Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 1,540 home sales through TREB’s MLS® System during the first 14 days of January 2017. This result represented a slight decrease of 1.5 per cent compared to the first two weeks of January 2016, when 1,564 home sales were reported.

Sales were down on a year-over-year basis for detached and semi-detached houses, both in the City of Toronto, and the surrounding regions making up the balance of TREB’s market area. This ebb in sales likely had more to do with a lack of listings than a lack of demand.

Sales for condominium apartments and townhouses were up on an annual basis.

New listings reported by REALTORS® during the first half of January were down by 24 per cent compared to the same period in 2016. Even with sales down slightly, the much stronger dip in new listings meant that market conditions tightened over the past year. Tighter market conditions translated into average low-rise home price growth above 20 per cent on an annual basis.

The average selling price for all home types combined was $692,234 during the first two weeks of January 2017, representing a 16.3 per cent increase compared to a year earlier. Average annual rates of price growth were driven by the low-rise market segments, but price appreciation for condominium apartments remained above 10 per cent for the TREB market area as a whole

Source: The Toronto Real Estate Board

Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 3,196 home sales through TREB’s MLS® System during the first 14 days of December 2016. This result represented an increase of almost 18 per cent compared to the first two weeks of December 2015, when 2,713 home sales were reported.

Broken down by market segment, the strongest annual growth in sales was experienced for condominium apartments – both for the City of Toronto and the surrounding regions. Double digit growth in detached home sales was also reported, but this was driven solely by sales outside of Toronto. Within the City of Toronto, sales were down for all low-rise home types – likely due to a lack of listings rather than a lack of demand.

New listings reported by REALTORS® were down by 4.7 per cent year-over-year to 3,061. With sales up strongly and listings down, market conditions were tighter compared to a year earlier. Strong competition between home buyers continued to result in double-digit price increases.

The average selling price for all home types combined was $741,515 during the first two weeks of December, representing a 19.3 per cent increase compared to a year earlier. Average annual rates of price growth generally remained strongest for low-rise home types, but the pace of condominium apartment price growth continued to accelerate.

Source: The Toronto Real Estate Board

Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,051 home sales through TREB’s MLS® System during the first 14 days of November 2016. This result represented a 13 per cent increase compared to the first two weeks of November 2015, during which time 3,584 sales were reported.

Sales were up strongly for all major home types except semi-detached houses. The year-over-year dip in semi-detached transactions, both in the City of Toronto and surrounding regions, was not due to a lack of demand, but rather a lack of available listings.

TREB Members reported 5,494 new listings between November 1st and November 14th – up six per cent compared to the same period in 2015. While the annual growth in new listings was certainly welcome, the rate of growth was less than that reported for sales. This means that market conditions continued to tighten compared to last year.

The average selling price for all home types combined was $768,220 during the first two weeks of November, representing a 20.9 per cent increase compared to a year earlier. Average annual rates of price growth were strongest for low-rise home types, but average condominium apartment prices continued to increase strongly as well.

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,460 home sales through TREB’s MLS® System during the first 14 days of October 2016. This result represented a 15.5 per cent increase compared to the first two weeks of October 2015. Similar to September, the strongest annual rate of sales growth for the TREB market area as a whole was recorded for the condominium apartment segment. While the market is tight for condo apartments, there is comparatively more inventory available, which has allowed for stronger growth in sales compared to the low-rise market segments.

The number of new listings was also up on a year-over-year basis during the first two weeks of October, but by a much lesser annual rate compared to sales. This means that, on the whole, the market continued to tighten with more competition between buyers. Intense competition between buyers in many neighbourhoods throughout the GTA continued to underpin double-digit annual gains in average selling prices. Due to the persistent lack of inventory, low-rise market segments experienced the strongest rates of price growth. However, it is important to point out that the condominium apartment market, particularly in the City of Toronto, also experienced year-overyear price growth in excess of 10 per cent.

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 3,847 home sales through TREB’s MLS® System during the first 14 days of September 2016. This result represented a 19.1 per cent increase compared to the first two weeks of September 2015. Annual sales growth was strongest for condominium apartments, but double-digit increases were also noted for low-rise home types on a GTAwide basis.

The supply of listings, or lack thereof, continued to be an issue in the TREB Market Area. The number of new listings was down by 4.4 per cent compared to the same period last year. The decline for the TREB Market Area as a whole was entirely due to a dip in new listings in the City of Toronto. This lack of listings in the ‘416’ area code likely played a role in the slower annual rate of sales growth in the City of Toronto versus the surrounding regions.

