Monday, November 25, 2019

■Condo & Rental Market Report | Q3 2019

Condo Market Report

October 16, 2019 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Michael Collins announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 6,407 condominium apartment sales through TREB's MLS® System in the third quarter of 2019. This result was up by 11.1 per cent compared to Q3 2018.

New condominium apartment listings entered into TREB's MLS® System were down by one per cent compared to Q3 2018, with 9,538 listings added in 2019 compared to 9,636 listings added in 2018.

"As economic conditions continue to be favourable for job growth in the Greater Toronto Area, people have continued to come to the city for work. Home ownership is important to many Canadians, and, as a relatively affordable housing option, condos in the GTA offer prospective buyers the chance to achieve their dreams of owning property," said Mr. Collins.

The average price of a condominium apartment increased by 5.8 per cent from $552,766 in Q3 2018 to $584,564 in Q3 2019. Year-over-year price growth in the City of Toronto, which accounted for nearly 70 per cent of transactions, was slightly lower at 5.6 per cent, resulting in an average price of $628,074.

Strong price growth above the rate of inflation was driven by tightening market conditions, with sales up and listings down relative to last year. One factor underpinning the dip in listings may be the fact that, according to CMHC data, new condominium apartment completions were down year-to-date through August relative to the same time frame in 2018. This may have translated into fewer investor-owned units being listed for sale in Q3 2019 compared to Q3 2018.

"Condominium apartments are obviously a popular choice amongst first-time home-buyers. Moreover, it is also important to remember that condominium apartments owned by investors represent a huge component of the GTA rental stock and certainly account for most additions to the rental stock, on net, over the past decade. With this in mind, a well-supplied condo segment will be important moving forward to ensure that we can keep up with population growth driven by a strong and diverse regional economy," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Chief Market Analyst.


Rental Market Report

October 3, 2019 – Toronto Real Estate Board President Michael Collins announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 10,800 condominium apartment rentals through TREB’s MLS® System in the third quarter of 2019. This result was up by 17.3 per cent compared to the third quarter of 2018.

The number of condominium apartments listed for rent at some point during Q3 2019 was up by 30.1 per cent compared to Q3 2018.

“The fact that rental condominium apartment listings grew at a faster year-over-year pace compared to rental transactions suggests that the rental market has become bettersupplied over the past year. Steady condominium apartment completions coupled with strong average rent growth have prompted many investor-owners to list their units for rent. If growth in rental listings continues to outstrip growth in rental transactions for a sustained period, we could see a more balanced market in the future,” said TREB President Michael Collins.

Average condominium apartment rents were up on a year-over-year basis across all unit types. The average one-bedroom condominium apartment rent was $2,262 in Q3 2019 – up 4.5 per cent compared to Q3 2018. The average two-bedroom condominium apartment rent was up by 4.2 per cent over the same period to $2,941.

“Rental market conditions remained very tight in the GTA in the third quarter, as evidenced by average annual rent increases double the rate of inflation. With this being said, however, the pace of average rent growth has slowed noticeably over the past twelve months as we have seen an acceleration in listings. This suggests that renters are benefitting from more choice in the marketplace,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Chief Market Analyst.

■Market Watch | November, 2019


GTA REALTORS® Release October 2019 Stats

November 5, 2019 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Michael Collins announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 8,491 residential sales through TREB's MLS® System in October 2019. This result represented a 14 per cent increase compared to 7,448 sales reported in October 2018. GTA-wide, sales were up on a year-over-year basis for all major home types.

The trend of annual growth in sales versus annual decline in new listings continued in October 2019, with new listings down by 9.6 per cent compared to October 2018. The resulting tighter market conditions compared to a year ago resulted in positive annual rates of price growth across all major market segments, from a GTA-wide perspective.

The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark was up by 5.8 per cent on a year-over-year basis in October 2019 – the strongest annual rate of growth since December 2017. The average selling price for all home types combined was up by 5.5 per cent to $852,142, compared to $807,538 in October 2018.

