Housing in Halifax is very affordable, the urban commutes reasonable and traffic tie-ups rare. We have good schools, teaching students in both French and English and some of Canada’s best universities.
My aim is to help my clients make the best decisions for them and I work very hard to achieve that. I have a good working knowledge of the entire Halifax Regional Municipality and represent sellers and buyers.
Overview: The Halifax Regional Municipality comprises the old cities of Halifax, Dartmouth, the towns of Bedford and Sackville and surrounding suburban area. Almost all of HRM would be within one hour’s driving time to downtown Halifax. Geographically, there is the peninsula of Halifax which is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Northwest Arm and Bedford Basin and the main business and entertainment district is here. Many tourists visit Halifax, especially during the summer months and the Halifax waterfront is very enjoyable at this time of year. Many large cruise ships visit the Port and there are two major container terminals through which a great many goods arrive, destined for other parts of Canada and the US and goods made in Canada leave for other parts of the world. The Halifax Harbour is busy with commercial shipping, passenger ferries and pleasure boaters. From here, the Municipality stretches south and east along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and inland towards the centre of the Province. The landscape is very rugged along the coast, forested inland with gentle hills.
Halifax Peninsula:
This is the heart of Halifax with a large downtown core. Many businesses are located here and more than 65% of the working population commutes here to work each day. There is always lots happening downtown including dining, theatre, art galleries and lots of summertime events on the waterfront such as the Buskers’ Festival. The Metro Centre – a major sports and concert venue and the World Trade Centre are located downtown.
The residential areas are divided into four MLS areas:
Area 1: Central Halifax comprises some older neighbourhoods which are being rejuvenated due to its proximity to the downtown area. There is also some subsidized and low-end housing in the area which makes for an eclectic mixture of residents. There have recently been new condominiums constructed in this area which are very popular.
Area 2: The Southend of Halifax is generally the most expensive place to live, not only on the Peninsula but the entire Municipality. There are many larger, older character homes as well as upper end condominiums. Point Pleasant Park is located on the most southern tip of the Peninsula and it is a real gem with acres of woodland and oceanfront, picnic areas and trails for walking or biking. Halifax’s major universities, Dalhouse, St. Mary’s, Kings and Daltech are all located in Southend Halifax.
Area 3: Halifax northend is still affordable and has become a sought-after area to live by families, couples and singles. Much of this area was devastated by the 1917 Halifax Explosion and was rebuilt over the following forty years or so. It is a mixture of single family homes including many smaller homes which were built by veterans of the second World War and which still are owned by the original owners and more recent condominiums. One very popular area is the “Hydrostones”, a ten-block section of mostly townhouses, boulevarded streets and a lovely neighbourhood market area and there is often fierce competition for these when one of them hits the market.
Area 4: The Westend has popular family neighbourhoods and is the second most desirable area on the peninsula, next to the Southend. Halifax’s major shopping mall, The Halifax Shopping Centre is located here. There are lots of single family homes with plenty of small parks mixed in.
Mainland South: This comprises MLS areas 6, 7, 8 and 9 and the communities of Fairview, Purcell’s Cove, Herring Cove, Spryfield, Harrietsfield, Williamswood and Sambro. These are older communities, each with its own character and you will find pockets of very affordable housing, some new construction as well as some upper end homes located along the west side of the Northwest Arm. There are two major yacht clubs along the Purcell’s Cove Road. The fishing villages of Herring Cove and Sambro are very scenic and there are some fine beaches near Sambro.
Clayton Park and Bedford (MLS areas 5 and 20) : These are very popular urban neighbourhoods which have expanded greatly in the past few years. There is lots of newer housing to choose from, condominiums, townhouses and semi-detached. The areas are popular with families because of their reputation for good schools. Some condominiums and homes have wonderful views out over the Bedford Basin and there are some steep streets into the various neighbourhoods. The Bedford downtown has some unique shops and major businesses and the Bayers Lake Business Park is the big-box store area of Halifax. Home prices can be moderate to high, depending on the neighbourhood.
Western outskirts (mls areas 21 and 40): There are some very affordable semi-detached homes in Timberlea (area 40) but much of areas 40 and 21 are country-size, unserviced (well and septic systems) lots. This would include the Kingswood, Haliburton Hills, Highland Park, Westwood Hills subdivisions and those in the Pockwock area. The Glen Arbour subdivision has some very exclusive homes and features one of the premier golf courses in Nova Scotia. There is less density of housing, mostly wooded lots and many small lakes within the various subdivisions. Most homeowners would commute by car into Halifax to work (approx. 30 minutes to downtown) but there is some bus service on the main roads. Almost all children would be bussed to school.
Sackville: MLS areas 25 and 26 are still very affordable and is one of Halifax’s oldest bedroom communities. The area has steadily developed and grown and the business district now boasts major shopping and movie theatres. There is lots of entry level housing as well as move-up homes, some in serviced areas and others on well and septic.
Eastern regions: MLS areas 30, 31 and 35 comprise Fall River, Musquodoboit, Lake Echo, Porters’ Lake and the eastern shore oceanfront. Fall River is a very popular residential area with larger lots, higher end properties, many of which have municipal water service. Highways 102 and 107 are relatively quick commutes to Halifax via the bridges. Area 35 is the most distant and correspondingly the least expensive area to live and the commute time would average 45-60 minutes to the bridges. There are some very scenic areas and nice beaches along the eastern shore but most services would require a commute to Dartmouth. Two of the largest lakes are Lake Echo and Porter’s Lake and there are some spectacular lakefront properties on each.
Dartmouth:
Old Dartmouth: MLS areas 10, 12, 13 are becoming very popular because of their proximity to the Macdonald Bridge which provides an easy commute to downtown. There is a mixture of older, historic homes, post WWII era homes and some new construction. Many of the local people say that the best view of Halifax is from Dartmouth! There is a downtown development plan in place which provides for more housing including several condominium projects which are planned for the area. There is a small downtown business district and Lake Banook, the site of world class canoeing and kayaking is in this area. An easy way to commute to Halifax is by passenger ferry from the Dartmouth Waterfront to the Halifax Waterfront which runs every 15 minutes during peak hours. How about a cruise to begin and end your work day!
Dartmouth suburbs: mls areas 14, 15, 16 and 17 including Montebello, Woodlawn, Colby Village and Forest Hills and Portland Estates. This is great suburban living with good schools, major shopping and services, a sports and recreation centre all close by. The commute to the bridges would be 15-20 minutes on average. Areas such as Woodlawn (17) and Forest Hills (15) are generally most affordable with Montebello (14), Colby Village (16) and Portland Estates (16) providing large homes and higher prices.