Average selling prices were up strongly year-over-year for all major home types. This speaks to the widespread market tightness in the GTA today, with intense competition between buyers of all types of ownership housing.

The conditions underlying strong demand for ownership housing, including relatively healthy labour market conditions and the continuation of low borrowing costs, remain in place. With this in mind, the persistent lack of inventory should result in further robust price growth for the remainder of 2016.

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

Toronto Real Estate Board President Larry Cerqua announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 12,794 residential transactions through TREB’s MLS® System in June 2016. This result was 7.5 per cent higher than the 11,905 sales reported in June 2015. In line with the prevailing trend so far this year, the number of new listings was down by 3.8 per cent.

“As I start my term as TREB President, we are certainly in an interesting environment for ownership housing. There is no doubt that demand is at a record level, but would-be home buyers continue to face an uphill battle against a constrained supply of listings, which has perpetuated strong price growth. Buyers and sellers alike continue to benefit from the value a REALTOR® brings to a transaction,” said Mr. Cerqua.

“As the federal, provincial and local levels of government discuss housing policy in the coming months, issues affecting the lack of supply in the GTA should be of paramount importance. TREB will be undertaking, and making public, results of additional research in the second half of 2016, with the goal of proactively adding to the housing policy discussion,” added Mr. Cerqua.

The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark was up by 16 per cent on a year- over-year basis. The average selling price for all home types combined was up by a slightly higher annual rate of 16.8 per cent to $746,546. The single-detached, semi- detached and townhouse market segments led the way in terms of price growth.

“When TREB surveyed consumer intentions for 2016, we found that the majority of GTA households who were likely to purchase a home continued to be pointed towards some form of ground oriented housing. This is why we continue to see strong competition between buyers in many neighbourhoods where supply remains constrained,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.

Source: The Toronto Real Estate Board

Toronto Real Estate Board President Mark McLean announced that there were 12,870 home sales reported through TREB’s MLS® System in May 2016. This result represented a new record for the month of May and a 10.6 per cent increase over the same period last year. In contrast, the number of new listings was down over the same time frame by 6.4 per cent. The decline in listings was experienced in both the low-rise and condominium apartment market segments.

“Whether we’re talking about existing homeowners or people looking to purchase for the first time, there is no shortage of buyers in the marketplace today. So, while the record number of home sales through the first five months of 2016 is not necessarily surprising, it does sometimes mask the larger story in the GTA: the shortage of listings, which has resulted in strong upward pressure on home prices,” said Mr. McLean.

The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark was up by 15 per cent year-over-year in May 2016. Similarly, the average selling price for all home types combined was up by 15.7 per cent over the same period. Low-rise home types, which remained in short supply in many GTA neighbourhoods, experienced the strongest price growth.

“Widespread competition between buyers of singles, semis and townhouses across the GTA has underpinned the robust annual rates of price growth experienced so far this year. With this said, however, it is also important to understand that tighter market conditions for condominium apartments have resulted in price growth well above the rate of inflation in this market segment as well,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.

Source: The Toronto Real Estate Board

Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 6,010 sales through TREB’s MLS® System during the first 14 days of May 2016. This result represented a 7.1 per cent increase compared to 5,610 sales reported for May 2015.

For low-rise home types, year-over-year sales growth was strongest in the regions surrounding the City of Toronto. The fact that annual rates of sales growth for singles, semis and towns were lower in the ‘416’ area code speaks to the lack of listings in many Toronto neighbourhoods. There are many willing buyers in the marketplace today – the issue is that a substantial number of these households have not been able to find a home that meets their needs.

The average selling price for the first two weeks of May 2016 was $758,626, which represented a year-over-year increase of 16.1 per cent compared to an average price of $653,274 reported for the same time period in 2015. Double-digit annual rates of average price growth were experienced for all major home types.

The annual pace of average price growth for condominium apartments, while lower than that recorded for low-rise home types, was above 10 per cent for both the City of Toronto and surrounding regions. Even with strong new unit completions over the last few years, this market segment has become tighter as well.

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

March 17, 2016 – Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,569 sales through TREB’s MLS® System during the first 14 days of March 2016. The number of transactions was up by 20.3 per cent compared to 3,797 transactions reported during the same period in 2015. For the TREB market area as a whole, double-digit annual rates of sales growth were experienced for all major market segments, with semi-detached house sales up by the greatest rate compared to last year.

