How important is neighbourhood to real estate decisions? According to the RE/MAX Canada Best Places to Live 2020: Canada Liveability Report, it’s critical.
A Leger survey, conducted on behalf of RE/MAX before COVID-19, found that 82% of Canadians say they would sacrifice at least one desirable attribute to live in the neighbourhood they believe meets their liveability “must-haves.” On top of that, 90% of Canadians love the neighbourhoods they live in.
We’ve seen the importance of community spirit in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic with real estate sales professionals giving back.
RE/MAX also commented on how civic and local pride has been growing stronger throughout the crisis and neighbourhoods are at the heart of that growth.
What Makes a Neighbourhood ‘Liveable’?
The RE/MAX report found that 91% of Canadians have at least one important liveability factor. These include:
- Housing affordability (61%)
- Walkability (37%)
- Proximity to work (34%)
- Low-density neighbourhoods (30%)
- Proximity to transit (30%)
- Access to green spaces/dog parks (30%)
These criteria, plus location scores provided by Local Logic, determined the top Canadian neighbourhoods of 2020.
Top 10 Neighbourhoods of 2020
RE/MAX breaks down the top 10 liveable neighbourhoods in Canada by city. For instance, they have identified the top 10 neighbourhoods in Vancouver proper, the top 10 in North Vancouver, the top 10 in Toronto, and so on.
The results include:
- Cedardale in West Vancouver
- Corktown in Toronto
- Beltline in Calgary
- Parkdale in Charlottetown
- Dartmouth Commons in Halifax
- Civic Centre in Winnipeg
- Central Business District in Saskatoon
- Millidgeville in Saint John, New Brunswick
- Churchill Square in St. John’s
- Centretown in Ottawa
See the full list at https://blog.remax.ca/canada-liveability-report/.
Dig Deeper into Neighbourhood Property Insights
Since neighbourhood can be such a critical factor in your clients’ homebuying decision, you should be equipped with tools to know more about your neighbourhoods.
At GeoWarehouse, we have several ways you can do this:
- The Demographics Report – this report tells you about who lives in the neighbourhood in which the property is located. Access data about age distribution, marital status of residents, structural types of housing, owned/rented properties, average household income, and more.
- Comparable Sales Report – housing affordability is one of the most important factors in a liveable neighbourhood. The Comparable Sales Report enables you to search for comparable sales in a particular area by radius, sales timeframe, and price range.
- HoodQ Reports – new to the GeoWarehouse e-Store, HoodQ Reports are your guide to everything neighbourhood. You can access address reports, detailed reports, and school reports to learn everything about school catchment areas, parks and rec, transit, safety, and convenience. You’ll be able to see all these details at a glance — and so will your client!
If you’re already a GeoWarehouse subscriber, access these reports through your account and the GeoWarehouse e-Store! Log in at https://www2.geowarehouse.ca/login-page/.
Not a subscriber? Become one today! Call 1-866-237-5937 or visit www.geowarehouse.ca.
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