TORONTO, December 16, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Paul Etherington announced that Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 2,496 sales through the TorontoMLS system during the first 14 days of December 2014. This result was up by 1.9 per cent compared to the same period in December 2013. Over the same period, new listings were down by 1.8 per cent year over year.

“Greater Toronto Area households remain upbeat about buying a home, as evidenced by the increase in sales compared to last year. However, many would-be home buyers continue to have problems getting a deal done due to the lack of listings for some home types. The lack of listings has definitely been a drag on sales this year,” said Mr. Etherington.

The average selling price for December mid-month transactions was $565,873, which represented a year-over-year increase of 8.6 per cent. Price growth was driven by the detached market segment in the City of Toronto.

“Sellers’ market conditions remain in place for low-rise home types, including detached and semi-detached houses and townhouses. The condominium apartment segment of the market has been more balanced due to strong project completions, but there has been enough buyer interest to prompt condo price growth above the rate of inflation,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.

 

Source: The Toronto Real Estate Board

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development believes the Bank of Canada will start raising its key interest rate next spring – about six months ahead of what most economists believe and what the central bank has been implying.

In the OECD’s twice-annual Economic Outlook, released early Tuesday, the international economic policy and research body argued that Canada’s low and economically stimulative 1.0-per-cent central bank rate “will need to be gradually withdrawn to counter inflationary pressures,” as its economy grows toward reaching its full output capacity.

“It is assumed in this projection that the first policy rate increase occurs in late May of 2015, and that rates rise steadily thereafter,” the outlook report said.

Most economists don’t expect the first Canadian rate increase until the fourth quarter of 2015, based on the signals central bank officials have been giving in recent months. The bank has said it believes Canada’s output gap won’t close until the second half of 2016, around the same time that inflation has settled around the bank’s target rate of 2 per cent “on a sustainable basis.” And while the central bank has said that it takes six to eight quarters for a change in interest rates to exert its full effect on inflation, senior bank officials have also been clear in recent months that they are leaning toward keeping rates lower for longer in the current cycle, given the numerous risk factors hanging over the uncertain the global economy.

But the OECD argued in its report that while “uncertainty” over the amount of slack in Canada’s economy justifies the Bank of Canada standing pat on rates for the time being, “it will have to start to withdraw stimulus as remaining slack is progressively taken up.”

The OECD projects that Canada’s economy will grow by 2.6 per cent next year and 2.4 per cent in 2016, slightly above the Bank of Canada’s base-case forecasts of 2.4 per cent in 2015 and 2.2 per cent in 2016.

This isn’t the first time OECD economists have been at odds with the Bank of Canada’s interest rate trajectory. A year ago, when the OECD released its fall 2013 Economic Outlook, it called for the central bank to both begin rate hikes earlier and increase rates more steeply than the bank had been signalling. Then, as now, the OECD was concerned about a build-up of inflationary pressures as the Canadian economy picked up momentum.

At the time, the OECD’s concern looked misplaced, given that inflation was below 1 per cent. And, indeed, its call for rate increase to begin before the end of 2014 was, in retrospect, premature.

But 12 months later, Canada’s inflation picture may make the OECD’s argument more compelling. Last week, Statistics Canada reported that the country’s total Consumer Price Index inflation rate in October was 2.4 per cent, its highest since early 2012. The so-called “core” inflation rate, which excludes the most volatile components of CPI and is the Bank of Canada’s key guide to underlying inflation trends, was 2.3 per cent last month, its highest since the end of 2008.

The OECD said Canada’s improving growth next year will be driven by rising export demand, particularly from the United States, which accounts for three-quarters of Canada’s exports. The OECD expects the U.S. economy will grow 3.1 per cent next year, its strongest in a decade and the highest among major advanced countries.

But in a conference call with reporters, OECD chief economist Catherine Mann cautioned against countries counting too much on resurgent U.S. demand to be the catalyst for their export-led recoveries. She noted that U.S. consumption and imports has lagged its typical pace in a recovery, implying that consumers have slowed their spending in the current cycle.

Ms. Mann suggested that rising income inequality may be behind the lack of consumer demand growth in the United States, as median incomes have shown little growth in the post-recession period. Corporate investment has also been stubbornly slow to recover, another drag on imports.

“That says something about the prospects for growth” in the rest of the world, she said. If other countries are waiting for U.S. import demand to lift their economies, she said, “we’re not there for them.”

Source: David Parkinson – The Globe & Mail

TORONTO, November 5, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Paul Etherington announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 8,552 sales through the TorontoMLS system in October 2014. This result represented an increase of 7.7 per cent compared to October 2013. New listings were also up on a year-over-year basis, but by a lesser 3.4 per cent.

