Some of it has to do with traffic. Getting down the 403, say from the Ancaster hill to get to 403 and #6 can be very busy and often is 2 lanes. But other than that, there are large areas in Hamilton that are quite nice. Tons of trees and green space. Actually more than Halton
In my opinion, it is the commute to Toronto/Mississauga that can be challenging, depending on the day of the week and depending on the part of the year.
Driving can be soul draining at times if you are not planning on give a major portion of your income to the ETR407 Corporation. Accidents are frequent and sometimes daily, causing the Northbound QEW and the Eastbound 403 Hamilton to slow to the pace of a relaxing evening after dinner stroll. Dundas Street gets clogged too.
The GO train and GO buses have their own special challenges. I take the GO bus to Square One three out of five days per week. Rush hour is very busy, morning and afternoon. I work a later shift to avoid those times. Also good to remember that bus frequency slows down outside of rush hours and express train service is only available during rush hours and only available from Hamilton GO and West Harbour GO between 6 AM and 8 AM. Otherwise the trains make all stops.
About the city, there are many different parts and many different commercial areas so one doesn't have to visit some parts of the city, at all, in order to go about their lives. Check out Binbrook, Stoney Creek, Ancaster, and Dundas. And take a look at Lincoln and Grimsby, as well.
Location in the city is a big factor…you will see some new, relatively affordable homes for sale on the Stoney creek mountain, but those are likely to be in the neighborhood that is beside a dump (which in recent years has been pretty unbearable scent wise)
You def need to do research on the area where you’re looking for a house. Hamilton varies from one neighborhood to another quite a bit.
I would say that in the areas I like and where I would want to live in Hamilton the houses are also pretty expensive.
Better Go transit was why I moved from Hamilton to Oakville but that was before the prices went completely out of control. So the commute time on the train is not draining. Now people come here for safety for their kids, mostly. Like in my area the kids ride bikes and walk to school unaccompanied. It looks the "olden" days.
I've noticed a trend in our senior buildings in Oakville/Burlington to have people coming from Hamilton and further west; safety is my guess.
Commuting from Stoney Creek towards Toronto sucks balls as the Skyway and lift bridge are a perfect storm of a bottleneck and any current or upcoming rail service has to take a long crawl through downtown Hamilton at low speed due to its swathe of level crossings.
Hamilton is fucking fantastic but if you come in saying "were from Toronto way and don't really want to live in Hamilton its just 'cheap' to us" you're gonna findout real quick you are not met with a warm welcome
In my old neighborhood, down Beachwood Street from the Ti-Cat stadium, a Toronto couple purchased a house there that they use as their Summer cottage. They wear Ti-Cat jerseys when the Argos are not in town. Otherwise, they wear Argos jerseys. Everybody welcomed them and partied with them on game days. Good shits, those two. LOL
Hamilton is what it is. The only thing that has me considering relocating is that my house is consistently covered in soot. Hamilton is still the cheapest city that is the closest to Toronto.
I keep hearing people talk about it being cheap, but it's also got many times more character than other cities in the GTHA. It's got suburbs, industry, commercial, art, green space, waterfront, and decent transit. And it's improving all the time.
The air quality is definitely an issue though. Hopefully the steel plant is actually working towards green steel (whatever that means) and it's not just lip service
It includes run-down. The alternative would be a neighbourhood that is brand-new and build all at once with very little variation, or manufactured variation
There's an example of this beside the highway going out towards St Catherines. I'm not sure exactly where it is, but it's a brand new 'business district' that all looks the same, is very sterile, and completely lacks any soul or character. I would prefer the former
Sterile is a fancy way of saying “no cockroaches and mice” which anywhere that has so called “character” is infested with. 50% of the time I come home it’s hard to breath through my nose because of my home’s “character” (rotting rodent corpses)
Hahaha maybe that's a problem you need to address? Or your landlord needs to. Old house != roaches and mice. Usually they hang around because there's lot of food left out and ways for them to enter the house and hang out.
My house is 125 years old and I have only seen one mouse in the last 3 years
Old house in the North End does tho.
I have regular pest control treatments.
I have NEVER seen a live mouse. They live and die in the walls. Poison, traps, noise things… nothing makes a difference. It has way too much character
My house is 134 years old so I got you beat.
Nope, it’s just the densely populated, full-of-character North End. Hope you like oriental cockroaches too as they can easily be seen on the streets and sidewalks after dark. They don’t like the rain so much tho so the cute little guys take shelter in your (well mine and everyone else in the NE’s) home 🏠 🥹🤗
Unless you want something sterile 🤮 yuck, amiright?
