Commute Time Should Be a TOP Priority When Buying a Home

That is one of my old school videos I made back in 2011 when I first started video blogging. While I wasn’t quite as slick or quick in front of the camera back then, the message I was talking about that day is more important than ever:

Less than 10% of home buyers I work with mention commute time as a priority.

Traffic is one of the most overlooked aspects in the home buying process

Above is a picture I snapped with my cell phone while driving back to the office from an appointment yesterday. Now for the record, I don’t use my phone when I drive, I was at a stand still because traffic was pretty bad on this day. During my traffic imposed time out I got to thinking that sitting in traffic sucks and as the years go by it isn’t getting better- in fact it’s getting worse. From time to time I get caught in traffic jams just like everyone else, but luckily I live 3 minutes away from my office and the majority of my clients don’t look at homes during rush hour (because they are stuck in it).

Commute time in Mississauga, Toronto and the rest of the GTA plays a huge factor in terms of your quality of life and if you have to commute any long distance it’s hard on your lifestyle to say the least. I heard a recent study say that the average commute time for GTA residents is well over 40 minutes and that is one way! It’s crazy when you add up the amount of hours people spend in their car just to get to and from work, never mind the ever rising cost of gas and wear and tear on your car. While I don’t have a crystal ball, I’m sure that a time will come (sooner then later) when the rising price of gas and the ever growing traffic congestion will make people think twice about that cheaper big house, in a new subdivision miles out of town.

2 years ago I posted a video on You Tube about real estate and commute time where I calculated the real cost of commute time in terms of time spent in a car during your working life. I must say that it’s pretty scary to think how long people spend in their cars and if the message in this video resonates with you, then Life Style Real Estate will appeal to you! Comments, questions? I’d love to hear from you!