Vieux Port is the historical neighbourhood and the cradle of the city of Montreal, which has been the economic heart of Canada for decades, thanks to its banks on the Saint-Jacques Street and its warehouses along the river.
This neighbourhood was formerly surrounded by fortifications, which limited for a long time the expansion of the city.
In the past ten years, this neighbourhood faced a true real-estate boom. Lots of inhabitants moved to Vieux Port, which had been abandoned by department stores for over a century and which had been dropped by business companies in favour of a new center in the North. Nowadays, condos, luxury properties, boutiques, art galleries and upscale restaurants have replaced closed down warehouses. The Vieux Port neighbourhood is a trendy place to discover.
After a decrease between 2011 and 2014, the real-estate market has risen by 5% regarding the number of properties sold in Montreal in 2016. Thousands of condos have been built in the region of Montreal these last years and many of them are still unoccupied and still on the housing market. According to real-estate experts, 2017 would be characterized by a slowing down of sells due to new mortgage loan measures. However, the growth of the employment market and the low unemployment rate should boost property sells.