GTA real estate: Where to buy in the outer suburbs 2018

View neighbourhood rankings by region:

1. Stroud

A community of Innisfil, Ont., Stroud is attractive to buyers who want to live halfway between work and the cottage, RE/MAX realtor Nadia Childs said. “We’ve seen a huge increase in the amount of recreational property purchases,” she said. “I think properties like that, that go up along Highway 400, they’re going to see growth.”

2. Bowmanville

This community of 40,000 is 15 kilometres east of Oshawa. Realtors we surveyed gave it good marks, with an average score of 8.75 out of 10. Homes here provide good value, with the average property selling for $485,000 in 2017.

PHOTOS: Top 10 Toronto neighbourhoods

3. Lisle

This predominantly rural area southwest of Barrie would be a great pick for people who want to spend their weekends canoeing on the Nottawasaga River. Even though it’s almost two hours north of Toronto, it’s attracting commuters seeking relief from the stress and high prices of the city.

Realtor pick: Caledon Village

This area is just south of Orangeville and not far from Bolton, which Childs described as “booming.” It may be out of the way, but it features restaurants, shops and even live theatre.

Top 25 neighbourhoods

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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	Stroud	Innisfil	$600,511	60.10	98.49	★★★★	96.97%	96.34%	82.54%	55.45%	136.65%	139.42%
2	Bowmanville	Clarington	$485,494	81.97	68.05	★★★★½	90.43%	76.53%	66.73%	18.75%	67.72%	96.24%
3	Lisle	Adjala-Tosorontio	$594,527	70.19	88.90	★★★★	80.13%	95.38%	81.72%	46.09%	69.39%	116.80%
4	Tottenham	New Tecumseth	$547,186	65.63	88.67	★★★★	97.08%	87.78%	75.21%	29.97%	82.79%	101.93%
5	Vanier	Oshawa	$422,391	93.99	89.20	★★★	80.13%	66.58%	58.06%	26.19%	81.54%	118.99%
6	Angus	Essa	$440,484	92.55	53.39	★★★★	78.83%	70.67%	60.55%	20.37%	65.08%	84.82%
7	Cannington	Brock	$428,190	91.83	60.15	★★★★	83.71%	67.49%	58.86%	27.41%	75.08%	80.81%
8	Blackstock	Scugog	$679,387	42.07	77.53	★★★★★	103.92%	107.09%	93.39%	59.81%	56.74%	104.50%
9	O'Neill	Oshawa	$448,881	88.22	85.41	★★½	85.16%	70.76%	61.70%	26.64%	79.31%	101.21%
10	Beaverton	Brock	$482,785	81.97	55.88	★★★★	94.38%	76.10%	66.36%	25.21%	78.89%	76.47%
11	Alcona	Innisfil	$508,045	81.01	53.41	★★★★	82.04%	81.50%	69.83%	18.58%	62.91%	87.51%
12	Cookstown	Innisfil	$679,401	38.70	95.74	★★★★	109.71%	108.99%	93.39%	30.42%	87.78%	150.37%
13	Keswick North	Georgina	$646,340	61.30	88.68	★★★½	107.64%	55.24%	88.84%	29.12%	74.26%	118.52%
14	Donevan	Oshawa	$464,522	85.34	76.87	★★★	88.12%	73.22%	63.85%	20.92%	71.53%	99.41%
15	Pefferlaw	Georgina	$614,409	67.79	84.62	★★★	102.32%	52.51%	84.45%	36.86%	66.56%	110.45%
16	Alliston	New Tecumseth	$485,792	82.69	44.79	★★★★	86.18%	77.93%	66.78%	21.26%	57.56%	82.21%
17	Central Newmarket	Newmarket	$837,346	47.36	84.69	★★★★	98.50%	71.56%	115.10%	20.95%	74.47%	119.45%
18	Farewell	Oshawa	$445,267	89.90	78.92	★★½	84.47%	70.19%	61.21%	17.95%	74.63%	113.05%
19	Keswick South	Georgina	$569,615	77.64	64.55	★★★½	94.86%	48.68%	78.30%	16.98%	65.35%	96.85%
20	Sutton & Jackson's Point	Georgina	$582,391	74.28	74.38	★★★	96.99%	49.77%	80.05%	17.70%	76.12%	98.69%
21	Gorham-College Manor	Newmarket	$782,327	56.49	64.31	★★★★	92.03%	66.86%	107.54%	15.66%	71.41%	93.74%
22	Pringle Creek	Whitby	$611,537	61.06	56.22	★★★★	94.45%	96.39%	84.06%	16.87%	63.07%	91.85%
23	McLaughlin	Oshawa	$509,070	73.80	68.61	★★★	96.57%	80.24%	69.98%	15.58%	70.13%	100.83%
24	Lefroy	Innisfil	$541,641	72.84	36.85	★★★★	87.46%	86.89%	74.45%	1.84%	81.57%	71.85%
25	Stouffville	Whitchurch-Stouffville	$838,841	57.45	48.63	★★★★½	78.42%	71.69%	115.30%	17.26%	64.05%	85.48%

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

These are our picks for the best neighbourhoods to buy real estate in Toronto’s outer region, but if you’d rather live closer to downtown, we have more suggestions. We ranked the best neighbourhoods in three 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.