Barton Street

by Darrin DeRoches November 4 - 10, 2010

A little while ago I wrote about the hot places to invest in Hamilton: the new McMaster Innovation Park area and Pier 4. but today I want to talk about the hottest street to invest in real estate right now: Barton Street.  That’s right, Barton Street.  What do you think I was going to say, Hess or Locke? Nope. The number one street for real estate investment right now is good old Barton Street. Let me explain.     Barton Street from Queen to Wentworth has quietly been improving over the last couple of years.  The great transformation of James Street North is connected to Barton Street.  The General Hospital has recently completed a huge revitalization to the tune of about $90 million.  An old school across from the hospital is almost completely renovated; it’s going to begin a new life an apartment block shortly.  A vacant lot at Barton and Ferguson is being converted into a parking lot with a rumoured A&W restaurant and a new Tim Hortons.  Plus just one street north of Barton a $10 million condo project just sold 21 of 36 proposed condos in its first weekend.     Wake up people! Where else in the city is this level of money being spent? It may be hard to believe that Barton’s turning into such a good bet, but it’s true.  There are real dollars being spent on a street that has seen better days.  So my point is that if you look around the area of Barton and James, you can find some cheap real estate that will be worth more in the near future.  Sure it may take some time, but the hospital’s investment on Barton has already spurred action in the area.  James Street North’s revitalization is creeping its way down to Barton, and the condo project, a possible Go station investment, and the already present Liuna Station make this area a real up and comer.  Barton Street leads right into the Pier 4 area, which will one day be a huge success.     So if you are thinking of investing in real estate and are looking for a big future return, look at Barton Street.  You can buy an undervalued home and rent it out to carry itself easily.  The area is on a steady upswing and you can ride the wave. The fact that a $10 million  condo project is being built off Barton Street and that 21 units are already sold is a huge indicator.  I will go into this project more in a future article.  Sure there is the jail and Hamilton’s only strip club in this area, but in the game of real estate, there will be high returns on your investments if you invest in good old Barton Street!  V Darrin DeRoches is a local real estate and mortgage broker. He can be reached to answer questions, comments or stories about real estate experiences through this weekly column at mail@uniquerealty.ca.