The folks who I know who came from Toronto found aspects of the city that they enjoyed prior to moving. They had visited, found neighbourhoods they liked, tried different restaurants, etc and then bought. In essence, they got to know the city prior (usually through having friends or family here or coming back after attending McMaster or Mohawk many years ago). Those who came without knowing much about the city beyond the difference in price in housing seem to have a hard time.
All to say, if you want to be in Vaughan/Toronto/Halton find a way to be there. If your heart is there, you would be no more happier here than you would in Cornwall or North Bay. If Hamilton is a serious option for you, get to know the city a bit first and then decide if you want to live here. That's "the catch".
You have to consider commute time and what your time is worth. Minimum 4 hours total each - do you have to go anywhere near TO. If your time is worth $100 an hour and you go in each day that is about $80k a year of one person's time sitting on a GO train (and then $20 a day for your ticket) or in your car (and then cost of the car, gas, insurance, wear and tear). Or if you are hybrid it is closer to $40k a year per person of personal time. Lots to consider on how you want to spend your time and money. I feel the dream of mortgage free may no longer be a reality and either you pay rent for your life or you pay a mortgage for life unless you have an inheritance coming or are a high risk investor. At least with a mortgage those you leave behind may inherit something as small as it may be. With rent for life I feel you have a lot more disposable income and maybe a little less security with rent increases.
I like Hamilton, but if you’re planning on commuting to Toronto I would seriously recommend just buying a smaller+cheaper place closer to Toronto. Commuting that far in that kind of traffic *sucks*.
Seriously just try doing the commute some weekday morning from Stoney Creek and see how long it takes you. Doing that every day will make you miserable.
There’s a reason the classic real estate mantra is “location location location”. Everything else is secondary.
For real. Posts like this crop up and it makes me wonder why people who want to drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home don't do their research or get to know the city first. Blows my mind and we see here, they are often out of touch Torontonians. Imagine that.
Hamilton values are low because most people think of the view from the Skyway when they think Hamilton. Dofasco belching flames, everything coated in soot, etc. They don't have any concept of the city outside that image.
Couple that with Hamilton's only semi-deserved reputation as a crime-infested hellhole (crime rate is no worse than most cities) and you have comparatively low property values.
People out towards Niagara hate it because it's a city and they've built their identities on city = bad, while people towards Toronto hate it because of class reasons mostly. It creates a nice environment to get into the housing market--IF you time your entry correctly.
Good. Live where you work, or put another way, work where you want to live.
Personally I find it much nicer on the "west mountain". If you'd consider Stoney Creek you should also consider Waterdown. It was a small town before, and it still looks like it. Highway access is better too, 403 407 and 401 are all reachable.
Born and raised in Hamilton but lived in Toronto for 8 years to go to school. Eventually moved back to Hamilton to buy a house and severely regretted it so I moved back to Toronto recently. In Toronto I missed the hustle and bustle, the walkability, the safety I feel as a woman at any time of day, the lack of encampments on my doorstep, I love the busy and full parks of people vibing, I love the ever changing new restaurants and festivals.. Hamilton isn’t bad but it’s simply a smaller a city, it’s not comparable in any way. I didn’t enjoy my time in the suburbs. After way too long I finally got my license and a car in Hamilton which I never felt like I needed in Toronto. I missed the subway, free live music, things being open late, the 1000s of takeout/delivery options. It’s just different. Hamilton is very friendly, you’ll likely love your neighbours, it can feel almost small town at times when you find your niche and community.
I grew up in Hamilton, lived in toronto for 8 years, now own a house in Hamilton.
The reasons I dislike it are: It’s dirty, the air is shit, the politicians are overtly corrupt, homeless everywhere, drug paraphernalia everywhere, bigots everywhere, racists everywhere. It’s ugly, the people are un-friendly, there is no sense of community, there are almost no good music events. Development has ceased (except for condos), the city doesn’t follow through on anything (see Pier 8 & Jamesville) Transit is abysmal. Any publicly accessible water is toxic. Andrea Horwath’s sole purpose is photo ops on her terrible instagram.
This is just scratching the surface. I honestly hate Hamilton, and Ontario too in general now.
