Friday, February 9, 2018

■Condo & Rental Market Report | Q4 2017

Seller's Market Conditions Continue in Q4 2017

January 22, 2018 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Tim Syrianos announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 5,773 condominium apartment sales through TREB's MLS® System in the fourth quarter of 2017. This result was down by 15.4 per cent compared to the last three months of 2016.

Over the same period, new condominium apartment listings were up by 9.8 per cent to 8,186. While sales were down relative to listings, market conditions still remained tight, with a sales-to-new listings ratio of 70 per cent.

"Demand for condominium apartments remained strong relative to listings in the fourth quarter. Even with the uptick in listings, which was certainly welcome, there was enough competition between buyers to prompt double-digit annual rates of price growth. This points to the fact that we still do have a supply problem in the GTA that needs to be addressed to ensure the long term sustainability of the marketplace," said Mr. Syrianos.

The average selling price for condominium apartments was up by 17.9 per cent year-over- year in the fourth quarter to $515,816. While this annual rate of growth was down from earlier in 2017, the condominium apartment segment was still the leader in terms of price growth in the second half of the year.

"Seller's market conditions remained in place for the condominium apartment market segment in the fourth quarter. Based on price point, this housing type remains top of mind for many first-time buyers. In addition, as home prices have grown year-over-year some buyers who initially may have considered the purchase of a low-rise home have chosen to purchase a condo apartment as well," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Director of Market Analysis.


Strong Average Rent Growth Continued in Q4 2017

January 22, 2018 – Toronto Real Estate Board President Tim Syrianos announced that average rents for one-bedroom and two-bedroom condominium apartment rents were up very strongly on a year-over-year basis in the fourth quarter of 2017, based on transactions reported by Greater Toronto REALTORS® through TREB’s MLS® System.

The average rent for one-bedroom condominium apartments in the TREB market area was up by 10.9 per cent on an annual basis to $1,970 in Q4 2017. The average two-bedroom condominium apartment rent was up by 8.8 per cent over the same period to $2,627.

“As the population in the GTA continues to grow, so too does the demand for rental accommodation. The problem is that rental supply has not kept up with the increase in demand in recent years. The result has been low vacancy rates and intense competition between renters for available units. This competition has underpinned very strong growth in average rents,” said Mr. Syrianos. The number of condominium apartments listed during the fourth quarter was down by 3.4 per cent compared to Q4 2016.

The number of units leased was down by 0.7 per cent. Because the vacancy rate was less than one per cent for condominium apartments in the fall of 2017, a dip in the number of apartments listed for rent translated through into a dip in the number of lease agreements signed.

“Looking forward, we continue to have concerns that rent control legislation announced in conjunction with the Ontario Fair Housing Plan will preclude additional rental supply coming on stream, both in the purpose-built and investor-held condominium apartment segments. Going further, it is possible that current owners of condominium apartments could choose to list their units for sale to take advantage of recent price gains rather than rent their units to tenants under the new rent control regime,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

■Market Watch | February, 2018

GTA REALTORS® Release January Stats

February 6, 2018
 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Tim Syrianos announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,019 residential transactions through TREB's MLS® System in January 2018. This result was down by 22 per cent compared to a record 5,155 sales reported in January 2017.

The number of new listings entered into TREB's MLS® System amounted to 8,585 – a 17.4 per cent increase compared to 7,314 new listings entered in January 2017. However, it is important to note that the level of new listings was the second lowest for the month of January in the past 10 years.

"TREB released its outlook for 2018 on January 30th. The outlook pointed to a slower start to 2018, especially compared to the record-setting pace experienced a year ago. As we move through the year, expect the pace of home sales to pick up, as the psychological impact of the Fair Housing Plan starts to wane and home buyers find their footing relative to the new OSFImandated stress test for mortgage approvals through federally regulated lenders," said Mr. Syrianos.

The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark was up by 5.2 per cent year-over-year. This annual rate of growth was driven by the condominium apartment market segment, with doubledigit annual growth versus the single-family segment, with prices essentially flat compared to last year. The overall average selling price was down by 4.1 per cent year-over-year to $736,783. This decline was weighted toward the detached segment of the market. In the City of Toronto, the average selling price was up for all home types except for detached houses.

"It is not surprising that home prices in some market segments were flat to down in January compared to last year. At this time last year, we were in the midst of a housing price spike driven by exceptionally low inventory in the marketplace. It is likely that market conditions will support a return to positive price growth for many home types in the second half of 2018. The condominium apartment segment will be the driver of this price growth," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Director of Market Analysis.