East vs. West: The Great Debate

If you’re looking to buy or invest in a condo in Toronto, is there a better side? I happen to live on Yonge Street, so I’m going to claim neutral territory here. But the answer really depends on a number of factors.

For buyers, the biggest factors to consider are price, lifestyle, amenities, commute to work and proximity to friends and family. As an investor, you’ll also want to consider growth potential.

Let’s break some of these factors down on each side.

From a price perspective, the east side of Toronto is typically a lower cost per square foot than the west side, depending on how close you are to the downtown core. Bottom line? Depending on how close you want to be to the core, there are affordable options on both sides of Yonge.

For everything else, it really comes down to your personal preferences and lifestyle. If you have a car, but hate traffic, well...you probably shouldn’t live in Toronto(!). Seriously though, if you do tend to drive more, the east end is a little easier to get around in than the west.

If you’re looking for a hipper vibe, loads of entertainment and restaurant options, along with cutting edge fashion, the west end may be more to your liking. Most of the big sports and theatre venues are here, there are more restaurants and for hip fashion, you can’t beat Queen West.

If you like to take things a little bit easier, on the east side you’ll find more breathing space with more parks, the Beaches (need I say more), the Leslie Street Spit and proximity to some great cultural neighbourhoods like the Danforth (Greektown), Little India and more. You’ve also got the Distillery District, St. Lawrence Market and Evergreen Brickworks.

East of Yonge, I’m excited about The Saint at Church and Adelaide. In the heart of downtown, you’re close to everything from shopping to entertainment.

A little further east and you’ll find some new developments happening in the Danforth area and Leslieville and with transit improvements set for this area, it will become even more accessible to downtown.

Another exciting development to watch is East Harbour. This 38-acre new development will transform the old Unilever site into a mixed use commercial development containing “office and retail sites, cultural and public spaces, entertainment, parks and restaurants, all threaded within a highly walk-able, bike-able environment”. While there are no residential condos planned for this area, it will certainly spark new developments and opportunities nearby as it is expected to accommodate 70,000 jobs.

West of Yonge, there are many exciting new developments happening. I was involved in the pre-sale of 1181 Queen Street West, a bold new development by Skale. Then there is BIG King in the heart of the Fashion District, which promises to be both distinctive and innovative.

Check out my Condo Guide page for more new developments. Or better yet, give me a call to talk about which area is right for you. I’ll show you around the different neighbourhoods so you can get a feel for what it would be like to live there, how to get around, where to shop, get the best coffee, and more.

East or west, give me a call on 647-716-1276 or drop me a line here.