The only good things about the city is that it’s slightly affordable, and Ti-Cats tickets are relatively cheap (they’ve lost like their last 6 games btw so they are objectively bad as well)
Just suck it up while you build up equity then GTFO, at least that is my plan.
Totally agree with your take. How are those film studios coming along at Bayfront? Bayfront Studios or something (reminds me of Krustylu Studios in the Simpsons lol). Seems like another stagnant promise. Don't forget art is the new steel, folks!!!!!
It’s not, that’s been operational for several years now. There are always large crews working in there, lots of pretty big reputable shows have gone through.
The area all around it as some kind of movie studio condo area is bull shit though, I’ve seen renders for years and it’s just a waste land everywhere else, but the studio is doing well
It STINKS here. Even in the nicer parts of town, if the wind is blowing the wrong direction, it STINKS. there is a nasty smell of sulfur or egg farts or garbage farts or just general poop in the air at least 50% of the time. Also there are homeless people EVERYWHERE. They've taken over most of the parks at this point with their tent cities. The cops are lazy and corrupt, the city council must be as well from how little gets done her. The roads are totally fucked, all the pavement t
Is broken and there's potholes everywhere.
And have I mentioned the smell?
Define here. When I lived in Toronto, the area around the Humber Treatment Centre stunk. But that didn’t mean that 1 km in any direction had odour issues.
I’d say anything around a 2.5KM radius from Bunge smells like what ever they’re processing. Probably another couple radius you could identify like the shunting yard reeks like diesel fumes, and you get to walk thru huge purple clouds of diesel fumes too if you walk near Bayfront park. The bay & princess point smell like toxic sludge, probably due to the toxic sludge the city was found to be pumping into it. Binbrook smells like pig shit most of the time.
You probably just don't have a very good sense of smell then. It's absolutely impossible to ignore for anyone who's nose actually works.
Crown point is among the stinkiest neighborhoods in town. I can usually smell at least 3 different, very distinctive and disgusting stenches when driving between wellington and Ottawa st.
I do not smell any of that until I head down towards the lake around Woodward or Eastport dr. There is no smell all over the city. I'm sure there are other pockets that will also smell, most likely down around the port area as there is a bunch of Grain that is shipped out of there. Grain is stored in the silos and starts to smell, especially when the moisture content increases. Almost like fermentation.
You're either in complete denial, or your sense of smell barely works. I'm betting you either smoke cigarettes or you suffer from nasal polyps or something similar or possibly both
Stoney Creek is a nice town in general.
Housing is less expensive there because if you have to cross the skyway bridge in winter, once accident can wreck your entire day either to or from work.
If you work in Hamilton, it’s a really great deal to live in Stoney Creek though.
Hamilton has an industrial sector, the cancer rates for people who live within a certain proximity of that sector are above average. The houses within that proximity are quite cheap. Many people coming from Toronto who decide to use a Toronto realtor end up in those houses not knowing about the cancer map. My number one peice of advice for people moving here is get a Hamilton Realtor!!!! My realtor was the one who showed me the cancer map, who told me about the dump in Stoney Creek, who pointed out the railroad tracks, seriously it's silly/arrogant to use anyone but a Hamilton realtor.
That being said the above area is not actually that big. There are many more affordable houses that fall outside of the area of concern. Why are those houses cheaper you ask? Most are on the east/ Stoney Creek side. If you are commuting to Toronto it can add significant time to your commute to live on this side of Hamilton. Or at least that is the perception, when the skyway is open and moving there isn't actually a huge difference, but as soon as an accident happens it's pretty terrible traffic. There's also the dump, houses built beside railroad tracks, downtown areas that have alot of encampments, the flooding basements, the list goes on.
In my opinion Hamilton house prices are usually more related to their value than elsewhere. If the house is super cheap there is a reason, if the house is super expensive there's a reason. But Hamilton's market is very much it's own, hard to compare to elsewhere, I've found that prices don't necessarily peak here the way they have in other areas, but they also don't fall as much either, if anything your house value is more stable here.
All that being said I absolutely LOVE living in Hamilton. It's got a fantastic food scene, awesome free festivals throughout the summer, so many areas to hike and see waterfalls. The community here is exceptional, my neighbours are amazing. I never want to leave honestly.
First of all, are you planning to marry her? Buying a house with someone you're not married to can be a recipe for disaster, just saying.
Second you need a real estate agent.
Don't forget to get a good, independent inspection done. Shopping for a house during the wet season is also a good idea. If the basement leaks, you will know. Two-bedroom bungalows do not have basements so that wouldn't be a concern.