"As market conditions in the GTA have steadily tightened throughout 2019, we have seen an acceleration in the annual rate of price growth. While the current pace of price growth remains moderate, we will likely see stronger price growth moving forward if sales growth continues to outpace listings growth, leading to more competition between home buyers," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Chief Market Analyst.

Monday, October 7, 2019

■Market Watch | October, 2019

GTA REALTORS® Release September 2019 Stats

October 3, 2019 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Michael Collins announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 7,825 sales through TREB's MLS® System in September 2019. This result represented strong year-over-year sales growth of 22 per cent compared to 6,414 sales reported in September 2018. It is important to note, however, that sales remain well-below the record September 2016 peak of more than 9,800 sales.

On a preliminary seasonally adjusted basis, the September 2019 sales level remained in virtually the same as the August 2019 result.

The supply of listings continued to be a concern in September 2019, with new listings down by 1.9 per cent year-over-year to 15,611. We have experienced multiple months this year wherein the annual rate of sales growth outpaced the annual rate of new listings growth, resulting in the overall number of active listings at month-end being well-below last year's levels. This speaks to tightening market conditions and an accelerating annual rate of price growth.

The annual rate of price growth in September reached the highest point so far in 2019. The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) Composite Benchmark was up by 5.2 per cent on a year-over-year basis in September. The average selling price for all home types combined was up by a similar annual rate of 5.8 per cent to $843,115.

On a preliminary seasonally adjusted basis, the September 2019 average selling price was up by 1.2 per cent compared to August 2019.

■This Month in Real Estate | SEPTEMBER, 2019


Friday, September 27, 2019

■Market Watch | September, 2019


GTA REALTORS® Release August 2019 Stats

September 5, 2019
 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Michael Collins announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 7,711 residential sales through TREB's MLS® System in August 2019. This result represented a 13.4 per cent increase compared to 6,797 sales reported in August 2018. On a month-over- month basis, after preliminary seasonal adjustment, sales were up by 0.8 per cent.

GTA-wide sales were up on a year-over-year basis for all major market segments, with annual rates of sales growth strongest for low-rise home types including detached houses. This reflects the fact that demand for more expensive home types was very low in 2018 and has rebounded to a certain degree in 2019, albeit not back to the record levels experienced in 2016 and the first quarter of 2017.

Market conditions also became tighter in August 2019 compared to a year ago because while sales were up year-over-year, new listings were down by three per cent over the same time period to 11,789. Year-to-date, growth in sales has well outstripped growth in new listings. This is why overall active listings counted at the end of August were down by more than 11 per cent compared to August 2018.

The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark for August 2019 was up by 4.9 per cent on a year-over-year basis. The average selling price, at $792,611 in August 2019, was up by 3.6 per cent year-over-year. Both the MLS® HPI benchmark prices and average selling prices were up on an annual basis for major market segments. The condominium apartment segment continued to lead the way in terms of price growth, followed by higher density low-rise home types and finally detached houses.

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

■Market Watch | August, 2019

GTA REALTORS® Release July 2019 Stats

August 6, 2019
 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Michael Collins announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 8,595 sales through TREB's MLS® System in July 2019. This result was up by 24.3 per cent compared to July 2018. On a month-over-month basis, sales were up by 5.1 per cent, after preliminary seasonal adjustment.

New listings entered into TREB's MLS® System in July 2019 were up compared to July 2018, but by a much lesser annual rate than sales, at 3.7 per cent. With annual growth in sales far outstripping annual growth in new listings, market conditions clearly tightened compared to last year. Active listings at the end of July were down by 9.1 per cent year-over-year, further reflecting tightening market conditions.

As market conditions continued to tighten in July, the average selling price increased by 3.2 per cent on a year-over-year basis to $806,755. The MLS® Home Price Index Composite benchmark was up by 4.4 per cent. Higher density home types continued to drive price growth, whereas detached home prices remained down in many communities throughout the GTA.

