When someone says they want to buy in Nepean, they have told me almost nothing, and I mean that kindly. Nepean is the whole west-central band of the city between the river and the greenbelt. Prices run $500K to $900K, and inside that range are 1960s bungalows on 60-foot lots, 1990s two-storeys near the college, and townhomes from every decade in between.
What it has that Kanata and Barrhaven do not is location. Nepean is twenty minutes from everything. It is the middle ground, and it is quieter about it than it should be.
The pockets
| Built | What you get | In the range | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centrepointe | 1980s to 90s | Two-storeys and townhomes around Ben Franklin Place, next to Algonquin College and the Baseline transit hub. The most connected pocket. | Middle to high |
| Craig Henry and Arlington Woods | 1970s | Established family streets, bigger lots, mature trees, near the greenbelt. | Middle |
| Trend-Arlington and Manordale | 1960s | Bungalows and split-levels on wide lots. The classic Nepean starter house, often original inside. | Low to middle |
| Bells Corners | 1960s to 70s | Its own small main street on Robertson Road, big lots, close to the 416 and the 417. | Low to middle |
| Crystal Beach and Lakeview | 1960s to 70s | By the river at the west end. Quiet, walking distance to the water, near the defence campus. | Middle to high |
| Merivale Gardens and Country Place | 1970s to 80s | Large lots along the greenbelt south of Hunt Club. The closest thing to country inside the city. | High |
| City View and Fisher Heights | 1950s to 60s | The older streets closest to the core, near Merivale Road shopping. Small houses, good bones. | Low to middle |
The 1960s house
Half of Nepean was built between 1960 and 1975, and a lot of it is on its first or second owner. That means big lots, solid construction, and a list of things to check that is longer than in a suburb built in 2010.
Aluminum wiring in some mid-1970s houses, which insurers ask about. Original windows. A furnace that may have been replaced once. A basement the owner finished in 1985. None of this is a reason to walk away; most of it is a reason to budget. The lot is usually worth the trouble. Here is what a home inspection covers.
Getting around
Nepean is the best-connected suburb in the west end. Baseline station is the hub for buses from everywhere south and west, and the train is being extended to Algonquin College and out to Moodie Drive near Bells Corners. Both are under construction. I do not quote dates on Ottawa transit, but the corridor is real and the stations are being built.
By car, Hunt Club, Baseline and the 417 get you downtown in 20 to 30 minutes from most pockets. Kanata is fifteen minutes the other way. If your household has one person downtown and one in the tech park, Nepean is usually where I send you.
Bells Corners and the campus
The federal defence headquarters moved thousands of staff to the Carling campus at the west end of Nepean, and Bells Corners and Crystal Beach have felt it. Streets that were quiet and a little overlooked now have buyers who want to walk or bike to work. If you work there, this is your pocket. If you do not, it is still one of the last places in the west end with a real main street and 1960s lots at a price that makes sense.
What buyers get wrong
- They dismiss Nepean as old. It is. The lots are twice the size of anything built since, and a renovated 1965 bungalow in Craig Henry sells for what a new townhouse in Barrhaven does, with a yard you can put a pool in.
- They search the word "Nepean" and get listings from Bells Corners to Hunt Club. Pick the pocket first. They are twenty minutes apart.
- They price a Centrepointe townhouse against a Barrhaven one and decide Nepean is expensive. Add the second car and the hour a day you get back, and it is not.
Who is happy here
Families who want an established neighbourhood with big trees and big lots. Split-commute households. Upsizers coming from Hintonburg or Centretown who want a yard and a garage without a forty-minute drive. Buyers who like the idea of the greenbelt trail at the end of the street.
Who is not: anyone who wants new. Nepean has very little new construction, and what there is prices high. If a brand-new house is the point, look south or west.
Selling in Nepean
Nepean houses sell to buyers who know exactly what a 1960s lot is worth and are checking the wiring. Pricing means being honest about condition and confident about the land. I do both. Ask for a real number.
Nepean is where I send buyers who have priced everything else and want the sensible answer. It rarely wins on the first showing and it usually wins on the third. Tell me your budget and where each of you works, and I will tell you which pocket to start in.
Questions I get about Nepean
Is Nepean a good place to live?
Yes, and it is underrated. Established neighbourhoods, big lots, the best transit connections in the west end, and 20 to 30 minutes to downtown. The trade-off is older housing that needs checking and budgeting.
How much does a house cost in Nepean?
Most sell between $500K and $900K. Townhomes and original 1960s bungalows start the range; renovated houses in Craig Henry, Centrepointe and along the greenbelt end it.
Is Nepean part of Ottawa?
Yes. Nepean was its own city until amalgamation and is now the west-central part of Ottawa, between the river and the greenbelt. The name still appears on addresses and in listings.
What neighbourhoods are in Nepean?
Centrepointe, Craig Henry, Arlington Woods, Trend-Arlington, Manordale, City View, Fisher Heights, Bells Corners, Crystal Beach, Lakeview, Merivale Gardens and Country Place, among others. Barrhaven was also part of the old city of Nepean and is usually treated as its own area now.
Thinking about Nepean?
Tell me where each of you works. Nepean is usually the answer to a split commute.