What makes one community more ‘desirable’ than another? We all have our own reasons to prefer living where we do. It might be neighbourhood safety. Perhaps you like being close to highways. Families enjoy having great schools within walking distance.
Truly desirable communities are those that have a combination of features that make them a great place to buy a home for many different people.
Fortunately, there are a number of communities in Toronto and the GTA that offer the standard features that most people look for before buying a home. Safe, attractive neighbourhoods; close to great schools, shopping, and transportation; with amenities like community centres, recreational options, and cultural institutions.
But, while there are communities that can fit all those criteria for desirability, few can offer one of the most important characteristics of a great place to live.
Buy a Home in a Place Where You can Live and Work
Toronto is now famous for having the longest commute times in North America. People in Toronto and the GTA spend an average of 96 minutes commuting every day.
That’s over an hour and half of every working day spent in cars, buses, trains, and subways. And over an hour and a half of every day not spent at home.
We all must spend some time getting to and from our workplaces. But commuting is a stressful experience. Psychology Today says that longer commutes are “associated with lower rates of wellbeing”.
The average commute times in and around Toronto show that home buyers are not finding places where they want to live that are also close to their places of work.
Markham Offers a Live-Work Balance for Homebuyers
Markham is home to over 10,400 employers, including over 400 head offices. Many of the largest employers in the world have locations in Markham. They include IBM, Hyundai, TD Bank, General Motors, Toshiba, GE Energy, and Lenovo.
That means, in addition to a being a great place to live, Markham is a great place to work. More than many communities in the GTA, Markham offers lots of opportunities to live and work in the same community. So buying a home here means you’ll have less chance of suffering through long commutes.
Markham is Canada’s High-Tech Capital Too
It may have started back in the 1970s when computer hardware giant IBM chose Markham for its Canadian headquarters. Since then, the city has become the location of choice for many high-tech superstars. In addition to those we already mentioned, Bell, Epson, HP, Oracle, Philips, SAP, and Xerox all have operations in Markham.
Research by Statistics Canada shows that Markham has almost 40% more information and communications technology (ICT) employers per 1,000 residents than the next highest ICT community in Canada.
Why High-Tech Jobs Make Markham a More Desirable Community
In addition to offering many options for working close to home, Markham’s standing as Canada’s high-tech capital means those options are more attractive than others. Perhaps more than any other business sector, high-tech companies tend to be higher paying. More important to many people, high-tech companies are generally more conscious of the importance of work-life balance. That can translate into more employee benefits, and options for working from home.
So not only does Markham offer homebuyers more opportunities to live and work in the same community, but those opportunities can offer more of a work-life balance.
What are you waiting for? If you’d like to learn more about buying a home in Markham, contact The Tar Team today.