Broadly speaking, increased competition between buyers for available properties has resulted in relatively strong price growth above the rate of inflation for semi-detached houses, townhouses and condominium apartments. However, the single-detached market segment, which has arguably been impacted most by the OSFI stress test, has experienced a slower pace of price growth, with average detached prices remaining lower than last year's levels in some parts of the GTA.

■Condo & Rental Market Report | Q2 2019

Condo Market Report
July 24, 2019 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Michael Collins announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 7,038 condominium apartment sales through TREB's MLS® System in the second quarter of 2019. This result was up by 3.2 per cent compared to Q2 of 2018.

New condominium apartment listings entered into TREB's MLS® System were down by 3.5 per cent compared to Q2 2018, with 11,110 listings added in 2019 versus 11,512 listings added in 2018.

"As has generally been the case in the region since the implementation of the Ontario Government's Fair Housing Plan in 2017, the condo market segment has remained tight in comparison to other major housing types. However, from a price point perspective, condo apartments continue to offer prospective buyers a relatively affordable housing option when looking across the GTA," said Mr. Collins.

The average price of a condominium apartment increased by 5.1 percent from $561,343 in Q2 2018 to $589,887 in Q2 2019. Year-over-year price growth in the City of Toronto, which accounted for almost 70 percent of transactions, was slightly higher at 5.9 per cent, resulting in an average price of $639,316.

Through the first six months of 2019, condominium apartment completions reported by CMHC were down substantially on a year-over-year basis compared to the first half of 2018. Completions correlate to a certain degree with listings, as some investors choose to list their units for sale when title transfers to them from the builder.

The downturn in completions likely influenced both the year-over-year dip in new listings and the decline in the active listings count at the end of the second quarter. "The condominium apartment rental market also remained quite tight in the second quarter, with average rents for one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments increasing above the rate of inflation on a year-over-year basis. However, we have seen an acceleration in the number of units listed for rent, which has provided renters with more choice in the market place and has coincided with a slower pace of average rent growth over the past year," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Chief Market Analyst.


Rental Market Report
July 4, 2019- Toronto Real Estate Board President Michael Collins announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 9,749 condominium apartment rental transactions through TREB’s MLS® System in the second quarter of 2019. This result was up by 14.9 per cent compared to Q2 2018. The number of condominium apartments that were listed at some point during the second quarter of 2019 was also up on a year-over-year basis by 28.8 percent, nearly doubling the annual growth rate for rental transactions, suggesting that the rental market became better supplied over the past year. “The GTA population continues to trend upward, as the region attracts people from around the world, both on a permanent and temporary basis, to take advantage of a diversity of employment opportunities. Many of these new comers and existing GTA households choose to rent. With this in mind, it makes sense that we continue to see strong year-over-year increases in the number of condominium apartments rented,” said Mr. Collins. The average Q2 2019 one-bedroom condominium apartment rent for the GTA as a whole was $2,192, up 6.7 percent compared to Q2 2018. Over the same period, the average two-bedroom condominium apartment rent increased by 4.3 per cent to $2,873. “While the rental market remains tight, renters do appear to be benefitting from more supply in the marketplace. The pace of year-over-year average rent growth has slowed over the past year. That being said, average condo rents continued to increase well-above the rate of inflation in the second quarter. This suggests that new rental supply, in terms of both purpose-built rental units and investor-owned condominium apartments, is still required in the GTA to keep up with population growth and new household formation,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Chief Market Analyst.

Friday, July 19, 2019

■Market Watch | July, 2019


GTA REALTORS® Release June 2019 Stats

July 4, 2019 -- The new President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, Michael Collins, announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 8,860 sales through TREB's MLS® System in June 2019, representing a 10.4 per cent increase compared to June 2018. Over the same time period, total new listings remained at a similar level for the month of June and active listings at month-end were down by 5.7 per cent.

