What is an Infill Home?
An infill home is known as a new home on an old lot. In most cases, an older home is removed and in infill “fills in” the place where it stood. So, an infill home is a brand new home built in an existing, older neighbourhood.
Real Estate Agent Explains Infill Homes
Infill homes are often built on lots that had an older house on them. Sometimes the value of the lot and location is too great to have a small, older home on it. When the property sells, the new owner’s plan is to build something new on the lot. This situation is common in established areas where there is a high value in the lot, but not much value in the existing house itself.
Other infill homes may be built on previously vacant lots that have been split off from another, larger parcel. This is common in areas where there were double lots previously, but they have been split up and the newly divided lot is sold to someone looking to build a home in the area. In more recent years, skinny houses are being built on larger lots, which are subdivided to hold two skinny houses.
Infill homes are quite often much larger than the current homes in an established neighbourhood. For example, the image of the infill being built in Sherwood, Edmonton, shown below is about twice the size of the average home in the area, and three times the size of the home that was previously on the lot. Older neighborhoods tend to have much larger lot sizes than brand-new areas, and so they can be desirable for people interested in having a new home but also having an excellent, central location and a large lot.
It is important to note that infill homes are a little more environmentally friendly compared to new homes on new lots. This is because no more land is taken to build a home – it is built in an existing area. Infill homes are beneficial also because no new services need to be built in new areas either – all gas lines, sewer lines, power and roadways area already constructed. This is one of the reasons that the City of Edmonton has been promoting people building new houses in established communities.
So if you want a new home, but you want to be close to the city centre or the river valley, an infill home might be right for you!
Why Does It Matter?
Infill homes can bring up the value of all homes in an area because they are new, and they raise the average selling price of a neighbourhood. Also, new homes can brighten up older neighbourhoods, where many homes have deteriorated over time.
That being said, there are some people who do not like new homes and had purposefully moved to an area where there were older, character homes because that is what they are attracted to. In that case, an infill home may detract from a current owner’s enjoyment of their area. Also, the size of infill homes can sometimes be out of proportion with houses currently in the area. One thing is certain, infill homes are here to stay in Edmonton. In fact, Edmonton has been called a leader in infill development.
If you are looking for an infill home in Edmonton, or are interested in purchasing a vacant lot or lot value home to build your own infill, please contact me and I can certainly help out.
