The Durham Region

By Jacquelyn Francis

When Scott McAnerin bought a freehold townhome in Courtice, in the Municipality of Clarington, it wasn't just because of its affordability relative to Toronto. He simply knew what he needed from a home and decided to find it.

"I wanted a house close to my family and friends," says McAnerin, 25, an IT specialist who grew up in nearby Oshawa. "The further east I got, the more affordable it got. I work from home, so I don't need to commute and I'd already owned a house before in Ajax. I wasn't going to go back to renting."

According to McAnerin, his 1,100 square foot, threebedroom, freehold townhome was a good $20,000 less than even the homes he was seeing in Ajax, despite being only a few kilometres further east.

This is hardly news to Sean Keane, President of the Durham Region Home Builders' Association.

"Better bang for your buck," says Keane immediately when asked to explain the appeal of Durham, where the average home costs $281,292. "The lots are widerand deeper, your property is your home and your cottage."

Approximately 5,447 housing starts were recorded in Durham in 2004, the third straight year in which starts surpassed the 5,000-unit mark. And with the Durham Region Planning Department predicting the population to reach 850,000 by 2021?a 68 per cent increase from the 2001 census figure of 506,000?interest in Durham is unlikely to drop.

"The Durham Region is one of the first choices for people moving out of Toronto," says Erica McLerie, a market analyst with the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. "The prices are lower."

Although he was born and raised in North York, Rob Bursach and his young family were lured to Ajax four years ago by the prices.

"We started looking around all of the GTA, we went as far north as the 400 and 16, then everywhere from there, to the east, and Markham. The prices were still not that appealing for the square footage we would get," says 36-year-old Bursach, a graphic designer.

At his sister-in-law's encouragement, Bursach and his wife bought their first home, a new townhome, in Ajax. It's a purchase he says he's never regretted. In fact when it came time to buy a larger home, one with space for a second child and to allow his recently retired mother to move in, Bursach decided to buy new again in south Ajax.

The Bursach family recently took possession of a 2,408 square foot, detached home with a two-car garage on a 41-by 85-foot lot, that backs onto an open field. The fact that he can take his children to the waterfront or parks of Durham and see wildlife from his yard are added perks.

"If you compare it to the city, the city life is a lot faster, but given time Durham will go that way as well," he says obviously aware of the area's growth. "But it's a family community, you'd be surprised at how much there is to do."

And as McAnerin proves, this kind of lifestyle appeals to more than just families. "I love it here. It has been great so far. There are a few forested areas where I can take my dog. All my neighbours are great. There is a real sense of community here."

"The homes that they build here are more community than subdivision," agrees Keane of the DHBA. "In Durham the concept is community. People sit out front or talk to each other. You drive into some of these neighborhoods and you see the kids out playing and you see the parents going from garage to garage," he says. "That's the bonus of living here."