Sales and new listings statistics for the first half of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018 painted a similar story to that of June. Sales were up by 8.5 per cent, while new listings were up by less than one per cent. This shows that sales accounted for a greater share of listings compared to last year, which means that competition between buyers increased, resulting in renewed price growth in many segments of the market.

"As I start my term as President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, I am proud to say that the Greater Toronto Area continues to grow, in terms of employment, population and overall diversity. As people are attracted to our region from all around the world, they obviously need a place to live. Over the next year, as demand for ownership and rental housing continues to grow, my hope is that we will see more movement from policy makers on two fronts: alleviating the constrained supply of housing and providing more flexibility around demand-side policies, including the OSFI two percentage point mortgage stress test and allowable amortization periods on insured mortgages," said Mr. Collins.

The overall average selling price in June 2019 was $832,703 – up by three per cent compared to the average of $808,066 in June 2018. Price growth was driven by the higher density market segments, including semi-detached houses, townhouses and condominium apartments. The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark was up by a similar annual rate of 3.6 per cent. For the first half of 2019, the average selling price was $810,661, representing an increase of 2.4 per cent compared to the first half of 2018.

"Buyers started moving off the sidelines in the spring, as evidenced by strong year-over-year price growth throughout the second quarter. However, because we saw virtually no change in the number of new listings, market conditions tightened and price growth picked up, especially for more higher density home types, which, on average, are less-expensive than traditional detached houses and therefore provide more affordable housing options under the new OSFI stress test regime," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Chief Market Analyst.

Thursday, June 13, 2019

■Market Watch | JUNE, 2019

GTA REALTORS® Release May 2019 Stats

June 5, 2019 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Garry Bhaura announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 9,989 transactions through TREB's MLS® System in May 2019.* While this result represented a substantial increase of 18.9 per cent over the 15-year low in May 2018, it should be noted that the result was still below the average for month of May sales for the previous ten years, which stands at almost 10,300.

The year-over-year uptick in sales experienced so far in the second quarter of 2019 reflects spring polling results from Ipsos (undertaken on behalf of TREB) suggesting that the share of likely home buyers in the Greater Toronto Area has edged upwards since the fall.

"After a sluggish start to 2019, the second quarter appears to be reflecting a positive shift in consumer sentiment toward ownership housing. Households continue to see ownership housing in the GTA as a quality long-term investment as population growth from immigration remains strong and the regional economy continues to create jobs across diversity of sectors. However, sales activity continues to be below the longerterm norm, as potential home buyers come to terms with the OSFI mortgage stress test and the fact that listings continue to be constrained relative to sales," said Mr. Bhaura.

The number of new listings entered into TREB's MLS® System in May 2019 was up only slightly compared to May 2018, increasing by 0.8 per cent to 19,386. Year-over-year growth in new listings was far outstripped by year-over-year growth in sales. This means that market conditions continued to tighten in favour of sellers. The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) Composite benchmark price was up by 3.1 per cent on a year-over-basis. The average selling price for all home types combined was up by a similar 3.6 per cent to $838,540. Price growth was driven by the condominium apartment and townhouse market segments.

"We are experiencing annual rates of price growth that are largely sustainable right now in the GTA – above the rate of inflation, but in the single digits. If, however, we continue to see growth in sales outstrip growth in new listings, price growth will accelerate. This potential outcome underpins calls from TREB and other housing industry stakeholders to address roadblocks preventing a more sustainable and diverse supply of housing reaching the market. Many households are not comfortable listing their homes for sale because they feel that there are no housing options available to better meet their needs," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Chief Market Analyst.

*The total sales in May 2018 were not as low as originally reported and have been upwardly revised to 8,402 from 7,834. The initial estimate of sales was conservative due to a one-off reporting discrepancy that was discovered when the May 2019 reports were being produced.