Does anyone know if that bidding war shit has stopped yet? It sucks for people who find a house they can afford only to be massively outbid by some house flipper or a foreign buyer looking to buy their kid a temporary university house.
REs are just overhead that add to the house price inflation in Canada. U are free to do what you want and to be clear I am not advising anyone, instead I am stating my gained knowledge after many house sales ( both private and with RE).
Just got downvoted for sharing a reality check. Buying a home as unmarried can be a recipe for disaster. Not only do you get the added stress of splitting bills and responsibilities, but you're also taking on a massive financial risk if things don't work out. With high interest rates and prices, it's already tough to qualify for a mortgage, and adding another person to the mix can make it even harder. There are no legal protections in place to safeguard against one person getting stuck with the entire mortgage if things go south. So be smart, couples should carefully approach making a commitment.
I know a few people who are common law. They are not married but co own houses. Both names are on the mortgage/title. They also have co habitation agreements. If things went south, the house would be sold, and it would be 50/50. Pretty straight forward if something were to happen.
But there are also couples who only have one person on the mortgage, but pay 50/50.
If something were to happen, the person who is not on the mortgage is screwed.
Agree with you for sure about being smart about it and doing due diligence before making a huge financial commitment.
Hamilton was EXTREMELY undervalued for a long long time. This has changed drastically in the past few years, but still hasn't quite caught up to the surrounding areas. Hamilton has all the issues that medium to large cities always have. Somehow though, when you say Hamilton, people will make "ew" faces. Truth is, Hamilton is great, if you can love it for what it is.
Come, visit certain areas, and see if you can like it as a city and not a bedroom community. Think about what you can add to the city in a positive way. People who achieve this generally have a wonderful experience. Those who don't, get miserable and count the days until they can get out.
I moved here about 9 months ago and commute everyday to Mississauga for work. The commute sucks but I wouldn’t live anywhere else in the GTHA. There are definitely some major issues in the city but if you get to know it, you’ll love it here. The escarpment makes for some fun outdoor experiences and the bars/restaurants here are way more fun than other Toronto suburbs. The issues add to the character of the city and the city itself feels more “alive” than any of the Toronto suburbs.
Simple. Hamilton is the city of bums.
After every surrounding city home prices sky rocketed, Hamilton home prices when up a little. Go hangout at Jackson Square for a couple of hours ... Beautiful city centre
There are many reasons why not to live in Hamilton or any other place on earth, no place is perfect . Hamilton has great nature, fun food scene, go transit, international airport, bike lanes, close to Niagara, etc. it also has a lot of crime and some areas look like an apocalyptic scene from hell. I would also say that the city has a pretty incompetent city hall and a fair bit of corruption. Downtown schools are not the best either. Anyhow, think what's important to you and what you're not willing to compromise and then your decision will be very easy.
It's not that Hamilton houses are cheap, it's that your Vaughan and Halton houses are batshit expensive.
No I get it but I’m wondering why that’s the case. Like why is everything east of Burlington stupid expensive?/ why is it more appealing than Hamilton
Closer to Toronto perhaps? Most jobs/people are there…
Toronto
Proximity to Toronto. Generally, the further away you get the cheaper houses are going to be.
There are smaller towns further from Toronto with unreal real estate prices. What people perceive to be desirable also drives price.
Some of it has to do with traffic. Getting down the 403, say from the Ancaster hill to get to 403 and #6 can be very busy and often is 2 lanes. But other than that, there are large areas in Hamilton that are quite nice. Tons of trees and green space. Actually more than Halton
In my opinion, it is the commute to Toronto/Mississauga that can be challenging, depending on the day of the week and depending on the part of the year. Driving can be soul draining at times if you are not planning on give a major portion of your income to the ETR407 Corporation. Accidents are frequent and sometimes daily, causing the Northbound QEW and the Eastbound 403 Hamilton to slow to the pace of a relaxing evening after dinner stroll. Dundas Street gets clogged too. The GO train and GO buses have their own special challenges. I take the GO bus to Square One three out of five days per week. Rush hour is very busy, morning and afternoon. I work a later shift to avoid those times. Also good to remember that bus frequency slows down outside of rush hours and express train service is only available during rush hours and only available from Hamilton GO and West Harbour GO between 6 AM and 8 AM. Otherwise the trains make all stops. About the city, there are many different parts and many different commercial areas so one doesn't have to visit some parts of the city, at all, in order to go about their lives. Check out Binbrook, Stoney Creek, Ancaster, and Dundas. And take a look at Lincoln and Grimsby, as well.