The number of new listings reported by TREB Members during the first two weeks of March amounted to 6,689 – a 1.2 per cent decrease, which had its roots in the City of Toronto.
With market conditions tightening compared to last year, strong competition between buyers resulted in the average selling price for March mid-month transactions increasing by 12 per cent year-over-year. Low-rise market segments continued to drive price growth, but the condominium apartment market segment also continued to experience an annual rate of price growth more than double the rate of inflation.

In the City of Toronto, detached and semi-detached house price growth was not as strong compared to the surrounding region. This was due to the fact that fewer higher end homes were sold during the first 14 days of March compared to the same period in 2015.

Source: The Toronto Real Estate Board

TORONTO, April 5, 2016 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Mark McLean announced record TREB MLS® home sales for the first quarter of 2016 following a strong result for March transactions.  There were 10,326 sales in March and 22,575 sales in the first quarter.  The year-over-year growth rate for sales was 15.8 per cent for Q1 2016 and 16.2 per cent for March 2016.  For the TREB market area as a whole, double-digit year-over-year rates of sales growth were experienced for all major home types during the first quarter.

The positive annual growth in sales was not mirrored on the listings front. The number of new listings entered into TREB’s MLS® System during March and the first quarter were down compared to the same periods in 2015.

“At the beginning of 2016, TREB’s outlook for the year pointed to a strong possibility of a second consecutive record year for home sales.  This outlook was based, in part, on upbeat consumer survey results pointing to robust home buying intentions.  It is clear that these upbeat intentions have translated into record first quarter results,” said Mr. McLean.

The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark for March 2016 was up by 11.6 per cent compared to March 2015.  The average selling price for all home types combined was up 12.1 per cent year-over-year in March and 13.6 per cent in the first quarter.

“Demand was clearly not an issue in the first three months of 2016, regardless of the housing market segment being considered.  The supply of listings, however, continued to aggravate many would-be home buyers.  We could have experienced even stronger sales growth were it not for the constrained supply of listings, especially in the low-rise market segments.  The resulting strong competition between buyers has underpinned the double-digit rates of price growth experienced so far this year,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

TORONTO, March 3, 2016 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Mark McLean announced Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported a record number of home sales through TREB’s MLS® System in February 2016. There were 7,621 transactions reported this past February – up 21.1 per cent compared to February 2015.

The number of new listings entered into TREB’s MLS® System was also up on a year-over-year basis, but by a lesser 8.2 per cent. The fact that the annual rate of sales growth outstripped the annual rate of new listings growth shows a tightening of market conditions compared to last year.

“Even after accounting for the leap year day, sales were above the previous record for February set back in 2010.  Sales were up strongly from the 15th day of the month onward as well, despite the new federal mortgage lending guidelines coming into effect that require at least a 10 per cent down payment on the portion of purchase prices between $500,000 and $1,000,000,” said Mr. McLean.

Seller’s market conditions continued throughout the GTA in February.  Strong competition between buyers resulted in a healthy growth in selling prices. The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) Composite Benchmark was up by 11.3 per cent year-over-year. The average selling price was up by 14.9 per cent annually to $685,278.

“Recent polling conducted for TREB by Ipsos suggested that GTA households will remain upbeat about purchasing a home in 2016. Early sales results for January and February certainly support this view.  With strong sales up against a constrained supply of listings, home prices continued to trend strongly upward,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

TORONTO, February 3, 2016 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Mark McLean announced Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,672 residential transactions through TREB’s MLS® System in January 2016.  This result represented an 8.2 per cent increase compared to January 2015.

“It is clear that the handoff from 2015 to 2016 was a strong one.  This is not surprising given that recent polling conducted for TREB by Ipsos suggested 12 per cent of GTA households were seriously considering the purchase of a home in 2016.  Buying intentions are strong for this year as households continue to see home ownership as an affordable long-term investment,” said McLean.

The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark Price for January 2015 was up by 11.2 per cent on a year-over-year basis.  The average selling price over the same period was up by 14.1 per cent.

The difference in the annual growth rates for the MLS® HPI and average price was largely due to a greater share of high-end detached homes sold in the regions surrounding the City of Toronto this year compared to last.  The MLS® HPI removes the impact of shifts in the share of different property types sold from one year to the next.

“Market conditions in January were tighter compared to a year earlier, with an annual increase in sales up against a decline in listings.  This is why growth in the MLS® HPI benchmarks continued to be strong, especially for singles, semis and townhouses, where there has been a persistent lack of inventory,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board