April was a good month for the Toronto Real Estate Market

April was a good month for the Toronto Real Estate Market. Sales came in with a substantial year-over-year increase. The number of residential transactions jumped by 16.8 per cent to 9,042 compared to 7,744 in April 2018. On a preliminary seasonally adjusted basis, sales were up 11.3 per cent compared to March 2019.

New listings were also up year-over-year by eight per cent. However, the annual growth rate for new listings was much lower than that reported for sales. This suggests that market conditions continued to tighten which points toward an acceleration in price growth.

The strong year-over-year growth in sales is obviously a good news story and likely represents some catchup from a slow start to the year. The Toronto Real Estate Board's sales outlook for 2019 anticipates an increase relative to 2018. 

The year-over-year rate of price growth generally edged up in April relative to the first three months of the year. The average selling price was up by 1.9 per cent to $820,148, representing the strongest annual rate of growth so far in 2019. On a preliminary seasonally adjusted basis, the average selling price was also up by 1.1 per cent compared to March 2019.

Price growth continued to be driven by the condominium apartment segment and higher-density low-rise segments. The average price for detached houses dipped year-over-year, specifically in regions surrounding the City of Toronto. The detached market segment, with the highest price point on average, has arguably been hardest hit by measures such as the stress test.

While sales were up year-over-year in April, it is important to note that they remain well-below April levels for much of the past decade. Many potential home buyers arguably remain on the sidelines as they reassess their options in light of the mandated two percentage point stress test on mortgages. Longer term borrowing costs have trended lower this year and the outlook for short-term rates, for which the Bank of Canada holds the lever, is flat to down this year. 

For questions on the Toronto Real Estate Market or if you are planning a move and would like to discuss your goals feel welcome to contact me at 416-856-5408 or aprasoulis@gmail.com.