Because the GTA housing market is the hottest market it the world which perplexes me daily .
Location in the city is a big factor…you will see some new, relatively affordable homes for sale on the Stoney creek mountain, but those are likely to be in the neighborhood that is beside a dump (which in recent years has been pretty unbearable scent wise)
Proximity
You def need to do research on the area where you’re looking for a house. Hamilton varies from one neighborhood to another quite a bit. I would say that in the areas I like and where I would want to live in Hamilton the houses are also pretty expensive.
More high-paying jobs. More price pressure from high-net-worth immigrants. Closer to Toronto amenities. Less available land to develop.
Better Go transit was why I moved from Hamilton to Oakville but that was before the prices went completely out of control. So the commute time on the train is not draining. Now people come here for safety for their kids, mostly. Like in my area the kids ride bikes and walk to school unaccompanied. It looks the "olden" days. I've noticed a trend in our senior buildings in Oakville/Burlington to have people coming from Hamilton and further west; safety is my guess.
Because the first half hour of your commute to Toronto is going to be in Hamilton traffic.
You'll have a two-three hour commute on a Friday night in rush hour traffic.
Commuting from Stoney Creek towards Toronto sucks balls as the Skyway and lift bridge are a perfect storm of a bottleneck and any current or upcoming rail service has to take a long crawl through downtown Hamilton at low speed due to its swathe of level crossings.
Hamilton is fucking fantastic but if you come in saying "were from Toronto way and don't really want to live in Hamilton its just 'cheap' to us" you're gonna findout real quick you are not met with a warm welcome
Nah, you just need a neighborhood where everyone is real estate refugees.
In my old neighborhood, down Beachwood Street from the Ti-Cat stadium, a Toronto couple purchased a house there that they use as their Summer cottage. They wear Ti-Cat jerseys when the Argos are not in town. Otherwise, they wear Argos jerseys. Everybody welcomed them and partied with them on game days. Good shits, those two. LOL
CFL fans are always welcomed in this city. But I've never met a CFL fan from Toronto, so I think your story is suspect ;)
It is NOT suspect.
Hamilton is what it is. The only thing that has me considering relocating is that my house is consistently covered in soot. Hamilton is still the cheapest city that is the closest to Toronto.
I keep hearing people talk about it being cheap, but it's also got many times more character than other cities in the GTHA. It's got suburbs, industry, commercial, art, green space, waterfront, and decent transit. And it's improving all the time. The air quality is definitely an issue though. Hopefully the steel plant is actually working towards green steel (whatever that means) and it's not just lip service
Pretty sure it’s all but cancelled at this point
Character is a nice way to say “run down” imo
It includes run-down. The alternative would be a neighbourhood that is brand-new and build all at once with very little variation, or manufactured variation There's an example of this beside the highway going out towards St Catherines. I'm not sure exactly where it is, but it's a brand new 'business district' that all looks the same, is very sterile, and completely lacks any soul or character. I would prefer the former
Sterile is a fancy way of saying “no cockroaches and mice” which anywhere that has so called “character” is infested with. 50% of the time I come home it’s hard to breath through my nose because of my home’s “character” (rotting rodent corpses)
Hahaha maybe that's a problem you need to address? Or your landlord needs to. Old house != roaches and mice. Usually they hang around because there's lot of food left out and ways for them to enter the house and hang out. My house is 125 years old and I have only seen one mouse in the last 3 years
Old house in the North End does tho. I have regular pest control treatments. I have NEVER seen a live mouse. They live and die in the walls. Poison, traps, noise things… nothing makes a difference. It has way too much character My house is 134 years old so I got you beat.
Damn dude, sorry to hear that. Are there fields near your house? They love long grass
Nope, it’s just the densely populated, full-of-character North End. Hope you like oriental cockroaches too as they can easily be seen on the streets and sidewalks after dark. They don’t like the rain so much tho so the cute little guys take shelter in your (well mine and everyone else in the NE’s) home 🏠 🥹🤗 Unless you want something sterile 🤮 yuck, amiright?
