Wondering what happening right now in Toronto’s housing market? Here’s a brief breakdown – courtesy of our parent brokerage, Bosley Real Estate – of the major stories surrounding real estate in Toronto’s central core the first week of September 2017!
“Ground Control to Major Tom, take your protein pills and put your helmet on. And just like that the Fall market has started.
In case you have been away this summer, it might be worth a quick recap on just where we are in the real estate world. After a rocking great start to the year with record sales through April the provincial government created their Fair Housing Plan, including their new rules on rental properties and a foreign buyers tax. Not to be outdone, the federal government then joined the chorus with not one but two increases to the prime interest rate that the banks were only too happy to embrace and have begun to hum the tune of stricter borrowing rules that we have heard before. While the municipal government has kept out of the legislative choir it seems they are mostly hoping all these measures to cool the market don’t work too well, because gosh they really need all that income from the land transfer tax. So what does all this mean to Toronto’s real estate Fall market? It’s a bit too early to say. What we can say is that perhaps we are not all singing the same tune. The media continues to sing the song of market collapse while from the background singers we are hearing whispers of homes selling with 8 offers and multi-million dollar Rosedale mansions selling after one day on the market.
The freehold sector was up a whopping 450% or five times more new listings than the previous week. This is not unusual for so many listings coming out after labour day. What was unusual was the amount of sold listings down by almost 50% from the previous week, with 20 per cent selling over the asking price. What was notable last week was 29 new listings in the central core listed above $3 million!
The condo market also saw an increase in new listings. Up 200% over the previous week, with the sweet spot being the $400k to $700k. While sales tapered off 45% over the previous week, a substantial amount (34%) of the sales, sold over the asking price. The condo rental market is fierce these days. New listings don’t even last a day and most end up in a bidding war. The average one bedroom in Toronto is now $2,089 a month!
Bosley Real Estate Ltd. is a full service boutique brokerage operating in Toronto, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Jordan and Port Hope, Ontario since 1928. We have four centrally located offices and over 250 sales representatives selling and leasing homes and condominiums in all the vibrant communities we work in. Our brand is well recognized internationally thanks to our unique affiliation with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. Our sales teams meet weekly to discuss market conditions, trending topics, and anecdotes that more accurately reflect the true temperature of the real estate market.”
HERE ARE THE TOP FIVE TRENDING STORIES OF THE WEEK:
‘Sanity’ returns to Toronto’s housing market
“Andrew Williamson spent two years looking for a house in Toronto, making offers that got topped in bidding wars and watching prices soar beyond his reach. By late spring this year, the 29-year-old photographer halted his search, turned off by high prices and the whip-saw volatility that was unfolding in the market.”
Ontario condo buyers grapple with monthly fees amid slow rollout of new rules
“When Joe Byer bought a condo in a 24-storey downtown building in 2009, he and his wife were attracted in part by the appealingly low monthly fee: $400 for the two-bedroom unit.”
Hurricane rebuilding in U.S. drives push to ease softwood tariffs
“The U.S. government is facing increasing pressure to reach a deal with Canada on softwood lumber, as demand for construction materials is expected to spike higher in Texas and Florida in the wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma.”
Toronto housing market feels effect of foreign-buyers tax
“Purchases of Toronto homes by foreign buyers dropped over the summer after a new tax in Ontario began targeting international property investment, falling from 7.2 per cent of sales in May to 5.6 per cent of homes sold over the three months ending in August.”
New benchmarks propel buyers back into Toronto housing market
“Leslie Benczik understands why house hunters were frightened to purchase a property in the depths of the Toronto area’s stagnant summer market. Making an offer was like ‘a stab in the dark,’ he says.”
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~ Steven and the Urbaneer Team
Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage • (416) 322-8000
http://www.urbaneer.com • info@urbaneer.com
– earn your trust, then your business –
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