TORONTO, September 4, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Paul Etherington reported 7,600 sales through the TorontoMLS system in August 2014. This result was up by 2.8 per cent compared to 7,391 transactions reported in August 2013. Year-to-date sales through the end of August amounted to 65,454, which represented an increase of 6.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2013.

“The last full month of summer ended on a high note. As we look toward the fall market, I expect that demand for ownership housing will remain strong. Home buyers will continue to benefit from a diversity of affordable home ownership opportunities throughout the GTA. The fact that sales were up for all major home types in August suggests that first-time buyers and existing home owners remain very active in today’s marketplace,” said Mr. Etherington.

The average selling price in August 2014 was $546,303 – up 8.9 per cent in comparison to the average of $501,677 reported in August 2013. The year-to-date average price through August was $562,504, which represented an increase of 8.5 per cent in comparison to the same period in 2013.

“The number of listings in August was down in comparison to last year, while the number of sales increased. This means that sellers’ market conditions remained in place with a lot of competition between buyers. This is why we continued to see strong price growth last month. Looking forward, if sales growth continues to outstrip listings growth, the average selling price should continue to increase on a year-over-year basis,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

TORONTO, August 18, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Paul Etherington announced mid-month figures for August 2014 that point to continued strength in the GTA housing market. There were 3,504 sales reported through the TorontoMLS system during the first 14 days of August. This result was up by 7.6 per cent compared to the same period in August 2013.

“Sales were up strongly for all major home types across the GTA through the first two weeks of August. This means that many different types of buyers were active in the marketplace, including first-time buyers purchasing newly listed condominium apartments and existing homeowners changing their housing situation to meet their current needs,” said Mr. Etherington.

Tight market conditions, especially for detached and semi-detached houses, drove strong price growth in the first half of August. The overall average selling price was up by 9.4 per cent year-over-year to $538,530. The strongest price growth was experienced in the detached market segment, with the average detached price up by 12.3 per cent year-over-year.

“During the first 14 days of August, the number of home sales grew at a faster pace year-over-year compared to the number of homes listed for sale. This means that competition between buyers increased relative to the same period last year, which explains the continuation of very strong average price growth in the GTA,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

TORONTO, July 16, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Paul Etherington announced that Toronto MLS home sales through the first 14 days of July 2014 were up by 11.6 per cent year-over-year to 3,891. New listings were also up compared to the same period in 2013, but by a lesser annual rate of 9.7 per cent.

“There are two key takeaways from the July mid-month results. First, given the continuation of strong sales growth, it is clear that buyers are still attracted to affordable home ownership options in the GTA. Second, if new listings growth begins to outpace sales growth, we could start to see an improvement in the overall supply of homes for sale. This would be a relief for some buyers who have been hard pressed to find a home that meets their needs in this tight market,” said Mr. Etherington.

The average selling price for sales reported during the first two weeks of July 2014 was $549,174. This result was up by eight per cent compared to the same period in 2013. The strongest rates of price growth were reported for semi-detached houses and townhouses in the City of Toronto.

“Annual average price growth remains in the high single-digits or low double-digits for many home types across the GTA. It is possible that we could see more choice for buyers in the second half of 2014 in the form of increased new listings. A sustained increase in choice for buyers could serve to gradually ease the pace of price growth in some market segments,” said Jason Mercer, the Toronto Real Estate Board’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) announced that Canadian housing starts are trending at 184,438 units, a slight increase compared to the 183,872 units in April. Housing starts across the country have remained steady for the past three months, which is a sign of market stabilization.

The trending figure is a six-month moving average of monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR), so the figures are based on start numbers that have been modified to remove seasonal variation. The figures are multiplied by 12 to represent an annual average.

“In May, the trend in housing starts was virtually unchanged for the third consecutive month. This is in line with CMHC’s analysis indicating that the new home construction market in Canada is headed for a soft landing in 2014,” said Bruno Duhamel, Manager, Housing and Economic Analysis. “Builders are expected to continue to manage their starts activity in order to ensure that demand from buyers seeking new units is first channeled toward unsold completed units or unsold units that are currently under construction, including condominium units.”

The standalone SAAR for May 2014 was 198,324 units, another small increase compared to the 196,687 units in April. The SAAR of urban starts was 180,813 units, with 117,709 urban multiple starts and 63,104 urban single-detached starts.

The SAAR of urban starts increased in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and British Columbia, it stayed steady in Ontario, and decreased in The Prairies. The CMHC estimates that the SAAR of rural starts was 17,511 units.

Since February, the CMHC has been referencing Canada’s housing starts to predict a soft landing for the housing market, and so far, it seems they’re prediction has been correct. Canada and especially the Greater Toronto Area is full of intelligent builders and developers, so we are confident that inventory levels will continue to be managed in a healthy manner.

Source: Lucas @ NewInHomes.com

TORONTO, June 4, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that both the number of home sales through the TorontoMLS system and the average selling price were up strongly in May compared to a year ago.