Monday, May 6, 2019

■Market Watch | MAY, 2019

GTA REALTORS® Release April 2019 Stats
May 6, 2019 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Garry Bhaura announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported a substantial year-over-year increase in home sales in April 2019. The number of residential transactions jumped by 16.8 per cent to 9,042 compared to 7,744 in April 2018. On a preliminary seasonally adjusted basis, sales were up 11.3 per cent compared to March 2019.

New listings were also up year-over-year by eight per cent. However, the annual growth rate for new listings was much lower than that reported for sales. This suggests that market conditions continued to tighten which points toward an acceleration in price growth.

"The strong year-over-year growth in sales is obviously a good news story and likely represents some catch-up from a slow start to the year. TREB's sales outlook for 2019 anticipates an increase relative to 2018. It should be noted, however, that growth in new listings is not keeping pace with sales. This points to the ongoing housing supply issue in the GTA. In this regard TREB welcomes the provincial government's Housing Supply Action Plan announced last week to reduce red tape and improve the mix of housing types. TREB provided input on the Plan through submissions and participation on working groups," said Mr. Bhaura.

The year-over-year rate of price growth generally edged up in April relative to the first three months of the year. The MLS® HPI Composite benchmark was up by 3.2 per cent – the highest rate of growth in more than a year. The average selling price was up by 1.9 per cent to $820,148, representing the strongest annual rate of growth so far in 2019. On a preliminary seasonally adjusted basis, the average selling price was also up by 1.1 per cent compared to March 2019.

Price growth continued to be driven by the condominium apartment segment and higher-density low-rise segments. The average price for detached houses dipped year-over-year, specifically in regions surrounding the City of Toronto. The detached market segment, with the highest price point on average, has arguably been hardest hit by measures such as the OSFI stress test.

"While sales were up year-over-year in April, it is important to note that they remain well-below April levels for much of the past decade. Many potential home buyers arguably remain on the sidelines as they reassess their options in light of the OSFI-mandated two percentage point stress test on mortgages. Longer term borrowing costs have trended lower this year and the outlook for short-term rates, for which the Bank of Canada holds the lever, is flat to down this year. Unfortunately, against this backdrop, we have seen no movement toward flexibility in the OSFI stress test," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Chief Market Analyst.

■Condo & Rental Market Report | Q1 2019




Condo Market Report

April 24, 2019 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Garry Bhaura announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,731 condominium apartment sales through TREB's MLS® System in the first quarter of 2019. This result was down by 6.8 per cent compared to Q1 of 2018.

New condominium apartment listings entered into TREB's MLS® System were up by 2.4 per cent compared to Q1 2018, with 8,222 listings being added in 2019 versus 8,029 listings added in the first three months of 2018.

"While we experienced a slightly better-supplied condo market in the first quarter of 2019, the market segment remained tight enough to retain the highest year-over-year rate of price growth compared to other major home types. Condos continue to provide prospective buyers with a relatively affordable housing option in the GTA, especially given the impact of the OSFI-mandated mortgage stress test," said Mr. Bhaura.

The average price of a condominium apartment increased by 4.5 per cent from $533,520 in Q1 2018 to $557,377 in Q1 2019. Year-over-year price growth in the City of Toronto, which accounted for 69 per cent of transactions, was slightly higher at 5.4 per cent resulting in an average price of $603,243.

Condominium apartment listings, in both the ownership and rental markets, can be influenced by the completion of new condominium apartment projects. According to CMHC, condo apartment completions were up substantially year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2018, which could account for an uptick in condo ownership and rental listings in Q1 2019. Conversely, condo apartment completions were down year-over-year in Q1 2019, which could arguably impact listings in the opposite manner over the next three months.