“Strong growth in sales was evident across all major home types during the first full month of fall. This suggests that there are a lot of households across the Greater Toronto Area who remain upbeat about the benefits of home ownership over the long term, whether we’re talking about first-time buyers or existing home owners looking to change their housing situation,” said Mr. Etherington.

The average selling price for October 2014 transactions was $587,505 – up 8.9 per cent compared to the average of $539,286 reported for October 2013. The MLS® HPI composite benchmark price was up by 8.3 per cent over the same period. Low-rise home types, including singles, semis and town houses, continued to be the driver of year-over-year growth in the average price and the MLS® HPI composite benchmark.

“While sales growth has tracked strongly so far this fall, many would-be home buyers have continued to have difficulties finding a home due to the constrained supply of listings in some parts of the Greater Toronto Area, particularly where low-rise home types are concerned. The resulting sellers’ market conditions are forecast to drive strong price growth through the remainder of 2014 and indeed into 2015 as well,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.

 

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

TORONTO, October 16, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Paul Etherington announced that residential sales reported through the TorontoMLS system during the first 14 days of October were up by 12.2 per cent compared to the same period in 2013. Over the same period, new listings entered into TorontoMLS were up by a lesser 5.9 per cent.

“We have seen a strong hand-off from the third quarter into the fourth quarter, as sales for all major home types were up. This suggests that a great diversity of home buyers remain active in today’s market, from first-time buyers looking for affordable home ownership options through to high income households looking to purchase a luxury property,” said Mr. Etherington.

The average selling price for sales during the first two weeks of October was $583,719 – up by 8.8 per cent compared to the same period in 2013. Overall price growth continued to be driven by the low-rise market segments, including detached and semi-detached houses and townhouses.

“Strong annual rates of price growth for low-rise home types were sustained, as sales growth continued to outpace growth in new listings. Sellers’ market conditions are expected to remain in place for the remainder of 2014 and into 2015 as well. This means that high single-digit rates of price growth for singles, semis and townhouses will likely remain the norm over the next few months,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.

 

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

There are early indications that September appears to have been another strong month for Canadian home sales.

That is based on data that some local real estate boards have released in recent days about how their housing markets fared last month. The number of existing homes that changed hands in Toronto was up 10.9 per cent from a year earlier, in Calgary it was up almost 12 per cent, and in Vancouver 17.7 per cent. And that’s in comparison to a reasonably strong month: sales in September, 2013, were slightly above the 10-year average for that month.

A comprehensive picture won’t be available until the Canadian Real Estate Board, which represents realtors, compiles all of the local statistics and releases national September data on Oct. 15. Many cities have not released their numbers publicly yet, and the ones that have tend to be in some of the country’s stronger housing markets. Quebec and the Atlantic region, where more markets are struggling, are not represented below.

But the strength of Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver’s housing markets tends to pull up the national averages, and so the numbers here suggest that the national figures will point to a market that still has momentum.

CALGARY

-Sales were up almost 12 per cent in September from a year ago. The local real estate board says the unexpected strength came from a surge in condo and townhouse sales.

-Condo sales so far this year are 21 per cent higher than during the same period last year, while the number of sales of detached homes has risen by just 7 per cent. Affordability is driving the shift. Two years ago, 44 per cent of the detached houses that sold from January through to the end of September went for less than $400,000, according to the real estate board. So far this year only one quarter of the houses have sold for less than that.

-The average price of a detached house in the city was $567,653 in September, up 10.81 per cent from a year earlier. The average price of a condo was $326,264, up 9.21 per cent. For townhouses it was $352,813, up 4.21 per cent.

-The average length of time it takes to sell a home continues to tick downwards. Year-to-date the average number of days a home is on the market before it sells (for all types of homes) is 34, down from 42 in the same period last year.

EDMONTON

-Sales were up 9.19 per cent from a year earlier.

-The average selling price of a detached home was $435,584, up 6.92 per cent, and the median price of a detached home was $405,000, up 6.91 per cent. The average price of a condo was $254,494, up 4.85 per cent, and the median price was $232,000, up 2.65 per cent.

-The average selling price of all types of properties was $372,673, up 6.37 per cent.

-The average number of days that homes were on the market before selling was 49, the same as in August but down from 54 days a year ago. The sales-to-listings ratio was 72 per cent, up from 67 per cent in August.

TORONTO

-Sales were up 10.9 per cent from a year earlier. So far this year sales in the city are 6.9 per cent higher than during the same period last year.

-The average selling price was $573,676, up 7.7 per cent from a year earlier. The average selling price year-to-date is $563,813, up 8.5 per cent from last year.