Total TorontoMLS sales for May 2014 amounted to 11,079 – a new high for the month of May. This result was up by 11.4 per cent compared to 9,946 sales reported in May 2013. The average selling price for these sales was $585,204, representing an 8.3 per cent year-over-year increase compared to the average price of $540,544 in May 2013.

“We are now at the peak of the spring market when we generally see the greatest number of sales and the highest average selling prices. Based on the May statistics, buyers have been more active this spring compared to last year. Despite strong price growth so far in 2014, many households remain comfortable with the monthly mortgage payments associated with the purchase of a home, as borrowing costs have remained at or near record lows over the past few months,” said Ms. Usher.

Average selling prices varied across the Greater Toronto Area, depending on geography and home type. A detached home in the City of Toronto sold, on average, for $943,055. In the surrounding GTA regions, the average detached price was $648,439. The average price for condominium apartments was $401,809 in the City of Toronto and $307, 307 in the surrounding regions.

“The listings situation in the GTA did not improve this past May. With listings down and sales up compared to last year, competition between buyers increased. The result was price growth well-above the rate of inflation, especially for singles, semis and townhomes,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

“It is also important to point out that even though the condo apartment market segment remains comparatively well-supplied, as new project completions have generally led to an uptick in listings, we have seen enough buyer interest to prompt strong condo price growth as well,” continued Mercer.

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

On Saturday, May 10th, 2014, Royal LePage offices across Canada are hosting the National Garage Sale for Shelter, with 100% of proceeds going to help women and children who have experienced family violence.

Visit us at our office on 6948 Financial Dr, Mississauga L5N 8J4 and enjoy our live DJ, get a photo taken with a fire truck, have your face painted and enjoy some baked goods for a good cause! Tons of fun for the whole family!

Find all Garage Sale for Shelter locations and event details in our link below. Get involved by donating gently used items to your local Royal LePage office and join in the fun on May 10th. Great deals for a great cause!

Update: April 29th, 2014 – Attention Kind Web Reader! We have had an overwhelming response and we will like to let you know that you are more than welcome to bring goods to help contribute for as you may know, 100% of the proceeds are going directly to the RLP Shelter Foundation! We are accepting donations either monetary and or goods to be up for sale during the garage sale. Please contact The TanTeam @ [email protected] if you would like to make a contribution! Thanks again and we’ll see you on MAY 10th, 2014!

TORONTO, April 3, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported strong year-over-year increases in TorontoMLS home sales and the average selling price in March 2014. Home ownership affordability, backstopped by low borrowing costs, continued to be a key factor underlying this growth.

A total of 8,081 sales were reported in March 2014 – up by 7.2 per cent in comparison to March 2013. Sales growth was much stronger in March compared to the first two months of the first quarter. Sales for Q1 as a whole were up by three per cent compared to the first three months of 2013.

“Sales activity in the GTA accelerated last month. Compared to last year, a greater number of buyers found affordable home ownership options, as evidenced by sales growth for all major home types. Against this backdrop, however, overall inventory at the end of March remained lower than last year. This means competition between buyers increased, which is why the average selling price continued to climb,” said Ms. Usher.

The average selling price for March 2014 sales was $557,684 – an increase of almost eight per cent compared to the average reported for March 2013. The average price for the first quarter of 2014 was up by 8.5 per cent year-over-year.

“With borrowing costs remaining low, and in fact declining, strong home ownership demand will continue to butt up against a constrained supply of listings. Strong price growth will be the result for the remainder of 2014. If the pace of price growth experienced in the first quarter is sustained, TREB may revise its outlook for the average selling price,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

TORONTO, March 19, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 3,459 transactions through the TorontoMLS system during the first two weeks of March 2014. This result for the TREB market area as a whole was virtually unchanged in comparison to 3,464 transactions completed during the same period in 2013.

“Despite the poor weather conditions experienced during the first half of March, an abundance of willing buyers were actively searching for a home to purchase. However, many of these people continued to be affected by the enduring shortage of single-detached, semi-detached and townhouse listings, which means that in some cases they could not find a home on which to make an offer, or they were facing stiff competition from other buyers,” said Ms. Usher.

For all home types combined in the GTA, the average selling price was $560,948 – up by almost six per cent in comparison to the average price for the same time frame in 2013. The semi-detached market segment in the City of Toronto led the way in terms of price growth during the first 14 days of March, with a year-over-year increase of more than ten per cent.

“Semi-detached houses represent a more affordable ownership option for some households. Because of this, some semi-detached listings have attracted many interested buyers. This competition has served to exert strong upward pressure on the average selling price,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

“The average single-detached price was down slightly in the City of Toronto year over year because of a smaller share of luxury deals this year compared to last. Tight market conditions will continue to drive strong detached price growth in 2014,” added Mercer.

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board