"The condominium apartment rental market remained very tight through the first three months of 2019. Average one-bedroom and two-bedroom rents were up well-above the rate of inflation on a year-over-year basis in the first quarter. However, the condo rental market also benefitted from an increase in the number of units listed, resulting in more choice for prospective renters. With this said, we would need to see a number of quarters with listings growth outstripping rental transaction growth in order for the market to become more balanced," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Chief Market Analyst.


Rental Market Report

April 3, 2019 – Toronto Real Estate Board President Garry Bhaura announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 6,646 condominium apartment rental transactions through TREB’s MLS® System in the first quarter of 2019. This result was up by 7.7 per cent compared to Q1 2018. Rental transactions were up for bachelor, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

The number of condominium rental apartments listed at some point during the first quarter of 2019 was also up on a year-over-year basis by 22.4 per cent – outstripping the annual growth rate for rental transactions.

“It makes sense that we continued to see an increase in condominium apartment rentals during the last quarter. The GTA’s population continues to grow as people are attracted to the region by its strong economy and diversity. At the same time, it was also good to see an increase in the number of units listed for rent. However, with average rents continuing to increase well-above the rate of inflation on an annual basis, market conditions clearly remain tight. Development of more rental supply is imperative to the long-term sustainability of the GTA rental market,” said Mr. Bhaura.

The average Q1 2019 one-bedroom condominium apartment rent for the GTA as a whole was $2,143 – up 7.4 per cent compared to Q1 2018. Over the same period, the average two-bedroom condominium apartment rent increased by six per cent to $2,811.

“Affordable rental housing is an important component in the overall competitiveness of the GTA. Businesses and individuals are more likely to locate in regions where there is a ready supply of affordable housing alternatives. While condominium apartment investor-owners have provided the great majority of new rental stock over the past decade, we know there is a need for many more rental units, as evidenced by vacancy rates hovering around one per cent. TREB looks forward to working with policy makers in the design of proactive housing policies pointed at the development of new rental supply, including during the recently announced City of Toronto Housing TO consultations,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Chief Market Analyst.

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

■Market Watch | APRIL, 2019

GTA REALTORS® Release March 2019 Stats

April 3, 2019 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Garry Bhaura announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 7,187 residential sales through TREB's MLS® System in March 2019. This result was inline with 7,188 sales reported in March 2018. For the first quarter of 2019, sales were down by one per cent compared to Q1 2018.

"The OSFI stress test continues to impact home buyers' ability to qualify for a mortgage. TREB is still arguing that the stress test provisions and mortgage lending guidelines generally, including allowable amortization periods for insured mortgages, should be reviewed. The supply of listings in the GTA also remains a problem. Bringing a greater diversity of ownership and rental housing online, including 'missing middle' home types, should be a priority of all levels of government. TREB is happy to be taking part in the City of Toronto's consultations for the Housing TO – 2020-2030 Action Plan, and will certainly be raising the supply issue during these discussions," said Mr. Bhaura.

"While the City of Toronto's recently announced Housing TO – 2020-2030 Action Plan is exciting and commendable and TREB looks forward to contributing solutions as a Member of the External Advisory Committee, the recently proposed increase to the Municipal Land Transfer Tax on higher priced properties is problematic. As the recent City budget process showed, the MLTT is not a sustainable revenue source from which to fund municipal programs. On top of this, additional MLTT on higher priced homes could have a trickle-down effect on the supply of homes throughout the housing price continuum," said TREB CEO John Di Michele.

The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark was up by 2.6 per cent year-over-year in March, while the average price for March sales was up by a lesser annual rate of 0.5 per cent to $788,335. The average selling price for Q1 2019 was up by 1.1 per cent year-over-year.

"Market conditions have remained tight enough to support a moderate pace of price growth. Despite sales being markedly lower than the record levels of 2016 and early 2017, the supply of listings has also receded. This means that in many neighbourhoods throughout the GTA, we continue to see competition between buyers for available listings, which provides a level of support for home prices," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Chief Market Analyst.

