We had to double check the date on the calendar this week to see that it wasn't July yet! Mother earth has blessed us with glorious sunny hot weather. Take a stroll and you will find the patios brimming with people and copious amounts of beverages being consumed. It seems that Sellers are finally getting with the program and as is typical after a long weekend both freehold and condominium listings jumped substantially last week. The trend we have been watching carefully is the number of sales that are occurring above their list price. In both the condo and freehold market that number is hovering at an average of 60% above the list price. Does that sound like we have a shortage of listings?
Queen Victoria's birthday is behind us now and that means the activity is gearing up for the final push for the spring market before summer sets in and trekking to the cottage begins. It seems the spring weather never happened. We went from miserable rainy days to this weeks above average temperatures. The number of new listings this week should be on the rise but let's see next week how many of those will receive multiple offers. Every year it's the same story. Homeowners often prefer to wait for the flowers and trees to blossom before they list their homes for sale. Buyers will have more choice now!
The media is at it again this week with grim news that the "Housing market stumbles in spring". Yes, we know the number of sales is down if we compare it to last years figures, but that is nothing new. Sales in the GTA have been down over the past year following a market correction that began last May, long before the stress-test rules were in place. But on a month-over-month basis, The GTA market has been stabilizing this year, with sales down just 1% in April compared to March on a seasonally adjusted basis. One of the factors in declining sales nationally has been a reduction in new homes listed for sale as sellers have sat on the sidelines waiting for the markets to strengthen. A decline in new listings has helped keep prices relatively stable even as the volume of sales has declined.
As we transition from dreary wet weather to sunshine and cherry blossoms, everyone seems to be smiling and there is a new bounce to our step. Even though we have seen a significant increase in new listings for freehold and condos last week, the Toronto real estate market remains fickle. It's hard to predict which properties will be snapped up and which will languish. Will the Toronto market see a mini-resurgence this spring?
"April showers bring May flowers" It's May and it's finally warm and everyone is smiling. And yea the Raptors are in the second round of playoffs. With the spring market in full swing we are seeing a ramp up of new listings. The Toronto Real Estate board released the April monthly figures and it sounds all gloomy. That's because the stats include the entire GTA and the reported number of sales is down and so is the average sale price. But the good news is that the average sale price for the City of Toronto is up again! January: $766,616 February: $806,494 March: $817,642 April: $865,817