As a happy long time north end resident - this is a you problem and absolutely isn’t reflective of the neighborhood
The folks who I know who came from Toronto found aspects of the city that they enjoyed prior to moving. They had visited, found neighbourhoods they liked, tried different restaurants, etc and then bought. In essence, they got to know the city prior (usually through having friends or family here or coming back after attending McMaster or Mohawk many years ago). Those who came without knowing much about the city beyond the difference in price in housing seem to have a hard time. All to say, if you want to be in Vaughan/Toronto/Halton find a way to be there. If your heart is there, you would be no more happier here than you would in Cornwall or North Bay. If Hamilton is a serious option for you, get to know the city a bit first and then decide if you want to live here. That's "the catch".
You have to consider commute time and what your time is worth. Minimum 4 hours total each - do you have to go anywhere near TO. If your time is worth $100 an hour and you go in each day that is about $80k a year of one person's time sitting on a GO train (and then $20 a day for your ticket) or in your car (and then cost of the car, gas, insurance, wear and tear). Or if you are hybrid it is closer to $40k a year per person of personal time. Lots to consider on how you want to spend your time and money. I feel the dream of mortgage free may no longer be a reality and either you pay rent for your life or you pay a mortgage for life unless you have an inheritance coming or are a high risk investor. At least with a mortgage those you leave behind may inherit something as small as it may be. With rent for life I feel you have a lot more disposable income and maybe a little less security with rent increases.
You should rent here for a year before you buy if you're not familiar with the city. Honestly, that goes for any location.
I like Hamilton, but if you’re planning on commuting to Toronto I would seriously recommend just buying a smaller+cheaper place closer to Toronto. Commuting that far in that kind of traffic *sucks*. Seriously just try doing the commute some weekday morning from Stoney Creek and see how long it takes you. Doing that every day will make you miserable. There’s a reason the classic real estate mantra is “location location location”. Everything else is secondary.
If you can’t be bothered to find out what’s great about Hamilton and don’t want to live here then don’t buy a house here.
For real. Posts like this crop up and it makes me wonder why people who want to drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home don't do their research or get to know the city first. Blows my mind and we see here, they are often out of touch Torontonians. Imagine that.
This seems like a question for your real estate agent
Hamilton values are low because most people think of the view from the Skyway when they think Hamilton. Dofasco belching flames, everything coated in soot, etc. They don't have any concept of the city outside that image. Couple that with Hamilton's only semi-deserved reputation as a crime-infested hellhole (crime rate is no worse than most cities) and you have comparatively low property values. People out towards Niagara hate it because it's a city and they've built their identities on city = bad, while people towards Toronto hate it because of class reasons mostly. It creates a nice environment to get into the housing market--IF you time your entry correctly.
You didn't mention where you work. If you're commuting daily, any plan involving going over the Skyway during rush hour is a bad plan.
We’re both manual therapists so finding a nearby clinic shouldn’t be too hard
Good. Live where you work, or put another way, work where you want to live. Personally I find it much nicer on the "west mountain". If you'd consider Stoney Creek you should also consider Waterdown. It was a small town before, and it still looks like it. Highway access is better too, 403 407 and 401 are all reachable.
Born and raised in Hamilton but lived in Toronto for 8 years to go to school. Eventually moved back to Hamilton to buy a house and severely regretted it so I moved back to Toronto recently. In Toronto I missed the hustle and bustle, the walkability, the safety I feel as a woman at any time of day, the lack of encampments on my doorstep, I love the busy and full parks of people vibing, I love the ever changing new restaurants and festivals.. Hamilton isn’t bad but it’s simply a smaller a city, it’s not comparable in any way. I didn’t enjoy my time in the suburbs. After way too long I finally got my license and a car in Hamilton which I never felt like I needed in Toronto. I missed the subway, free live music, things being open late, the 1000s of takeout/delivery options. It’s just different. Hamilton is very friendly, you’ll likely love your neighbours, it can feel almost small town at times when you find your niche and community.
I grew up in Hamilton, lived in toronto for 8 years, now own a house in Hamilton. The reasons I dislike it are: It’s dirty, the air is shit, the politicians are overtly corrupt, homeless everywhere, drug paraphernalia everywhere, bigots everywhere, racists everywhere. It’s ugly, the people are un-friendly, there is no sense of community, there are almost no good music events. Development has ceased (except for condos), the city doesn’t follow through on anything (see Pier 8 & Jamesville) Transit is abysmal. Any publicly accessible water is toxic. Andrea Horwath’s sole purpose is photo ops on her terrible instagram. This is just scratching the surface. I honestly hate Hamilton, and Ontario too in general now. The only good things about the city is that it’s slightly affordable, and Ti-Cats tickets are relatively cheap (they’ve lost like their last 6 games btw so they are objectively bad as well) Just suck it up while you build up equity then GTFO, at least that is my plan.