Thursday, March 7, 2019

■Market Watch | MARCH, 2019


GTA REALTORS® Release February 2019 Stats

March 5, 2019
 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Gurcharan (Garry) Bhaura announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 5,025 homes sold through TREB's MLS® System in February 2019. This sales total was down by 2.4 per cent on a year-over-year basis. Sales were also down compared to January 2019 following preliminary seasonal adjustment.

"The OSFI mandated mortgage stress test has left some buyers on the sidelines who have struggled to qualify for the type of home they want to buy. The stress test should be reviewed and consideration should be given to bringing back 30 year amortizations for federally insured mortgages. There is a federal budget and election on the horizon. It will be interesting to see what policy measures are announced to help with home ownership affordability," said Mr. Bhaura.

Despite sales being down year-over-year, new listings actually declined by a greater annual rate. This suggests that market conditions became tighter compared to last year. Tighter market conditions continued to support year-over-year average price growth.

Both the MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark and the average selling price were up modestly on a year-over-year basis in February 2019. The MLS® HPI Composite Benchmark was up by 2.4 per cent year-over-year. The average selling price for all home types combined was up by 1.6 per cent over the same period. Price growth was driven by the condominium apartment segment and higher density low-rise home types. On a preliminary seasonally adjusted basis the average selling price was down compared to January 2019.

"Home sales reported through TREB's MLS® System have a substantial impact on the Canadian economy. A study conducted by Altus for TREB found that, on average, each home sale reported through TREB resulted in $68,000 in spin-off expenditures accruing to the economy. With sales substantially lower than the 2016 record peak over the last two years, we have experienced a hit to the economy in the billions of dollars, in the GTA alone. This hit has also translated into lower government revenues and, if sustained, could impact the employment picture as well," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Director of Market Analysis and Service Channels.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

■Market Watch | FEBRUARY, 2019


GTA REALTORS® Release January Stats

February 6, 2019 -- TREB President Garry Bhaura announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,009 home sales through TREB's MLS® in January 2019 – up by 0.6 per cent compared to January 2018. On a preliminary seasonally adjusted basis, sales were up by 3.4 per cent compared to December 2018.

"It is encouraging to see the slight increase in January transactions on a year-overyear basis, even with the inclement weather experienced in the GTA region during the last week of the month. The fact that the number of transactions edged upwards is in line with TREB's forecast for higher sales in calendar year 2019," said Mr. Bhaura.

The MLS® HPI Composite Benchmark price was up by 2.7 per cent compared to January 2018. The condominium apartment market segment continued to lead the way in terms of price growth. The average selling price was up by 1.7 per cent on a year-over-year basis. After preliminary seasonal adjustment, the average selling price edged lower compared to December 2018.

"Market conditions in January, as represented by the relationship between sales and listings, continued to support moderate year-over-year price increases, regardless of the price measure considered. Given housing affordability concerns in the GTA, especially as it relates to mortgage qualification standards, we have seen tighter market conditions and stronger price growth associated with higher density low-rise home types and condominium apartments, which have lower average selling prices compared to single detached homes," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Director of Market Analysis and Service Channels.

Monday, February 4, 2019

■Condo & Rental Market Report | Q4 2018

Condo Market Report

January 28, 2019 – Toronto Real Estate Board President Garry Bhaura announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 5,191 condominium apartment sales through TREB’s MLS® System in the fourth quarter of 2018. This result was down by 9.9 per cent compared to the last three months of 2017. New condominium apartment listings entered into TREB’s MLS® System were down by more than sales on a year-over-year basis – dropping 11.2 per cent from 8,186 in Q4 2017 to 7,272 in Q4 2018. This points to tighter market conditions at the end of 2018 compared to year-end 2017. “The condominium apartment segment was the best-performing segment in terms of annual average rates of price growth in 2018. Condos represent a relatively affordable housing option. With a substantial decrease in listings in 2018, competition between intending buyers remained strong. This supported average price growth well-above the rate of inflation and annual rates of price growth reported for other ground-oriented home types,” said Mr. Bhaura. The average price of a condominium apartment increased by 8.3 per cent from $516,086 in Q4 2017 to $558,728 in Q4 2018. Year-over-year price growth in the City of Toronto, which accounted for 72 per cent of transactions, was slightly higher at 8.9 per cent resulting in an average price of $598,664. “The condominium apartment segment continued to be a key entry point into the GTA home ownership market in 2018. Higher mortgage qualification standards meant that many first-time buyers were looking for more affordable housing options. Moving forward, the concern is that a continued lack of listings supply, despite relatively strong new condo completions as of late, will hamper the ability of potential home buyers to meet their housing needs,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.


