In 2006, when Manouk Alexanian decided to buy a condo, he quickly found himself priced out of Montreal.
"I looked around the downtown area for condos and the prices were high, sizes were small and the taxes were high as well," said the 29-year-old consultant. "But since my job is in downtown, I needed a fast way to get there."
Rather than sacrifice space or convenience, Alexanian began to look north, in Laval, where prices were lower and a newly-extended métro line was set to open. After less than two weeks, he found a 900-square-foot apartment for $120,000, about two blocks from the de la Concorde métro, one of the three new métro stations that opened last year.
