A significant proportion of young families gravitate towards rental as their primary option in high-demand markets like Toronto, but an emerging trend among these households is that they are now finding country life increasingly attractive.
 
In Tess Kalinowski‘s report for the Toronto Star, cottager couple Kirstyn and Daniel Mayers said that Prince Edward County has proven to be a most welcome “piece of paradise” for their family, well outside the overheated Toronto market that has seen price growth rates break records over the past few years.
 
“It seems like you have to be ready to spend $1 million to get a home,” Kirstyn said, adding that it’s doubtful if her family will even buy a property within the city as they have locked on their relatively affordable purchase thanks to a Kijiji listing they encountered around two years ago.
 
“What is so attractive about the County is it’s beautiful but you’re right in the centre of Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and there’s so many people from the city that are out there either seasonally or full-time. I have friends like I have in the city. It’s not a culture shock,” Kirstyn explained, who searched high and low for a rural property near to her grandparents’ home.
 
Currently, the Mayers are living in a Don Mills rental house with their two children, one 2 years old and the other just 4 months old. They have yet to decide on a fixed timeline for the building of their new home in the purchased land, they said.
 
“It’s a five-minute drive to the 401, so getting out to the County in the summer is a lot faster. We’re still on the subway line so it doesn’t feel like we’re completely out of touch with everything,” the couple said. “It’s like an hour shorter commute so if you’re leaving on a Friday night or Saturday morning it saves a lot of time.”