By Stephen Rolston (Founder of Land Ark Homes)
When I was 25 and looking to start homebuilding, building lots in Mississauga or Oakville were $100,000. I couldn’t qualify for the loan needed to start my company.
Then I read in the Toronto Star real estate section about Stittsville, a bedroom community outside Ottawa that had one of the highest per capita income levels in Canada. The community had high-tech and government workers with stable incomes where new 50’ home building lots were only $50,000.
So I “drove until I qualified”, moved to Ottawa and started Land Ark Homes. Since then we’ve helped more than 400 families in over 10 different communities thrive and flourish.
Today the cost of building lots is much worse than it was 30 years ago.
Even starter single-family homes in more outlying areas of the GTA like Georgetown or Guelph now cost over $1,000,000.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Finding a great place to live doesn’t have to be hard, especially if you can work remotely. We like to say that at Watercolour Westport we offer people “a better place to call home.” Watercolour is a place where you can have your home and cottage in one with a better location three hours from Montreal and Toronto, 75 minutes from Ottawa, 45 minutes from Kingston, and 25 minutes from Perth.
Today, remote and hybrid workers can do what I did and drive till they qualify, stopping in Westport. New homes here are $250,000 less than in Stittsville and $750,000 less than in Mississauga and Oakville.
People aren’t choosing Westport just because they can afford a beautiful home here. They’re choosing a better life. Westport is a complete, 15-minute walkable village where all your daily needs are nearby. The pharmacy, grocery library, brewery and winery are all within a 15 minute walk. Remote workers can thrive here with only one car.
If you’re in the GTA, drive till you qualify and find the perfect place to live in Westport.
