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The price of a new home within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has hit record levels. Market statistics provided by Realnet show that the average price of a ‘low-rise’ new home (i.e. detached, semi-detached, townhome) reached $705,813 at the end of December 2014. The word ‘affordable’ has all but vanished from our vocabulary when describing the ‘new’ home environment within the GTA. All but vanished, save for Durham Region where buyers of new homes can still find a strong “price to value” relationship. Townhomes priced under $325,000 and single detached homes at under $500,000 comprise the’ lionshare’ of new home product found in Durham Region. It is interesting to note that many of the buyers now purchasing in Durham Region previously resided in the east-end of the former City of Toronto and in communities within York Region. Their reason for buying in Durham “more bang for my buck.” Why settle for a townhome when they can buy a single detached home in Oshawa or move from a small lot single detached home to a 40 or 50 foot lot in Durham for the same money. As affordability becomes more and more constrained within the GTA, north and west, the east has a whole lot more to offer!