Over the years we have watched the Black Friday phenomena move north of the border and now it is not unusual to see line-ups outside big box stores in Toronto. As always the in demand items are electronics, televisions, clothes and… Real Estate? While a few weeks back we might have thought we were headed for an early end to the Fall market, that definitely does not seem to be the case as we get into the second half of November. Don’t get us wrong, these are not door crasher numbers but sales in the Freehold category increased and the condo market continues to defy every new bit of legislation the government can throw at it.
HO HO HO here come the holidays! Santa Clause is coming to town. The annual parade comes to town on Sunday and has been a staple in Toronto for 113 years keeping the tradition alive. Does that mean we are winding down and getting ready for Christmas? It doesn’t seem that way with a swell of new listings hitting the market in the early part of November compared with this time last year. Could this be a sign that sellers are hustling to list before the new “stress test” rules surrounding mortgages come into effect on January 1st.
In the olden days of yore we used to judge the changing of the seasons by stepping outside and observing the natural environment. Cooler evenings and the kaleidoscope of colours would indicate the onset of Fall and a powdering of snow was a sure indicator that winter was upon us. The weather seems a less reliable indicator these days but not to worry the world of marketing and retail sales will keep us focused on the changing seasons. If you haven’t left your house since Halloween you may not have noticed that it is suddenly Christmas everywhere you look.
The Toronto Real Estate Board released the market stats for October and its good news once again! We saw a dramatic increase in sales (7,118) between September and October of almost 12 per cent pointing to stronger fall market conditions. The average selling price for the GTA for October was $780,000 up by 2.3 per cent compared to $762,691 in October 2016. For the City of Toronto the average sale price for October was $818,201 compared to $769,712 in October 2016 up by 6.3 per cent!
Do you have at least 20 per-cent home equity and need a new mortgage? Are your housing costs more than a third of your gross income? If you answered yes and yes, then you should mark January 1, 2018 on our calendar. That's when our banking regulator's new mortgage stress test officially kicks in. And if you meet the criteria above, you may not qualify for as big a mortgage next year as you do today. Will this create a little mini boom? Two consecutive months of rising sales in August and September confirm that buyers are surfacing again and Sellers in the Toronto area seem more confident with more listings coming to market. Agents are predicting a small flurry of buying as people rush to ink a deal before the new requirements come into effect.