Being A Vacation Destination Is Helping To Increase Wasaga Beach Real Estate Values
June 19th, 2010
Wasaga Beach has forever been a favorite destination for nearby Toronto residents because it lays claim to having longest fresh water beach in the world, but it did not officially get to be a town until January of 1974. Consequently, the community has continually climbed — from 12,419 permanent residents in 2001 to 15,029 when the 2006 census was taken.
As the numbers keep on rinsing, Wasaga Beach has earned a reputation as one of the fastest growing communities in Canada. The amount of sales and the extent of Wasaga Beach real estate sold is increasing substantially — especially since 2009 — and new residents are constructing houses as the desire for more seasonal properties is increasing, and cottages and recreational homes are springing up along the sought after beach front.
Residents and tourists alike are lured to Wasaga Beach by the the fourteen kilometers of family friendly sandy open beaches that include the Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, which was awarded the prestigious Blue Flag designation for its endeavors to govern Wasaga’s shoreline in accordance with international environmental guidlines. In the summer, residents and vacationers alike take advantage of sunbathing and activities like volleyball and jogging along the sandy beaches which are numbered 1-6 — with 1 and 2 being the most well-liked. The same stretch of beach turns into a wintertime mecca for sports buffs who come to snowmobile and cross country ski on the well-groomed trails.
The expansion that Wasaga Beach has experienced has not been deterred by the massive fire that destroyed a large portion of the main street businesses and apartments to to mention the pedestrian mall on November 30, 2007. The community has responded with a large building boom that will include a monorail service along a modern style beach front with retail, restaurants, and an indoor/outdoor theme area. currently, the Georgian Coach Lines — which provides area transportation services –has had to expand their routes twice since 2008 to cope with the demand of the growing area and offers an east-west loop through the town from 7AM to 7PM everyday.
The growing accessibility of services and products in Wasaga Beach has helped push home sales up 65 percent in the first part of 2010 when put up against the same period last year. The month of March 2010 experienced a whopping 50 percent rise that also had a positive affect on the adjacent Collingwood real estate market. Even more reassuring were the price range escalations, up to 172 percent in some parts of the Greater Toronto Area, with houses that were asking 300K moving into the 350K to 500K vicinity. This kind of price surge can, partly, be associated with recreational purchasers, but it also is a sign that Wasaga Beach is turning into a popular retirement choice for more affluent residents who buy upscale estates. But no doubt the general appeal of the Georgian Triangle ‘quality of life’ will continue to attract the attention in a broad range of potential purchasers who are lured in by the natural beauty of Wasaga Beach, but enjoy the advantage of having the services of Toronto that is just a two hour driving distance.