Moving to Hamilton, Ontario, or thinking about doing so in the near future? Then you're going to need a lot of information. Before giving up your old Toronto real estate and buying into Hamilton, you'll want to know whether you can expect to pay more or less in your new city and whether the value of your new home is likely to appreciate in the coming years. You'll need trends, stats, and averages before you can even consider making the transition. Lucky for you, we've got it all right here for you.

Trends

Everyone remembers two years ago when the sub prime mortgage bubble imploded in the United States, dragging down the values of everything from a Montage condo Toronto to a ice fishing hut in Nunavut as a side effect. Then the recession came along and depressed the markets even further. Though we have not yet seen the end of the recession, you'll be pleased to know that this past year (2009) marked a great increase in values and transactions, signaling a trend that should make any property you buy now worth even more in the coming years.

Ranking

The Real Estate Information Network, an organization of real estate agents in Oakville and Toronto, recently ranked Hamilton as one of the top ten best cities in Ontario for real estate investing. As #5 city on the list, Hamilton is neither so in demand that it's impossible to get a property for a reasonable price nor so unknown that there's not much activity in the market.

Average Prices

Average prices can help you, the potential home buyer, decide early on in the consideration process whether or not you'll be able to afford a property in the city. Obviously each home is different, with prices based on style, neighborhood, size, and age, but averages will suffice for a ballpark estimate. Compare them with the prices in the Windsor, Ontario real estate listings. For a single storey home: $153,000 to $245,000. For a two storey home: $154,000 to $304,000. Meanwhile the average condo goes for around $200,000.

Popular Neighborhoods

If you want to live in the nicest areas of the city, the best way to find out what they are is to look at how popular each of the city's neighborhoods are with other home buyers. Real estate agents and private lenders for mortgages also have a good idea if you care to ask, but based on popularity, these are the most desirable areas in Hamilton. East Mountain and the Red Hill Valley Parkway, Westdale near McMaster University, Longwood Road, and in the city center north of Main St. Any of these neighborhoods would be a good choice, both for investing and living purposes.