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GTA home sales down 47% from last year: TRREB | CTV News – CTV News Toronto

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The moderation of the Greater Toronto Area’s housing market intensified last month as the region’s real estate board found July sales fell 47 per cent from the same time last year and 24 per cent from this past June.

The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board revealed Thursday that last month’s 4,912 sales were almost half of the 9,339 homes that changed hands the July before and are an indication that the market is easing from the frenzied pace seen in the first half of the year and at the end of 2021.

The board and real estate agents have attributed much of the moderation to the increased cost of carrying a mortgage after Canada’s key interest rate was increased by one percentage point in mid-July, making it the largest hike the country has seen in 24 years.

The hike has encouraged people to rethink their housing intentions. Prospective buyers are holding out for further drops they and brokers anticipate could materialize in the fall, while sellers are debating making what they can from their home now or waiting for the market to turn in their favour again.

Some sellers are even terminating their listings to take advantage of the hot rental market, where vacancies are dropping and prices are up.

While January’s hot market saw 380 terminated condo listings in the GTA, real estate company Strata said June brought 2,822 — a 643 per cent increase.

The moderation taking shape within sales is taking longer to appear in home prices.

TRREB found the average home price was $1,074,754 last month, a one per cent hike from $1,061,724 in July 2021, but a six per cent drop from $1,145,994 in June 2022.

The composite benchmark price was more than $1.1 million, up by 12.9 per cent year-over-year.

Detached home prices were down three per cent on a year-over-year basis to $1,362,598 last month, while their sales dropped by 46 per cent to 2,203.

Prices of semi-detached homes were up by nearly five per cent from last July to $1,077,750, while sales fell 45 per cent to 474.

Townhouse prices crept up by six per cent to $903,899 as their sales fell by 52 per cent to 816, and condo apartment prices saw a seven per cent leap to $719,273 and a 48 per cent fall in sales to 1,365.

The market also saw a drop in new listings, which amounted to 12,046 last month, down four per cent from a year ago.

TRREB felt the numbers necessitate government intervention, including boosting housing supply and reviewing mortgage policies.

Data firm Urbanation Inc. said Tuesday that it expects almost 10,000 GTA condo units to be delayed this year as increasing mortgage rates weigh on home sales.

“Many GTA households intend on purchasing a home in the future, but there is currently uncertainty about where the market is headed,” said TRREB CEO John DiMichele, in a release.

“Policymakers could help allay some of this uncertainty.”

He recommended the government review the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions’ stress test. The mandatory test set the qualifying rate on uninsured mortgages at either two percentage points above the contract rate, or 5.25 per cent, whichever is greater.

Kevin Crigger, TRREB’s president, echoed DiMichele’s plea, saying longer mortgage amortization periods of up to 40 years on renewals and switches should be explored.

“With significant increases to lending rates in a short period, there has been a shift in consumer sentiment, not market fundamentals,” he said, in a release.

“The federal government has a responsibility to not only maintain confidence in the financial system, but to instill confidence in homeowners that they will be able to stay in their homes despite rising mortgage costs.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2022.

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Greater Toronto home sales jump in October after Bank of Canada rate cuts: board

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TORONTO – The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board says home sales in October surged as buyers continued moving off the sidelines amid lower interest rates.

The board said 6,658 homes changed hands last month in the Greater Toronto Area, up 44.4 per cent compared with 4,611 in the same month last year. Sales were up 14 per cent from September on a seasonally adjusted basis.

The average selling price was up 1.1 per cent compared with a year earlier at $1,135,215. The composite benchmark price, meant to represent the typical home, was down 3.3 per cent year-over-year.

“While we are still early in the Bank of Canada’s rate cutting cycle, it definitely does appear that an increasing number of buyers moved off the sidelines and back into the marketplace in October,” said TRREB president Jennifer Pearce in a news release.

“The positive affordability picture brought about by lower borrowing costs and relatively flat home prices prompted this improvement in market activity.”

The Bank of Canada has slashed its key interest rate four times since June, including a half-percentage point cut on Oct. 23. The rate now stands at 3.75 per cent, down from the high of five per cent that deterred many would-be buyers from the housing market.

New listings last month totalled 15,328, up 4.3 per cent from a year earlier.

In the City of Toronto, there were 2,509 sales last month, a 37.6 per cent jump from October 2023. Throughout the rest of the GTA, home sales rose 48.9 per cent to 4,149.

The sales uptick is encouraging, said Cameron Forbes, general manager and broker for Re/Max Realtron Realty Inc., who added the figures for October were stronger than he anticipated.

“I thought they’d be up for sure, but not necessarily that much,” said Forbes.

“Obviously, the 50 basis points was certainly a great move in the right direction. I just thought it would take more to get things going.”

He said it shows confidence in the market is returning faster than expected, especially among existing homeowners looking for a new property.

“The average consumer who’s employed and may have been able to get some increases in their wages over the last little bit to make up some ground with inflation, I think they’re confident, so they’re looking in the market.

“The conditions are nice because you’ve got a little more time, you’ve got more choice, you’ve got fewer other buyers to compete against.”

All property types saw more sales in October compared with a year ago throughout the GTA.

Townhouses led the surge with 56.8 per cent more sales, followed by detached homes at 46.6 per cent and semi-detached homes at 44 per cent. There were 33.4 per cent more condos that changed hands year-over-year.

“Market conditions did tighten in October, but there is still a lot of inventory and therefore choice for homebuyers,” said TRREB chief market analyst Jason Mercer.

“This choice will keep home price growth moderate over the next few months. However, as inventory is absorbed and home construction continues to lag population growth, selling price growth will accelerate, likely as we move through the spring of 2025.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Homelessness: Tiny home village to open next week in Halifax suburb

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HALIFAX – A village of tiny homes is set to open next month in a Halifax suburb, the latest project by the provincial government to address homelessness.

Located in Lower Sackville, N.S., the tiny home community will house up to 34 people when the first 26 units open Nov. 4.

Another 35 people are scheduled to move in when construction on another 29 units should be complete in December, under a partnership between the province, the Halifax Regional Municipality, United Way Halifax, The Shaw Group and Dexter Construction.

The province invested $9.4 million to build the village and will contribute $935,000 annually for operating costs.

Residents have been chosen from a list of people experiencing homelessness maintained by the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia.

They will pay rent that is tied to their income for a unit that is fully furnished with a private bathroom, shower and a kitchen equipped with a cooktop, small fridge and microwave.

The Atlantic Community Shelters Society will also provide support to residents, ranging from counselling and mental health supports to employment and educational services.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.

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Here are some facts about British Columbia’s housing market

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Housing affordability is a key issue in the provincial election campaign in British Columbia, particularly in major centres.

Here are some statistics about housing in B.C. from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2024 Rental Market Report, issued in January, and the B.C. Real Estate Association’s August 2024 report.

Average residential home price in B.C.: $938,500

Average price in greater Vancouver (2024 year to date): $1,304,438

Average price in greater Victoria (2024 year to date): $979,103

Average price in the Okanagan (2024 year to date): $748,015

Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Vancouver: $2,181

Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Victoria: $1,839

Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Canada: $1,359

Rental vacancy rate in Vancouver: 0.9 per cent

How much more do new renters in Vancouver pay compared with renters who have occupied their home for at least a year: 27 per cent

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

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