Burlington Living

Burlington Spencer Smith Park

Moving to Burlington, Ontario

Burlington is a wonderful city to live in. It’s relatively close to Toronto yet offers cheaper housing options, lower property taxes and a more nature feel to it. With the population on the rise Burlington is a vibrant city with many opportunities for all. Moving to Burlington has been in the minds of many people. But where do you begin? Below is some advice..

Research the neighborhoods

This is one of the most important steps of the moving process. Location is not only the key to your home’s future value, but to your own satisfaction of where you live. You want your home to be situated in an area that has the amenities you need daily. For example, if you need to be withing a walking distance of a grocery store or a school. Also consider the daily commute to/from work and see if there could be potential bottlenecks. On Google maps you can view traffic congestion at whatever times so use that to see. If parks are important to you, make sure there are some close by on the maps. Make a list of the potential neighbourhoods.

Find a local Burlington real estate agent

The entire moving experience, including home buying can be simplified and made easy with a proper realtor to represent you. You want someone who is well reputable in the area as a solid realtor you can trust. Someone who lives and loves Burlington. Read their reviews and reach out to your agent. They’re always happy to help!

Get pre-approved for the mortgage

Find a good mortgage broker in Burlington, early on in the process and let them help you figure out and sets your home budget. Each situation is unique that is why making an appointment would be recommended. During the appointment you can also ask related questions, for example about property taxes in Burlington and how they are actually among the lowest.

Prepare a Home Wishlist

Figure out what is essential, what would be nice to have and what is extra – and simply make a list. It will help you meet your home  budget, by allowing you to eliminate some things if need be. For example, a pool is nice to have, but a remodeled kitchen is a need to have. Which would you skip on if the budget was exceeding?

Get to know the neighbourhoods

Take your favourite neighbourhoods list and explore each one, not just in day but at night too. You want to get the full feel of the area at different times of the day. As you go along be observant and make an entry of what you liked or disliked for each neighbourhood you visit. For example, you didn’t see any nice parks near by, or the roads were really rough and the area wasn’t as you imagined. Or perhaps it’s even nicer than you thought. This kind of dialogue will help you narrow down the home search.

Find a Home and move in

Now that you have your budget figured out, neighbourhood picked out and a ideal home found. You want to put in an offer and finalize the deal. But the paperwork necessary to buy a home can be overwhelming. Plus all the other things you have to manage, like the move itself. It can be hectic. That’s why you need all the help you can get. That’s where your real estate agent helps out. They help during the offer process, closing day, viewings, utility connection appointments, etc.

If you are planning to buy a home in Burlington, best mid-sized city in Canada, and need some help in finding that ideal home, please don’t hesitate to ask us for help. That’s what we’re here for. We’ve connected hundreds of people with their ideal homes and we can do the same for you too. Call 905-330-2002 today or learn more about our Burlington real estate services.

The Best Ranked Schools in Burlington, Ontario

Living in a neighbourhood with good schools is very important, not just to parents but also to homeowners and those looking to invest in real estate. The value of your home goes up as the schools in the area are ranked higher. That is because parent’s value good education, and studies have shown that children attending good schools tend to do better on exams and as a result get better grades and education.

So how are the schools in Burlington area performing? Anyone considering buying a home in a particular Burlington neighborhood would want to know this.

John-T-Tuck-Public-Elementary-School-Burlington-Ontario
John-T-Tuck-Public-Elementary-School-Burlington-Ontario

The Fraser Institute’s school rankings website provides a detailed report on how each school is doing in academics compared to other ranked schools. It also shows whether the school’s results are improving, declining, or just staying steady over the most recent five years.

Here is a list ranking the best schools in Burlington on a scale of 0 to 10, including a map of where those are.

Top 10 Public Elementary Schools in Burlington (2015-16 Ratings):

  1. John T. Tuck – 8.2
  2. Charles R. Beaudoin – 8.1
  3. Alexander’s – 7.9
  4. Orchard Park – 7.7
  5. Glenview – 7.4
  6. Maplehurst – 7.2
  7. Pineland – 7.2
  8. Ryerson – 7.2
  9. C. H. Norton – 6.9
  10. Tom Thomson – 6.8

Top 10 Catholic Elementary Schools in Burlington (2015-16 Ratings):

  1. St. Patrick – 8.6
  2. St. Raphaels – 8.3
  3. St. Anne – 8.2
  4. St. Elizabeth Seton – 8.1
  5. Ascension – 7.7
  6. Canadian Martyrs – 7.6
  7. St. Paul – 7.6
  8. St. Gabriel – 7.0
  9. St. Mark – 6.8
  10. St. Christopher – 6.6

All Public Secondary Schools in Burlington (2015-16 Ratings):

  1. Nelson – 8.0
  2. Lester B. Pearson – 7.2
  3. Burlington Central – 7.1
  4. Dr. Frank J. Hayden – 7.1
  5. Aldershot – 7.0
  6. Robert Bateman – 6.4
  7. M M Robinson – 6.4

All Catholic Secondary Schools in Burlington (2015-16 Ratings):

  1. Corpus Christi – 7.9
  2. Assumption – 7.6
  3. Notre Dame – 7.0

Lori VanDinther, a Burlington RE/MAX Agent and a long time resident of Burlington has been helping real estate buyers and sellers in Burlington, Oakville, Carlisle, Kilbride, Waterdown and surrounding areas for 23+ years! Thinking of moving to Burlington? Or selling your home? Contact Lori today to help get you on the right path to success.

The best parks in Burlington, Ontario

Active life is a happy life! Going to a park for a nice walk/run/jog, or playing organized sports with your friends is awesome. It keeps us in shape, gives us natural air and sun.. what else could be better.

Central Park (City of Burlington)
Central Park (City of Burlington)

One of the benefits of living in Burlington is all the awesome Burlington parks it has. Burlington residents love being active and support the lifestyle. That is why the city has always kept up with the park maintenance and expansion.

One of the newer parks is the City View park located up on Dundas St (Highway 5) just past Brant Street going towards Waterdown. It features tons of trails, lots of free parking space, 3 soccer fields, children’s playground area. Beautiful scenery from there, you can see the entire city and Lake Ontario.

Here are top 10 free parks in Burlington (not listed in any order):

  1. Nelson park
  2. Paletta Lakefront park
  3. Spencer Smith park
  4. Burloak Waterfront park
  5. Beachway park
  6. LaSalle park
  7. Hidden Valley park
  8. City View park
  9. Central park
  10. Lowville park

We’ve created a custom map that shows all the free parks (red) and the ones where you have to pay admission parks (blue).

What is your favourite park or a nature spot in Burlington?