It's all well and good to know where the shopping malls and tourist attractions are if you're just visiting a city like Kingston, but you need a little bit more information if you're going to be living there. Will a Toronto taxi company do pickups there? How much do houses cost? Are the real estate market values increasing or decreasing? What types of homes can I expect to find there? Will I need a real estate agent's assistance if I want to buy into this market? These are the questions we will attempt to address with this guide to Kingston, Ontario real estate.
Kingston's nickname, the Limestone City, gives us insight into its architectural landscape right off the bat. With plenty of limestone up for harvest in the area, you can hardly expect large numbers of big buildings like apartment blocks or condo towers to be built of glass and steel like King West Condos in Toronto. Carved into blocks or bricks, limestone can be used as a building material for smaller residential properties as well, so expect to see that as an option.
You'll see a range of architectural styles represented in Kingston. European settlement in the area dates back to 1673 and the fortifications from the War of 1812 are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Most of the historic residential homes you find, however, will date from after this period, as it marked the end of armed strife and the beginning of the population boom. Some things you might find include elegant stone scroll work on apartment buildings, reminiscent of St Lawrence Market condos in Toronto, Victorian style homes, and other English or Colonial architectural influences.
The cost of a home in Kingston will vary depending on the size of the unit and its location in the city. It being a fairly small city, don't expect as many condo and townhouse options as you would find if you were searching for homes for sale in Milton. Most of the multi-unit or high density living space is either located downtown or part of Queens University or Canadian Forces Base Kingston. The most popular form of housing is the single family detached house.
Average prices for homes in Kingston are on the rise, indicating that the area is recovering from the recession. A house in Kingston, as of October 2009, costs around $240,000, which is even less than you'd expect to pay if you were buying a small condo from a Etobicoke real estate agent in Greater Toronto. As always, you'll have more options, be more informed, and have the potential to get a better deal if you enlist the aid of a Kingston real estate agent during your search for a home, so make sure you contact someone for help.
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