Oakville real estate is continuing to attract buyers, despite COVID-19. The housing market in Oakville started 2020 strong, as was the case in many housing markets across Canada. Balanced market conditions and an average price of five per cent were the expectation by year’s end, according to the RE/MAX 2020 Housing market Outlook Report. A few months into the year, the global pandemic sent many industries into a tailspin, however Oakville real estate values did not decline due to the public health crisis. If current conditions continue, Oakville housing prices are expected to hold steady.
This is in stark contrast to a recent prediction from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., warning that housing prices in Canada could drop between nine and 18 per cent over the next year. However, based on reports from RE/MAX brokers in many of Canada’s largest housing markets, consumer inquiries are on the upswing, inventory is low and the demand for homes is there. Here’s a closer look at Oakville real estate activity over the past few months, and some insight as to what may lie ahead.
FEBRUARY 2020
According to market data from the Oakville, Milton and District Real Estate Board (OMDREB), February 2020 saw a dramatic spike in sales activity year over year, with a total of 639 home sales compared to just 485 transactions in February 2019. Properties hitting the market also saw a significant increase, with 925 new listings in February 2020 compared to 847 in 2019.
By all accounts, Milton and Oakville real estate was primed for a busy spring market. Homebuyers emerged earlier than usual with strong sales activity, with luxury infill and detached homes sales in Oakville leading the charge in the $1M+ to $2.5M sale price range, according to OMDREB.
MARCH 2020
Despite the social distancing mandates and business closures that took effect on March 13, March 2020 actually reported an increase in transactions across Oakville and Milton. OMDREB reported 670 home sales in the region, compared to March 2019 when 650 sales were recorded. The month experienced a slight decline in the number of properties for sale, with 1,118 new listings in March 2020 compared to 1,220 in March 2019.
APRIL 2020
April marked the first month that the impact of the global pandemic was truly felt in local housing markets across Canada, and Oakville real estate followed suit.
OMDREB reported a dramatic dip in transactions in April 2020, with 289 homes sold across the region, compared to 761 home sales in April 2019. The number of new homes hitting the market also took a hit, with 559 new listings in April 2020 compared to 1,347 in April 2019.
“With social distancing measures still in place for the foreseeable future, we can expect the coming months to see a decline in home sales and listings compared to last year as well. However, while sales activity has seen a significant drop, the numbers also show us that real estate has not experienced a total shut down. Ultimately, some areas along with certain home types have been more impacted than others,” said OMDREB President Richard Weima.
What’s in store for Oakville real estate?
The Oakville real estate market has been surprisingly active during the pandemic. With the exception of the first two weeks of the lockdown – the second half of March – there has been a steady pace of buyers and sellers active in the housing market, according to Oakville-based RE/MAX Aboutowne Realty Corp. In the past few weeks, the brokerage reports a steady increase in call volume, appointments booked, and units sold.
And contrary to some widespread predictions, Oakville real estate prices did not adjust down based on the pandemic. In fact, the average home price increased 9.76 per cent year-over-year, reaching $1,251,124 in April 2020, compared to April 2019, when the average price was $1,129,093.
Some multiple-offer scenarios continue, with some properties selling for over asking. Based on these factors, RE/MAX expects that Oakville real estate will continue to be in high demand.
Luxury real estate in Oakville
The luxury housing market in Oakville starts at around $3 million. This property segment did experience some slight softening over the last 60 days, which is tied to COVID-19. These buyers may be temporarily sitting on the sidelines as the economy gradually returns to activity.
A return to “the new normal”
Are Canadians ready to return to some semblance of normalcy? According to a weekly consumer survey by Leger published on May 20, 60 per cent of Canadians think their provincial government should maintain the pace at which it is relaxing social distancing/self-isolation measures. Furthermore, 53 per cent of Canadians are afraid of contracting COVID-19; however, this proportion continues to trend downward.
Here in Ontario, while social distancing measures continue to be in effect, some businesses have been allowed to re-open their doors in an effort to reignite the local economy. They will join many businesses including real estate offices, which were classified as an essential service and continued to operate under strict guidelines throughout the pandemic. The economic, employment and general comfort level will continue to impact home-buying and selling decisions. Click here to find out what Canadian real estate might look like in the coming weeks and months.
TORONTO – One expert predicts Ottawa‘s changes to mortgage rules will help spur demand among potential homebuyers but says policies aimed at driving new supply are needed to address the “core issues” facing the market.
The federal government’s changes, set to come into force mid-December, include a higher price cap for insured mortgages to allow more people to qualify for a mortgage with less than a 20 per cent down payment.
The government will also expand its 30-year mortgage amortization to include first-time homebuyers buying any type of home, as well as anybody buying a newly built home.
CIBC Capital Markets deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal calls it a “significant” move likely to accelerate the recovery of the housing market, a process already underway as interest rates have begun to fall.
However, he says in a note that policymakers should aim to “prevent that from becoming too much of a good thing” through policies geared toward the supply side.
Tal says the main issue is the lack of supply available to respond to Canada’s rapidly increasing population, particularly in major cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17,2024.
OTTAWA – The Canadian Real Estate Association says the number of homes sold in August fell compared with a year ago as the market remained largely stuck in a holding pattern despite borrowing costs beginning to come down.
The association says the number of homes sold in August fell 2.1 per cent compared with the same month last year.
On a seasonally adjusted month-over-month basis, national home sales edged up 1.3 per cent from July.
CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart says that with forecasts of lower interest rates throughout the rest of this year and into 2025, “it makes sense that prospective buyers might continue to hold off for improved affordability, especially since prices are still well behaved in most of the country.”
The national average sale price for August amounted to $649,100, a 0.1 per cent increase compared with a year earlier.
The number of newly listed properties was up 1.1 per cent month-over-month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
MONTREAL – Two Quebec real estate brokers are facing fines and years-long suspensions for submitting bogus offers on homes to drive up prices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Christine Girouard has been suspended for 14 years and her business partner, Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin, has been suspended for nine years after Quebec’s authority of real estate brokerage found they used fake bids to get buyers to raise their offers.
Girouard is a well-known broker who previously starred on a Quebec reality show that follows top real estate agents in the province.
She is facing a fine of $50,000, while Dauphinais-Fortin has been fined $10,000.
The two brokers were suspended in May 2023 after La Presse published an article about their practices.
One buyer ended up paying $40,000 more than his initial offer in 2022 after Girouard and Dauphinais-Fortin concocted a second bid on the house he wanted to buy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
