Randon Real Estate Q

I am currently living in Toronto (Aurora specifically) with my fiance and we are planning to move back to the Ottawa area to settle down. I am wondering what the current trends are like in terms of where to live. We are looking to spend between 250 to 300K on a home and are not adverse to townhomes. We do have a dog, so a yard and local parks are a must. Also, we are both from a small town, so we're not looking to live in the city. The criteria would be accessibility to the city, good community, and preferably predominately english speaking (no offense, of course).

So, where are the hot spots? Just looking for some general idea for now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

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Originally Posted by SGH

We are looking to spend between 250 to 300K on a home and are not adverse to townhomes. We do have a dog, so a yard and local parks are a must. Also, we are both from a small town, so we're not looking to live in the city. The criteria would be accessibility to the city, good community, and preferably predominately english speaking (no offense, of course).

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There are plenty of new developments on the outskirts of Ottawa.

Depending on where you work, you might be looking at a relatively lengthy commute (by Ottawa standards) to satisfy all your criteria.

To minimize your commute you want something relatively close to HWY 416.

You might want to check out Kemptville, off of #416 (South) or Carleton Place (West). Both small towns which are commuting distance from Ottawa. Bigger lots, cheaper, relatively, housing. Hwy to CP has just been widened (or is in the progress) so commute times could go down. A lot depends where you will be working. Both seem to meet all your criteria.

My suggestions for small town type communities would include:

Metcalf
Kemptville
Richmond
Munster Hamlet


Further out would (less than an hours drive or so West) include:

Arnprior
Renfrew
Pakenham (VERY pretty little town)

My 2 ¢ for what its worth :-)

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Originally Posted by Indio

Further out would (less than an hours drive or so West) include:

Arnprior
Renfrew
Pakenham (VERY pretty little town)

My 2 ¢ for what its worth :-)

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While not something you may want to mention to the fiancee when discussing these options, you're looking at places with a number of low-cost high quality golf courses up in the Valley.

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Originally Posted by hoolio

While not something you may want to mention to the fiancee when discussing these options, you're looking at places with a number of low-cost high quality golf courses up in the Valley.

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Some of the best around IMHO :thumbsup:thumbsup

I second the motion for Richmond. could be described as a village in the south west of Ottawa. One thing to be aware however is the homes are all on wells (excellent water) 300k wil land you a decent single on a minimum 65x100 lot
10 minutes to Kanata,10 min to barrhaven and less than 30 min from downtown
Looks like the official plan for the town, being drawn up now, will include some new neighborhoods with large lots as well as abundant park space.
Downside, bus service is virtually non-existant
FYI generally speaking the West part of Ottawa area is more English speaking and the Eastern part of the city is more French.

Morgan's Grant in Kanata. A great community to live in.

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Originally Posted by Geoff Johnston

Morgan's Grant in Kanata. A great community to live in.

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You wouldn't happen to know anyone selling a townhouse in Morgan's Grant would you? :P Saw your posting in classifieds - great looking place, and seems like a nice area. Definitely an area I'll be looking at.

By the way - thanks for all the advice thus far - much appreciated. I grew up in Morrisburg (hour south of Ottawa), but I think that would be too much of a drive for myself day-to-day.

Stumbled on this today while searching around: http://www.equinelle.ca/
Anyone familiar with the community or know someone who lives there? Seems like a great mix of everything I'm looking for (championship golf course is an added bonus).

Thanks again,

Scott

SGH I currently live in Equinelle it is a great community and the commute is not to bad only 20 min to huntclub down the 416 and 35 min to downtown. The grass is starting to grow on the golf course and it is looking like it will be amazing.

If you lived as far a Morrisburg before, you may consider Russell. Much closer to Ottawa than Morrisburg. Only 15 minutes to the east end of town. They have some beautiful new subdivisions going up. Lots of golf courses close by and lots of schools for if and when the time comes. I would have said Embrun but for the french, although everyone in Embrun speaks english and more and more english people are moving there.

I think Barrhaven is a really useful place to live with a family.

It has everything you would want. Golf course, driving range, (and others pretty close.) A movie theatre, lots of groc. stores wal marts etc. etc. Schools, It also is close to a main train station and bus terminal (park and ride) for great access throughout the city. Direct bus routes for downtown.

I live in Manotick, fairly close to Barrhaven, and find myself going there quite a lot.

Here is a link for pricing etc.

http://homes.point2.com/CA/Ontario/O...al-Estate.aspx

Thank you for the responses. I still have no idea where we'll settle, but it is nice to have some feedback to work with.

Reviving this old thread:

I've now re-located to the area; however, have not bought a house yet.

Am looking at a possible house in "Cloverdale Estates", which is located just north of the Cloverdale Golf Course. Seems like a nice area, it's a great commute to my new job, and everything seems to be in order.

Just wondering if anyone knows anything of the area? Any issues I should be aware of?

Thanks

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Originally Posted by SGH

Reviving this old thread:

I've now re-located to the area; however, have not bought a house yet.

Am looking at a possible house in "Cloverdale Estates", which is located just north of the Cloverdale Golf Course. Seems like a nice area, it's a great commute to my new job, and everything seems to be in order.

Just wondering if anyone knows anything of the area? Any issues I should be aware of?

Thanks

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The biggest issue will probably be the commute - especially if it involves a lot of country backroads - but you seem to have covered that. I lived in Chesterville and commuted to Ottawa for 5 years, and in winter some of those country roads can get very treacherous with black ice and blowing snow. If you're coming in on Bank Street/Hwy 31 though then you won't be too bad. You can cheap gas in Winchester - and Cloverdale is a nice course (a little boring, but good conditioning) - so you'll have that going for you.

With any country property it is important to check the water quality and make sure the septic system is working properly. You should also check to see if you have curbside garbage collection or if you have to go the dump (which I believe is just north of Winchester), and how much that will cost. It will probably be electric or oil heating, but if it has a woodstove or fireplace then you can save a few $$ in heating costs. Insurance companies sometimes ask for a recent fire marshal's inspection of a woodstove - its not a big deal getting one but just something to be aware of.