-“If the current pace of sales growth remains in place, we could be flirting with a new record for residential sales reported by (Toronto Real Estate Board) members this year,” TREB’s director of market analysis, Jason Mercer, stated in a press release.

-The average selling price of detached homes in the downtown area covered by the 416 area code was $951,792, up 11.5 per cent from a year earlier. For condos in the same area it was $395,505, up 9.2 per cent.

VANCOUVER

-Sales were up 17.7 per cent from a year earlier, and 5.4 per cent from the prior month. September’s sales level was 16.1 per cent above the 10-year average for that month, making it the third-highest September in that period.

-The benchmark price of all types of properties in Metro Vancouver was $633,500, up 5.3 per cent from a year earlier. For detached homes it was $990,300, up 7.3 per cent, townhomes were $477,700, up 4.2 per cent, and apartments or condos were $378,700, up 3.3 per cent. Similar to the Toronto market, detached home prices are rising more quickly due to a shortage of land to build new ones on.

-Sales of detached homes were up 24.1 per cent, sales of apartments or condos were up 16.7 per cent, and sales of attached properties were up 5 per cent.

-“September was an active period for our housing market when we compare it against typical activity for the month,” Ray Harris, the president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, stated in a press release.

VICTORIA

-Sales were up 16 per cent from a year ago. “We haven’t seen sales like this in September since 2009,” Victoria Real Estate Board president Tim Ayres stated in a press release.

-The local real estate board surmises that buyers and sellers are feeling more comfortable about doing deals because prices are more stable and predictable now.

-The benchmark price of a house (the benchmark seeks to be a more apples-to-apples gauge than the average price) in central Victoria was $556,200, up from $550,900 a year earlier. For the entire Greater Victoria area it was $492,200, up from $484,800. The benchmark price of a condo in the Greater area was $287,100, up from $283,900. For a townhouse it was $401,500, up from $400,000.

Source: Tara Perkins @ The Globe & Mail

TORONTO, September 16, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Paul Etherington announced that Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 3,297 sales through the TorontoMLS system during the first 14 days of September 2014. This result represented an 8.3 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2013. Year-to-date sales through September 14, at 68,731, were up by 6.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2013.

“The sales result for the first two weeks of September showed strong growth for most major home types, indicating that home buyers continue to find homes that meet their needs and budgets. With a lot of buyers active in the marketplace relative to the number of homes for sale, average selling prices were up strongly for most low-rise and high-rise home ownership options,” said Mr. Etherington.

The average selling price for September mid-month sales was $555,890, which represented an increase of 8.1 per cent compared to the average price for the first two weeks of September 2013. Average price growth was strongest for single-detached and semi-detached homes.

The average year-to-date selling price was up by 8.5 per cent year-over-year to $562,244.

“Average prices in the low-rise market segments, including singles, semis and towns, continued to experience the impact of strong competition between buyers. It is also clear that while the condo apartment market segment remains comparatively better supplied, there are enough buyers relative to available condo listings to prompt very strong average price growth for this type of ownership housing as well,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis

 

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

TORONTO, August 7, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Paul Etherington reported strong year-over-year growth for July 2014 sales and the average selling price. Sales reported by TREB Members through the TorontoMLS system were up by 10 per cent to 9,198. This was the second-best July sales result on record.

“The second half of 2014 started where the first half left off, with very strong demand for the diversity of affordable home ownership options in the Greater Toronto Area. Sales were up strongly for most major home types and market conditions actually tightened, with sales growth outpacing listings growth. The result was average price growth well-above the rate of inflation,” said Mr. Etherington.

The average selling price for July 2014 sales was $550,700 – up by 7.5 per cent compared to July 2013. The strongest rate of price growth was reported for the detached market segment in the City of Toronto, with a year-over-year change of 11 per cent. The better-supplied condominium apartment segment experienced average price growth of 5.3 per cent for the GTA as a whole.

“Strong demand for ownership housing will underpin robust average price increases for the remainder of 2014. In fact, the pace of price growth that we have experienced over the past year will continue until growth in listings outpaces growth in sales for a sustained period of time,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

 

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

TORONTO, July 4, 2014 — Stepping into his role as President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, Paul Etherington announced a strong increase in residential sales reported through the TorontoMLS system in June. Sales were up by 15.4 per cent year-over-year to 10,180 transactions. New listings were also up compared to the same period in 2013, but by a lesser annual rate. This means that competition between buyers increased in June.

“Home buyers in the Greater Toronto Area are confident in their ability to purchase and affordably pay for a home. Generally speaking, buyers feel that ownership housing will be a good investment over the long term. This is why we continued to see increases in home sales in June for all major home types across the GTA. Given the degree of pent-up demand in the market today, I would expect to see sales growth continue through the summer,” said Mr. Etherington.

