Top three neighbourhoods in York Region
Nestled in Markham, Vinegar Hill is encompassed by Highway 7 to the north, Highway 407 to the south, and streets situated just west and east of Main Street South, with the Rouge River serving as its natural border. The neighbourhood is a sought-after residential destination known for its picturesque settings and historical charm. In 2023, its benchmark home price was $1,126,400—which was 44% higher than in 2022, 72% higher than in 2020, and 40% higher than in 2018.
The community’s name is thought to have connections to either a cider mill located on the east side of the river valley or barrel makers who filled their barrels with vinegar to assess their straightness as they rolled down Markham Road. Slightly more than half (53%) of households in the area have children. Despite its desirability, Vinegar Hill has a relatively low accessibility score of 1.8—which is still higher than the other two top neighbourhoods in York.
View Vinegar Hill real estate listings on Zoocasa.
Located in the northeast part of King Township, Pottageville stands out for its distinctive topography and environmental importance. It’s situated atop the elevated ridges of the Oak Ridges Moraine and within the Ontario Greenbelt corridor, and it features an abundance of ranch-style bungalows and older homes. Coming in second among our top three neighbourhoods in York, Pottageville had a benchmark home price of $1,657,917 in 2023, and a value score of 3.3. The benchmark price was 55% higher than in 2022, 27% higher than in 2020, and 113% higher than in 2018. With above-average levels of household income, education and home ownership, Pottageville has a perfect neighbourhood economics score.
It also has an above-average number of families with children, representing 56% of households. With easy access to the Greenbelt Route, a province-wide bike trail, it’s the perfect area for bikers. Pottageville may only have a general store, a gas station and a few small businesses, but there’s ample recreational space centred around Pottageville Community Park, which features a playground, a baseball diamond, tennis courts and soccer fields. There’s a train station a 10-minute drive away, making it easy to commute to Toronto, but the neighbourhood still only has an accessibility score of 0.4.
View Pottageville real estate listings on Zoocasa.
Concord benefits from excellent commuter highway access, with both Highway 407 and Highway 7 passing through. In 2023, Concord’s benchmark home price was $742,158, which was 2% lower than in 2022, but 9% higher than in 2020 and 54% higher than in 2018. The area has the second-highest value score (3.6) of our top three York neighbourhoods, and it does well on neighbourhood economics as well, scoring 4.6.
Concord residents often spend their time enjoying recreational and leisure activities. One popular destination is Vaughan Mills shopping centre, with its many retail stores, entertainment options and family-friendly attractions. Locals can also explore Concord’s natural beauty while visiting Boyd Conservation Area or Black Creek Pioneer Village. Many families live in modest brick detached homes and townhomes with single-car garages, which are popular in the area.
View Concord real estate listings on Zoocasa.
What happened in the York Region real estate market?
In 2023, York Region’s home prices fell less than those in other regions of the GTA. In January, the benchmark home price was $1,285,583, and by December, it had dropped 0.4% to $1,281,020. But with mortgage rates as high as they were last year, the market was never able to gain much momentum.
“Last year, as banks tightened their borrowing criteria, we saw a decrease in sales while average prices remained relatively flat or decreased just a little,” says Kirby Chan, a local eXp real estate agent. “It was tough,” he says, because even though prices came down a bit, interest rates were so high that mortgage affordability suffered.
Buyer uncertainty played a big role in slowing down home sales, as many people were hesitant to enter the market amid the anticipation of rising interest rates. The number of home sales in York stayed above 1,000 during the spring and summer, but trickled off in July. In December, there were only 612 sales.
What’s next for real estate in York Region?
January started off with a boost in home sales, suggesting the market is rebounding. Home sales were up about 27% from December and about 42% from January 2023.
“Buyers are coming out now into the market, and there’s a positive outlook on how the market is going to look this year,” says Chan. “But if buyers wait until interest rates come down, then prices will go up and their buying power will go down.”
York Region buyers could face more competition than last year, as would-be Toronto buyers are attracted by the area’s comparable affordability. “With the city of Toronto increasing property taxes soon, I think there’s a good possibility this will drive more buyers into York Region and areas like Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan,” says Chan.
Assuming mortgage rates go down and buyer confidence returns, Chan expects this year to be a strong one for York Region real estate. “Sales-wise and price-wise, I think we’re going to have a record year in 2024. Last year, the government raised interest rates to cool everything down, and so there were fewer sales. That means there’s a lot of buyers out there waiting, and this pent-up demand is going to push prices even higher.”
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