While COVID-19 did bring a sense of uncertainty to the housing market over the course of the past year, the pandemic also allowed buyers to take advantage of low bowering costs and prices to find a new home.
Because the truth is, the pandemic has made Canadians re-evaluate their idea of the home, as lower mortgage rates and new consumer trends continue to shape the real-estate market.
As such, given how much time residents spent at home over the past year --especially those working remotely -- more and more Canadians are moving outside of the city in search of bigger living spaces. Smaller, suburban cities are particularly popular right now, where buyers can get more for their dollar.
Recent Google Trends data revealed that housing and mortgage-related searches reached record highs over the last year, as Canadians went online to begin their home buying journey, and learn more about what’s required for homeownership.
READ: This Toronto Suburb Now Has an Average Home Price Over $2.1M
According to Google Canada, searches for house for sale, mortgage loans, mortgage calculators and mortgage rates are the highest they’ve been in five years.
What's more, the latest Google Trends data also revealed the top cities that Canadians were searching for to buy a new home in.
And based on the search results, the huge shift towards working from home has also opened up new geographic possibilities for many Canadians, as the search trends indicated that homeowners are looking to move outside of large city centres, and into cottages, or homes in suburban or rural areas.
The data tracked Canadians who Googled “houses in…” followed by a city name, and the results were the opposite of what you would expect to find in a large city.
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According to the search data, Cannington, ON was the most-searched-for Canadian city over the past year, a small suburb located just under two-hours north-east of Toronto that's nestled in the heart of Brock Township.
On the shores of the Beaver River, you’ll find charming Cannington, which is hallmarked by quaint shops, boutiques, and restaurants, along with some great trails, which make it an appealing place to live.
According to the search results, there were four other Ontario cities to make the top ten most-Googled cities, including Orléans, Clarington, Kawartha Lakes, and London.
The real question though, is where are you looking...
Top cities Canadians are searching for ‘houses' in:
- Cannington, Ontario
- Orléans, Ontario
- Clarington, Ontario
- Surrey, BC
- Port Moody, BC
- Kawartha Lakes, ON
- London, ON
- Laval, QC
- Abbotsford, BC
- Langley, BC