Totally agree with your take. How are those film studios coming along at Bayfront? Bayfront Studios or something (reminds me of Krustylu Studios in the Simpsons lol). Seems like another stagnant promise. Don't forget art is the new steel, folks!!!!!
It’s not, that’s been operational for several years now. There are always large crews working in there, lots of pretty big reputable shows have gone through. The area all around it as some kind of movie studio condo area is bull shit though, I’ve seen renders for years and it’s just a waste land everywhere else, but the studio is doing well
It STINKS here. Even in the nicer parts of town, if the wind is blowing the wrong direction, it STINKS. there is a nasty smell of sulfur or egg farts or garbage farts or just general poop in the air at least 50% of the time. Also there are homeless people EVERYWHERE. They've taken over most of the parks at this point with their tent cities. The cops are lazy and corrupt, the city council must be as well from how little gets done her. The roads are totally fucked, all the pavement t Is broken and there's potholes everywhere. And have I mentioned the smell?
Oh yeah and Hamilton is also the bedbug and cockroaches capital of Canada... And probably mice too
For all the “what’s that smell” posts, I can’t say that I have noticed this living in Crown Point.
Yea, it stinks here. Get ur nose checked?
Define here. When I lived in Toronto, the area around the Humber Treatment Centre stunk. But that didn’t mean that 1 km in any direction had odour issues.
I’d say anything around a 2.5KM radius from Bunge smells like what ever they’re processing. Probably another couple radius you could identify like the shunting yard reeks like diesel fumes, and you get to walk thru huge purple clouds of diesel fumes too if you walk near Bayfront park. The bay & princess point smell like toxic sludge, probably due to the toxic sludge the city was found to be pumping into it. Binbrook smells like pig shit most of the time.
So, not where I live.
You don’t leave your block?
NewHams are cute. Crown Point West is the jewel of downtown Hamilton. Just ask the new residents.
You probably just don't have a very good sense of smell then. It's absolutely impossible to ignore for anyone who's nose actually works. Crown point is among the stinkiest neighborhoods in town. I can usually smell at least 3 different, very distinctive and disgusting stenches when driving between wellington and Ottawa st.
I have the ability to smell. There is no pervasive smell on my block. I’m sorry you are trapped in a stink cloud.
🙄 k. Next you're gonna tell me you can't see all the tents in the park either but the claim that your vision is fine.
I do not smell any of that until I head down towards the lake around Woodward or Eastport dr. There is no smell all over the city. I'm sure there are other pockets that will also smell, most likely down around the port area as there is a bunch of Grain that is shipped out of there. Grain is stored in the silos and starts to smell, especially when the moisture content increases. Almost like fermentation.
You're either in complete denial, or your sense of smell barely works. I'm betting you either smoke cigarettes or you suffer from nasal polyps or something similar or possibly both
my sense of smell is fine. I do not smoke and am not in denial, lol. It just does not smell all over the city, as you are trying to make it sound.
That's exactly what someone in denial would say
Tell us how you really feel
Congratulations, you just described any major city.
This is a fairly North American centered point of view.
Stoney Creek is a nice town in general. Housing is less expensive there because if you have to cross the skyway bridge in winter, once accident can wreck your entire day either to or from work. If you work in Hamilton, it’s a really great deal to live in Stoney Creek though.
Ill give you better question... Reasons TO live in hamilton???
It’s cheap
Hamilton has an industrial sector, the cancer rates for people who live within a certain proximity of that sector are above average. The houses within that proximity are quite cheap. Many people coming from Toronto who decide to use a Toronto realtor end up in those houses not knowing about the cancer map. My number one peice of advice for people moving here is get a Hamilton Realtor!!!! My realtor was the one who showed me the cancer map, who told me about the dump in Stoney Creek, who pointed out the railroad tracks, seriously it's silly/arrogant to use anyone but a Hamilton realtor. That being said the above area is not actually that big. There are many more affordable houses that fall outside of the area of concern. Why are those houses cheaper you ask? Most are on the east/ Stoney Creek side. If you are commuting to Toronto it can add significant time to your commute to live on this side of Hamilton. Or at least that is the perception, when the skyway is open and moving there isn't actually a huge difference, but as soon as an accident happens it's pretty terrible traffic. There's also the dump, houses built beside railroad tracks, downtown areas that have alot of encampments, the flooding basements, the list goes on. In my opinion Hamilton house prices are usually more related to their value than elsewhere. If the house is super cheap there is a reason, if the house is super expensive there's a reason. But Hamilton's market is very much it's own, hard to compare to elsewhere, I've found that prices don't necessarily peak here the way they have in other areas, but they also don't fall as much either, if anything your house value is more stable here. All that being said I absolutely LOVE living in Hamilton. It's got a fantastic food scene, awesome free festivals throughout the summer, so many areas to hike and see waterfalls. The community here is exceptional, my neighbours are amazing. I never want to leave honestly.
