Jason Vanerp and his wife bought their semi-detached house in Barrie five years ago, but it no longer fits their growing family.

The trouble is housing prices in Barrie are now so high they've had to look elsewhere.

February data from the Barrie and District Association of Realtors shows the average sale price of a single-detached home in Barrie went up by a whopping 39 per cent in the past year.

“Selling the house was really easy. Buying was a little bit more of an issue. We did look around, put a few offers in; it's a tight market to try to buy a house right now,” he says.

Local realtors say it’s becoming a real problem for homeowners in Barrie who want to stay in the city and buy something bigger.

“Families can no longer afford to buy a home. Many are being forced to move north or somewhere else, and that's creating a destabilizing family environment,” says Ian Hocking, a realtor.

Vanerp and his family decided to buy their next house in Orillia. Now they'll have a longer commute and their kids will be in new schools.

But staying in Barrie just didn't make financial sense.

“You know it's like a shark tank, you've gotta be really, really creative on how you get a house.”

Most realtors I spoke with do agree that there will be a "correction" at some point.