1-year price change	3-year price change	5-year price change
1	Bowmanville	Clarington	$485,494	86.22	76.88	★★★★½	90.43%	76.53%	46.02%	18.75%	67.72%	96.24%
2	Stroud	Innisfil	$600,511	70.64	99.43	★★★★	96.97%	96.34%	56.92%	55.45%	136.65%	139.42%
3	Lisle	Adjala-Tosorontio	$594,527	81.10	92.97	★★★★	80.13%	95.38%	56.36%	46.09%	69.39%	116.80%
4	Angus	Essa	$440,484	94.17	67.81	★★★★	78.83%	70.67%	41.75%	20.37%	65.08%	84.82%
5	Blackstock	Scugog	$679,387	58.01	83.59	★★★★★	103.92%	107.09%	64.40%	59.81%	56.74%	104.50%
6	Tottenham	New Tecumseth	$547,186	74.56	90.58	★★★★	97.08%	87.78%	51.87%	29.97%	82.79%	101.93%
7	Cannington	Brock	$428,190	92.65	70.25	★★★★	83.71%	67.49%	40.59%	27.41%	75.08%	80.81%
8	Alcona	Innisfil	$508,045	87.09	66.39	★★★★	82.04%	81.50%	48.16%	18.58%	62.91%	87.51%
9	Vanier	Oshawa	$422,391	94.34	92.37	★★★	80.13%	66.58%	40.04%	26.19%	81.54%	118.99%
10	Cookstown	Innisfil	$679,401	55.39	96.53	★★★★	109.71%	108.99%	64.40%	30.42%	87.78%	150.37%
11	Alliston	New Tecumseth	$485,792	87.58	60.92	★★★★	86.18%	77.93%	46.05%	21.26%	57.56%	82.21%
12	Keswick North	Georgina	$646,340	74.62	92.34	★★★½	107.64%	55.24%	61.27%	29.12%	74.26%	118.52%
13	Beaverton	Brock	$482,785	83.77	65.44	★★★★	94.38%	76.10%	45.76%	25.21%	78.89%	76.47%
14	Central Newmarket	Newmarket	$837,346	62.91	89.35	★★★★	98.50%	71.56%	79.37%	20.95%	74.47%	119.45%
15	Pefferlaw	Georgina	$614,409	78.49	89.70	★★★	102.32%	52.51%	58.24%	36.86%	66.56%	110.45%
16	Central	Ajax	$476,215	93.30	70.35	★★★½	73.30%	75.06%	45.14%	10.82%	69.03%	104.32%
17	Stouffville	Whitchurch-Stouffville	$838,841	74.29	62.75	★★★★½	78.42%	71.69%	79.51%	17.26%	64.05%	85.48%
18	Gorham-College Manor	Newmarket	$782,327	71.51	72.22	★★★★	92.03%	66.86%	74.16%	15.66%	71.41%	93.74%
19	Pringle Creek	Whitby	$611,537	72.17	68.26	★★★★	94.45%	96.39%	57.97%	16.87%	63.07%	91.85%
20	Aurora Heights	Aurora	$992,408	57.41	93.91	★★★★	86.91%	84.81%	94.07%	32.79%	81.35%	113.88%
21	Village East	Pickering	$624,770	79.03	77.70	★★★½	78.16%	98.48%	59.22%	22.74%	68.18%	91.07%
22	O'Neill	Oshawa	$448,881	91.23	88.17	★★½	85.16%	70.76%	42.55%	26.64%	79.31%	101.21%
23	Donevan	Oshawa	$464,522	88.83	83.17	★★★	88.12%	73.22%	44.03%	20.92%	71.53%	99.41%
24	Keswick South	Georgina	$569,615	85.29	73.70	★★★½	94.86%	48.68%	53.99%	16.98%	65.35%	96.85%
25	Rural Scugog	Scugog	$642,340	65.52	63.27	★★★★½	98.25%	101.25%	60.89%	23.96%	56.06%	84.00%

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
Realtor Grade: How realtors we surveyed rate this neighbourhood

For more, please see our complete methodology

We ranked the best neighbourhoods in three GTA regions — core, inner suburbs and outer. The core is the city’s urban centre, with accessible transit and easy access to amenities. The inner suburbs are for people who don’t mind trading a longer commute for better parking and a bigger lot size. And the outer region is for buyers who either don’t need to commute downtown at all, or are willing to log some serious travel time in exchange for affordable prices and wide open spaces. Check out the map below to see how the regions break down.