For many restless Toronto residents, the COVID-19 pandemic was the final kick they needed to finally swap the city’s concrete jungle for more space in suburbia – and beyond, in some cases.

In a climate of eerily vacant downtown offices, Zoom meetings, silent concert venues, empty (or permanently closed) city restaurants, and perpetual stir craziness, the appeal of trading downtown Toronto for the surrounding suburbs is admittedly understandable.

With Toronto currently a shell of what it was pre-pandemic (to say the least, sadly), and a tedious daily commute now removed from the equation, the relatively more affordable suburbia allures with its offerings of plentiful square footage, a sense of community, and green space – at a time of a collective, pandemic-inspired craving for all three. Record-low mortgage rates from the Bank of Canada also don’t hurt.

“Initially, the lockdowns curbed real estate sales because no one could get out to see or buy houses,” said Diana Petramala, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Urban Research and Land Development (CUR) at Ryerson University. “The entrance of new technology and the widespread use of virtual viewings changed that.”

And it changed quickly.

Ontario’s real estate market swiftly jumped back to life by late spring, especially as presumably cooped-up urban homebuyers began to look past the confines of the city; to the major suburbs, cottage country, and even in some cases to other provinces altogether

We’re experiencing a real estate market driven largely by the millennials, says Petramala. With a desire and newfound need for more space to accommodate home offices and growing families, this demographic is opting to trade their shiny shoeboxes in the sky (see: Toronto condos under 600 sq ft) for homes in suburbia and smaller cities, as both become increasingly desired spots to live (and work remotely). Though millennial-centric, the exodus from the city, however, is evident across all generations, says Petramala.

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