Parking garages and renovated kitchens and bathrooms figure highly into what potential condo buyers desire when purchasing a home.
Respondents in Wahi’s 2025 What Homeseekers Want Survey listed the features and amenities that matter most if they were to purchase a home. The survey was conducted between February 27 and March 3, 2025, among a representative sample of 1,510 online Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. Sixty-one per cent of respondents desire single-family homes and 24 per cent prefer condos or apartments.
Condo seekers also favour visitor parking (36 per cent), while others prefer high-end appliances (33 per cent) and a scenic view (30 per cent), neither of which were high priorities for respondents interested in a single-family home.
Among those who desire single-family homes, a finished basement is strongly preferred (42 per cent) as it may align with some Canadians wanting to rent out a portion of their home.
“The results of Wahi’s 2025 What Homeseekers Want Survey don’t just tell us about what kind of homes Canadians prefer, they also speak to underlying demographic trends and, in some cases, affordability issues,” said Wahi CEO Benjy Katchen.
For example, a separate entrance (which can offer potential rental income) was an important attribute for respondents in the nation’s two most expensive provinces: British Columbia (27 per cent) and Ontario (20 per cent).
When it comes to factors influencing homebuying or renting preferences, rising home prices or rental costs were most common (40 per cent), followed by wanting more quiet (36 per cent) or outdoor space (32 per cent). More than three-quarters of Canadians said that if they were in the market for a new home to rent or own, a backyard is important, or very important.
Having a home with an entertainment room is more important to respondents who identify as men (48 per cent) compared to women (30 per cent) and is most important to households with kids (47 per cnt) compared to those without kids (36 per cent). The mudroom is also an important feature for households with kids (51 per cent).
Specifically for single-family homes, 68 per cent of baby boomers and 52 per cent of Gen X respondents say a bungalow-style home is important, versus 28 per cent of millennials and 13 per cent of Gen Z. Older Canadians are more likely to find a scenic view important.