Rental Market Report

January 28, 2019 - Toronto Real Estate Board President Garry Bhaura announced that, based on rental listings and transactions reported by Greater Toronto REALTORS® through TREB’s MLS® System, rental market conditions remained very tight in the fourth quarter of 2018. Average rents for one-bedroom and two-bedroom condominium apartments were up substantially on a year-over-year basis. The average rent for one-bedroom condominium apartments in the TREB market area was up by 8.8 per cent annually to $2,143 in Q4 2018. The average two-bedroom condominium apartment rent was up by 5.5 percent over the same period to $2,774. “The Greater Toronto Area has seen significant growth in its economy throughout 2018. It has become a primary destination for companies in various industries who are attracting younger talent who have a desire to live in the region. This desirability has contributed to the continuation of historically-low vacancy rates, strong competition between renters for available units and, as a result, very strong growth in average rents,” said Mr. Bhaura. The number of condominium apartments listed at some point during the fourth quarter was up 16.6 per cent compared to Q4 2017, outstripping the seven per cent annual growth in rental transactions. While encouraging, a number of quarters within which listings growth outstrips rental transaction growth will be required to see more balance in the rental market. “It will be important to continue monitoring the supply of rental condominium apartments. While TREB certainly supports the recent rent control exemptions announced by the provincial government, this change does not benefit all investor-owners of condominium apartments, who have provided much of the new rental stock over the past decade. It is conceivable that rent controls could prompt some investors to consider selling their units and investing the proceeds in another asset class. This scenario could obviously compound an already problematic rental supply issue in the GTA,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Director of Market Analysis.

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

■This Month in Real Estate | JANUARY, 2019


■Market Watch | JANUARY, 2019


December and 2018 Annual Statistics Released

January 4, 2019 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Garry Bhaura announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported a total of 77,426 residential transactions through TREB's MLS® System in 2018. This result represented a 16.1 per cent decline compared to 92,263 sales reported in 2017. Total new listings entered into TREB's MLS® System were down by 12.7 per cent over the same period to 155,823.

The overall average selling price for 2018 transactions, at $787,300, was down by 4.3 per cent year-over-year for all home types combined across the TREB market area.

Home prices were up very slightly in the City of Toronto and down in the surrounding GTA regions. This dichotomy reflects the fact that the condominium apartment segment, which accounted for a large proportion of sales in the City of Toronto, performed better from a pricing perspective than the detached market segment. The average price for condominium apartment sales across the TREB market area was up by 7.8 per cent year-over-year.

"Higher borrowing costs coupled with the new mortgage stress test certainly prompted some households to temporarily move to the sidelines to reassess their housing options. With this said, it is important to note that market conditions were improved in the second
half of the year, both from a sales and pricing standpoint," said Garry Bhaura.

"After spiking in 2017, new listings receded markedly in 2018. In many neighbourhoods, despite fewer sales from a historic perspective, some buyers still struggled to find a home meeting their needs. The result was a resumption of a moderate year-over-year pace of home price growth in the second half of the year. Price growth was strongest for lessexpensive home types, as many home buyers sought more affordable home ownership options," said Jason Mercer, TREB's Director of Market Analysis and Service Channels.