Ottawa real estate: Where to buy in the city's core 2018

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1. Carson Meadows

This neighbourhood just east of Vanier is not a realtor favourite, earning a score of just 5.4 out of 10. However, its affordability compared to its peers — including some of the most expensive real estate in the city in nearby Rockcliffe Park — pushed it to the top spot. Carson Meadows might be a good buy for someone who wants an affordable place with an easy commute and doesn’t mind older, higher-density housing.

2. Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Area

This neighbourhood near the former CFB Rockcliffe is booming with new development. The average housing price in 2017 was an affordable $395,000, but that may not be the case for long, with prices rising fast.

PHOTOS: Top 10 Ottawa neighbourhoods to buy in

3. Centretown

With its charming old houses and central location, Centretown is a perennial favourite. It’s often a starting point for newcomers to the city, Seanor said.

Realtor Pick: Westboro

RE/MAX realtor Laura Seanor described this west-end neighbourhood along the Ottawa river as “exclusive” — with prices to match. The area has seen rapid changes over the last two decades as trendy shops have opened up and middle class families have renovated the old housing stock.

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	Carson Meadows	Overbrook, Castle Heights & Area	$383,897	83.67	75.77	★★★	N/A	N/A	67.73%	10.76%	35.85%	24.85%
2	Canadian Forces Base(C.F.B.), Area	Manor Park, Cardinal Glen & Area	$394,500	77.55	73.11	★★★	N/A	N/A	69.61%	31.21%	15.21%	20.55%
3	Centre Town	Centretown	$469,303	59.18	73.51	★★★½	N/A	N/A	82.80%	27.17%	37.37%	16.48%
4	West Centre Town	Hintonburg, West Centretown & Area	$493,564	53.06	78.38	★★★½	N/A	N/A	87.08%	10.99%	29.75%	25.99%
5	Manor Park	Manor Park, Cardinal Glen & Area	$318,135	91.84	42.22	★★★½	N/A	N/A	56.13%	13.80%	-2.64%	8.90%
6	West Centre Town	Dows Lake, Civic Hospital & Area	$427,614	67.35	48.96	★★★★	N/A	N/A	75.45%	6.91%	9.39%	15.58%
7	Dows Lake	Dows Lake, Civic Hospital & Area	$689,950	32.65	81.51	★★★★	N/A	N/A	121.73%	20.57%	16.42%	29.93%
8	Ottawa East	Glebe, Ottawa East & Area	$736,476	18.37	95.39	★★★★	N/A	N/A	129.94%	23.30%	44.99%	47.07%
9	Overbrook, Castle Heights	Overbrook, Castle Heights & Area	$389,480	79.59	67.43	★★½	N/A	N/A	68.72%	19.48%	19.99%	19.08%
10	Ottawa East	Glebe, Ottawa East & Area	$719,443	26.53	78.34	★★★★	N/A	N/A	126.94%	24.95%	17.12%	25.22%
11	Viscount, Alexander Park	Manor Park, Cardinal Glen & Area	$234,966	97.96	27.10	★★★½	N/A	N/A	41.46%	12.67%	-1.57%	-5.78%
12	West Centre Town	Hintonburg, West Centretown & Area	$471,848	57.14	58.33	★★★½	N/A	N/A	83.25%	5.52%	9.83%	22.07%
13	Ottawa East	Glebe, Ottawa East & Area	$613,809	34.69	71.53	★★★★	N/A	N/A	108.30%	22.29%	22.90%	20.06%
14	Ottawa West	Ottawa West, Tunneys Pasture	$509,427	44.90	67.05	★★★★	N/A	N/A	89.88%	14.90%	9.67%	22.83%
15	Old Ottawa South	Glebe, Ottawa East & Area	$713,421	28.57	63.90	★★★★	N/A	N/A	125.88%	7.26%	24.81%	20.50%
16	Hintonburg	Hintonburg, West Centretown & Area	$517,232	42.86	67.77	★★★½	N/A	N/A	91.26%	0.66%	12.27%	35.74%
17	Civic Hospital	Dows Lake, Civic Hospital & Area	$734,854	22.45	73.77	★★★★	N/A	N/A	129.66%	16.94%	13.03%	25.84%
18	Ottawa East	Glebe, Ottawa East & Area	$812,655	10.20	82.04	★★★★	N/A	N/A	143.38%	15.11%	21.85%	31.29%
19	Castle Heights	Overbrook, Castle Heights & Area	$385,166	81.63	44.79	★★½	N/A	N/A	67.96%	8.44%	8.13%	9.82%
20	Mechanicsville	Hintonburg, West Centretown & Area	$322,434	87.76	12.37	★★★½	N/A	N/A	56.89%	-6.33%	-8.94%	-4.25%
21	Westboro - North	Westboro, Hampton Park	$760,167	14.29	73.81	★★★★	N/A	N/A	134.12%	17.38%	9.38%	29.67%
22	Centre Town	Centretown	$409,827	71.43	29.38	★★★½	N/A	N/A	72.31%	0.29%	0.23%	2.97%
23	Castle Heights, Rideau High	Overbrook, Castle Heights & Area	$306,243	93.88	30.85	★★★	N/A	N/A	54.03%	3.91%	5.06%	2.43%
24	Lower Town	Lowertown & Sandyhill	$400,443	75.51	26.19	★★★½	N/A	N/A	70.65%	1.76%	3.30%	-2.03%
25	Glebe	Glebe, Ottawa East & Area	$881,801	8.16	69.11	★★★★½	N/A	N/A	155.58%	10.17%	17.28%	24.27%

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 Ottawa’s core, but if you’d rather live farther from the hustle and bustle of 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.