Townhouses For Sale in Georgian Drive, Barrie

Living between the college and the hospital

Two institutions shape this area: Georgian College and Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre. Many townhouse listings mention a walk to one or both. That matters to hospital staff, to students and their parents, and to downsizers who want to be close to the hospital.

Highway 400 forms the northern edge, Duckworth Street the west and Penetanguishene Road the east. The Duckworth interchange gives quick access to the highway.

Early-2000s rows, condos and stacked units

Nearly half of the homes in Georgian Drive were built between 2001 and 2005, and row houses are a large share of the housing, close to three in ten. Listings include standard condo townhouses, stacked townhouses and some freehold rows, on streets such as Sydenham Wells, Dunsmore Lane and Cheltenham Road.

Renters make up a significant part of the area, which is unusual for a Barrie suburb. That has two sides: steady rental demand for investors and more investor-owned units within condo complexes.

The area was built quickly, so many complexes share similar layouts: a garage or parking pad at the front, a main floor with a kitchen and living area, and two or three bedrooms up. Stacked units split this into upper and lower homes, each with its own entrance.

The investor angle, and what to check

• Rental rules. Read the condo's declaration and rules for any leasing limits or minimum terms.
• Licensing. Check whether the City of Barrie requires a licence for the type of rental you plan, especially for rooming arrangements near the college.
• Owner-occupancy mix. Ask the property manager roughly how many units are rented; it affects how the complex is run.
• Parking. Stacked units often come with one space. Visitor parking can be tight in complexes near the college.

Stacked townhouses: what changes

If you are coming from a GTA stacked town, the layout will feel familiar. If not, a few points are worth knowing.

• Upper versus lower. Upper units usually have more stairs and a balcony or rooftop space. Lower units often have a small patio and sometimes share a wall with a parking garage.
• Sound. You share a floor or ceiling as well as walls. Ask about past noise complaints and look at flooring.
• Fees. Stacked complexes often have more shared systems than row complexes, which affects the fee and the reserve fund.
• Resale pool. Buyers include students' parents, hospital staff and investors, which can keep demand steady.

For a downsizer who wants one-level living, a lower stacked unit can be one of the few townhouse options without a full flight of stairs, so it is worth asking about.

Parks and getting around

The area has a couple of parks with playgrounds and sports facilities, and residents use the Hickling and Johnson trails and Johnson's Beach on Kempenfelt Bay. Barrie Transit runs through the area, and the downtown terminal is a short ride away. GTA commuters drive the 400 or take the train from Allandale Waterfront GO.

Hospital shift workers often value the short trip home more than anything else on this list. If that is you, map the walk or drive at shift-change times, since traffic around the hospital and the college peaks at predictable hours. Lake access at Johnson's Beach is a short drive east.