Westboro is the neighbourhood buyers name when they want urban without downtown. Richmond Road has the shops and restaurants, the river and the beach are a ten-minute walk north, and the Transitway runs through the middle of it. Prices run $650K to $1.3M and past it, and demand does not let up.
It is also the neighbourhood whose name gets stretched furthest by listings. So before the money, the map.
Where Westboro actually is
Westboro proper is roughly Island Park to the east, Golden Avenue to the west, the river to the north and the 417 to the south. Everything around it borrows the name.
| Built | What you get | Versus Westboro proper | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westboro Village | 1900s to 1940s, heavily infilled | Walk to everything. The semis and the doubles. The noise from Richmond Road. | The address itself, priced accordingly |
| Westboro Beach | 1920s to 50s | Quieter streets north of the Transitway, close to the river and the parkway. | Similar price, less commercial noise |
| McKellar Park | 1940s and 50s | Bigger lots, detached houses, family streets, a slightly longer walk to Richmond. | Often more per house, less per square foot |
| Highland Park | 1940s and 50s | South of Richmond Road toward the 417. Established and quiet. | A little less than Westboro |
| Carlingwood | 1950s and 60s | Bungalows on wide lots by the mall, west of Woodroffe. | Noticeably less. Where I send buyers priced out of Westboro |
The infill semi
Half of what sells in Westboro now is a modern semi-detached on a lot where one bungalow used to stand. Three storeys, big windows, a rooftop deck, and a shared wall with a house that looks exactly like yours. They are well built and they are what the money buys.
What I want you to know before you fall for one: the lot is 25 feet wide. The yard is a patio. The parking is a single spot out front, if that. And the other half of the semi has a different owner with different taste, and you will find out about it when they put a hot tub on the roof. None of this is a reason to pass. All of it is a reason to look at the whole street before you look at the unit.
The old houses
The other half of Westboro is 1920s to 1950s houses that have not been replaced yet. Some are renovated to the studs. Some are original, which in Westboro means knob-and-tube wiring, a stone foundation, and a furnace old enough to vote. On a $900K house the inspection is not a formality. Here is what a home inspection covers.
Getting around
This is the best-connected neighbourhood in the west end. Buses run on the Transitway from Westboro and Dominion stations to downtown in fifteen minutes, and the train is being extended through the same corridor. Most of my Westboro clients own one car or none. If you are choosing between a house here and a bigger one in Kanata, count the second car in the Kanata price.
What buyers get wrong
- They shop the whole west end under the Westboro search and pay Westboro prices for Carlingwood.
- They compare a Westboro semi to a Barrhaven detached on price alone. It is a different product. You are buying the location and the resale, and both have held up.
- They win a bidding war on emotion because the house is on the right street. Westboro sells with offer dates and multiple bids more often than almost anywhere in the city. Decide your ceiling the week before, and read up on how offer nights go in Ottawa.
Who is happy here
Young professionals who want to walk to dinner and bus to work. Families who want the schools and the beach in summer. Downsizers coming from a big house in Nepean or Kanata who want to keep a bit of yard and lose the driving. Westboro suits all three, which is exactly why it costs what it costs.
Who is not: buyers who want quiet. Richmond Road is busy until late, the infill construction is constant, and the beach in July is a crowd. If you want Westboro's shops with a quieter street, look at Westboro Beach or Highland Park first.
Selling in Westboro
This is the easiest neighbourhood in the west end to sell in and the easiest to underprice. Infill lot value and finished house value are two different numbers, and which one your buyer is paying depends on the street. I will tell you which you have. Ask for a real number.
I send buyers to Westboro when it fits and I talk them out of it when it does not. If you are not sure which you are, tell me the budget and how much yard you actually use, and I will give you an honest answer, which may be Carlingwood.
Questions I get about Westboro
Is Westboro expensive?
By Ottawa standards, yes. Most homes sell between $650K and $1.3M, and the infill semis and renovated detached houses go well past that. You are paying for Richmond Road, the transit and the resale.
What is the difference between Westboro and Wellington Village?
Wellington Village is east of Island Park, between Westboro and Hintonburg. Smaller lots, a bit closer to downtown, similar prices, and its own stretch of Wellington Street shops.
Is Westboro good for families?
Yes. The schools are among the most requested in the west end, the beach and the parkway paths are close, and most streets off Richmond Road are quiet. The trade-offs are yard size and price.
How do you get downtown from Westboro?
Buses on the Transitway from Westboro or Dominion station take about fifteen minutes. The train is being extended through the same corridor. By bike along the river it is twenty minutes.
Thinking about Westboro?
Tell me the budget and how much yard you use. The honest answer might be Carlingwood.