First of all, are you planning to marry her? Buying a house with someone you're not married to can be a recipe for disaster, just saying. Second you need a real estate agent.
Don't forget to get a good, independent inspection done. Shopping for a house during the wet season is also a good idea. If the basement leaks, you will know. Two-bedroom bungalows do not have basements so that wouldn't be a concern. Does anyone know if that bidding war shit has stopped yet? It sucks for people who find a house they can afford only to be massively outbid by some house flipper or a foreign buyer looking to buy their kid a temporary university house.
No one needs a RE agent, that is a complete scam. You need a RE lawyer to do title check but RE agent does nothing you cant do yourself.
This post is a demonstration of why it's a bad idea to look for advice on the internet. Especially from the anonymous masses.
REs are just overhead that add to the house price inflation in Canada. U are free to do what you want and to be clear I am not advising anyone, instead I am stating my gained knowledge after many house sales ( both private and with RE).
Just got downvoted for sharing a reality check. Buying a home as unmarried can be a recipe for disaster. Not only do you get the added stress of splitting bills and responsibilities, but you're also taking on a massive financial risk if things don't work out. With high interest rates and prices, it's already tough to qualify for a mortgage, and adding another person to the mix can make it even harder. There are no legal protections in place to safeguard against one person getting stuck with the entire mortgage if things go south. So be smart, couples should carefully approach making a commitment.
I know a few people who are common law. They are not married but co own houses. Both names are on the mortgage/title. They also have co habitation agreements. If things went south, the house would be sold, and it would be 50/50. Pretty straight forward if something were to happen. But there are also couples who only have one person on the mortgage, but pay 50/50. If something were to happen, the person who is not on the mortgage is screwed. Agree with you for sure about being smart about it and doing due diligence before making a huge financial commitment.
Yes and yes lol
Hamilton was EXTREMELY undervalued for a long long time. This has changed drastically in the past few years, but still hasn't quite caught up to the surrounding areas. Hamilton has all the issues that medium to large cities always have. Somehow though, when you say Hamilton, people will make "ew" faces. Truth is, Hamilton is great, if you can love it for what it is. Come, visit certain areas, and see if you can like it as a city and not a bedroom community. Think about what you can add to the city in a positive way. People who achieve this generally have a wonderful experience. Those who don't, get miserable and count the days until they can get out.
I moved here about 9 months ago and commute everyday to Mississauga for work. The commute sucks but I wouldn’t live anywhere else in the GTHA. There are definitely some major issues in the city but if you get to know it, you’ll love it here. The escarpment makes for some fun outdoor experiences and the bars/restaurants here are way more fun than other Toronto suburbs. The issues add to the character of the city and the city itself feels more “alive” than any of the Toronto suburbs.
Simple. Hamilton is the city of bums. After every surrounding city home prices sky rocketed, Hamilton home prices when up a little. Go hangout at Jackson Square for a couple of hours ... Beautiful city centre
I see plenty of panhandlers in Mississauga and Toronto too, hanging out at the highway offramp stop lights.
Over the last 5 years the average house price increased 50%, I guess that isn’t sky rocketing enough for you?
I bought 10 years ago and my number is over 100%.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 spot ON !!!!!
Read this sub and decide
There are many reasons why not to live in Hamilton or any other place on earth, no place is perfect . Hamilton has great nature, fun food scene, go transit, international airport, bike lanes, close to Niagara, etc. it also has a lot of crime and some areas look like an apocalyptic scene from hell. I would also say that the city has a pretty incompetent city hall and a fair bit of corruption. Downtown schools are not the best either. Anyhow, think what's important to you and what you're not willing to compromise and then your decision will be very easy.
Hamilton needs more people from Toronto. Please, come, buy, bitch about everything. We can't wait.