The average selling price for June transactions was $568,953, representing an increase of 7.4 per cent compared to June 2013. The strongest price increase for the GTA as a whole was for semi-detached houses, with the average price up by 9.7 per cent year-over-year. The pace of price growth for condominium apartments was also strong at 6.8 per cent.

“With less than two months of inventory in many parts of the GTA, it makes sense that we continued to experience very strong price growth in June. This is especially the case for low-rise home types like singles, semis and townhouses. Strong price growth for these home types will continue through the remainder of 2014. Despite higher inventory levels, the condominium apartment market segment has benefitted from enough buyer interest to result in above-inflation price growth,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

 

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

TORONTO, June 17, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that both sales and new listings were up substantially during the first 14 days of June 2014 compared to the same period in 2013.

“If the first two weeks of June are any indication, we may be seeing a turnaround in the supply of homes for sale in the Greater Toronto Area. New listings were up on a year-over-year basis for most major home types in the City of Toronto and surrounding regions. However, sales growth outpaced growth in new listings, which suggests that there is still a lot of pent-up demand yet to be satisfied, so sellers’ market conditions will likely remain in place for the remainder of 2014,” said Ms. Usher.

Sales reported through the TorontoMLS system during the first two weeks of June amounted to 4,938 – up by 11.3 per cent in comparison to 2013. New listings were up over the same period by 7.8 per cent to 8,825.

The average selling price for June mid-month transactions was $582,100, which represented an increase of 8.6 per cent compared to the average of $535,865 in 2013.

“Average selling prices were up across the GTA for low-rise home types like singles, semis and townhouses as well as for condominium apartments. This is no surprise given that the number of transactions was up compared to 2013 by a greater rate than the number of new listings, which suggests that competition between buyers arguably increased,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis.

 

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board

Torontonians who can barely wrap their minds around a housing market where $1-million is the average price for a detached home might want to take notice of a new fast-approaching benchmark.

Try not to panic if you haven’t bought yet but the $2-million home is a growing segment of the market in Canada’s largest city.

Data released by the Toronto Real Estate Board Wednesday shows there were 461 detached home sales for more than $2-million through its Multiple listing Service system in the first five months of the year. That’s only 2.4% of all detached home sales activity for the year but the $2-million plus range has climbed 37% over the past year in the GTA.

“What you are seeing is $2-million is the new $1-million,” says Drew Laszlo, an architect in the city who has been involved in several infill projects that have fallen into the new threshold.

The strength of the $2-million-plus market comes as Toronto home prices continue to soar. TREB said Wednesday the average sale price of a home across the Greater Toronto Area reached $585,204 in May, an 8.5% increase from a year ago.

It was the best May ever for Toronto real estate sales with detached homes in the city proper reaching an average price of $943,055.

Jason Mercer, TREB’s senior manager of market analysis, cautions when it comes to the $2-million-plus market the numbers are still small so it could affect the data.

“There is a clear reason why prices have gone up. Demand is strong but the majority of people looking to purchase a home are still doing it with a mortgage,” says Mr. Mercer, citing record-low interest rates as a factor that continues to drive sales. “That leads to strong price increases because of a tight market.”

Source: Garry Marr @ The Financial Post

TORONTO, May 16, 2014 — Toronto Real Estate Board President Dianne Usher announced that “Sales reported by Greater Toronto REALTORS® were up strongly during the first two weeks of May in comparison to the same time last year. However, new listings were down slightly over the same period, which means competition between buyers continued to increase and price growth remained very strong.”

There were 5,185 sales reported through the TorontoMLS system during the first two weeks of May 2014. This result was up by 19.6 per cent in comparison to the first 14 days of May 2013. Sales increased for low rise home types, including single-detached and semi-detached homes and townhouses, as well as for condominium apartments.

The growth in sales was also widespread geographically, with the number of transactions up in the City of Toronto and surrounding regions.

The average selling price for the first two weeks of May was $590,132 – up 8.9 per cent compared to the average of $542,074 reported for transactions during the same period in May 2013.

Price growth was strongest for detached homes in the City of Toronto, where demand remained very strong relative to the short supply of listings. While the condominium apartment market segment remained well-supplied, there was enough demand to prompt above-inflation price growth.

“While tight market conditions continue to prompt strong year-over-year increases in the average selling price, it is important to point out that the monthly cost of home ownership – mortgage principal and interest, property taxes and utilities – has not trended upward as strongly. Strong price growth has been mitigated to a large degree by low borrowing costs,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Senior Manager of Market Analysis

 

Source: Toronto Real Estate Board