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Toronto real estate market may be poised for a spring rebound

Toronto real estate market may be poised for a spring rebound

Sales in the Toronto housing market have so far decreased in 2018, but some market watchers are optimistic that a spring recovery will take place.
The most recent figures from the Toronto Real Estate Board look grim compared to the euphoria that pulled through the market in early 2017, says Cameron Forbes, general manager of ReMax Realtron Realty Inc. “We had an artificial market from January to January, April last year.”

In recent months, GTA revenue has dropped by 35 percent or more from a year earlier, while the average price is almost 14 percent. decreased. Forbes expects that the average price in the GTA for April will be 15 percent below April 2017.

But listings and sales have both increased in recent weeks as the market grew warmer. The tightening inventory has contributed to the prices of buoys.

In May, the comparisons on an annual basis will be less gruesome, predicts Mr. Forbes, with a fairly flat performance compared to May 2017. The results should boost the confidence of buyers and sellers,

“Especially June will be a strong month,” he says, while consumers will say, “Oh, I’d better go in and buy.”

More homeowners will be willing to give their homes for sale if lawns turn green and gardens bloom, he adds. “Buyers and sellers will fit together in June.”

At the moment buyers were gripped last year by “fear of missing” while the prices continue their unbridled run. In mid-April, the Ontario government introduced a 15 percent tax on speculative purchases by non-residents and other policies to cool the market. Almost at night, buyers’ fear turned to panic over overpayment.

The market stabilized gradually, but on 1 January a new “stress test” came into effect for buyers looking for uninsured mortgages. The harder guidelines have prompted some buyers to sign a deal before the end of 2017, says Mr Forbes.

Over time, persistent sellers have lowered their asking prices, but many buyers persist to see if the market has dropped further. That pattern is typical of a correction, he says. “The buyers act faster than the sellers, the sellers react and react exaggerated buyers.You see this back and forth for a certain period.”

Mr. Forbes believes that many potential buyers are still waiting on the sidelines. Entries are thin in some popular neighborhoods because homeowners are reluctant to sell if they might not pick up top dollar.

But Mr. Forbes thinks that house hunters who are looking for a single-family home have a good chance of finding a deal. “There are still so many good foundations.” The price of a detached house in the GTA has dropped by about 17 percent compared to the peak in April 2017. Meanwhile, the economies of Ontario and the US remain strong and are negotiating the North American free market. trade agreement, he adds.

Mr. Forbes adds that it is a very rare homeowner who bought in the first four months of 2017 when the market reached its maximum madness and might lose money by selling it now. Anyone who has bought outside that period is likely to realize a strong profit, he emphasizes.

“Sales people say:” I can not get the price my neighbor received in March 2017, but I can still get 50% more than I paid for my house. ”

Sales and prices have remained stronger in the more central 416 area code, says Mr. Forbes, while 905 communities such as Richmond Hill, Newmarket and Aurora have suffered greater declines – especially in the detached housing segment of more than $ 1.5 million.

Nevertheless, sales are still improving and Mr. Forbes expects that trend to continue.

Meanwhile the condom market remains in the center from Toronto continue to defy all expectations with double-digit sales and price gains.

Paul Johnston, an agent at Right at Home Realty Inc., says he believed for a long time that the housing market on the ground floor would outdo the condos. the sales prices of some condo units in the center have risen more than $ 1,000 per square foot.

The acceleration beyond the prices of single-family homes marks a turning point, says John ston.

“There has been a shift, and I actually think that buyers are increasingly opting for apartment buildings – not as an alternative to & # 39; in rank & # 39; – but as a lifestyle preference.”

He prepares Imagine a four-bedroom loft on 40 Westmoreland Ave. For sale this month with an asking price close to the $ 2-million sign The 2500-square-foot unit is one of the largest in a former church building near Bloor Street West and Dovercourt Road.

Broker Paul Johnston of Right at Home Realty Inc. is preparing for a loft for sale in a former church building on 40 Westmoreland Ave. in Toronto.

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Mr. Johnston says that many buyers are in favor of this kind of adaptive reuse project in a traditional house with a backyard.

He points out that fairly new condos are much easier to find than new single-family homes in the city center. sees buyers who are inside and exchange outdoor spaces to live in a place that they consider stylish. Many people nowadays also prefer less maintenance, he adds.

Mr. Johnston says the trend is a good omen for the city in general, but he thinks that this can affect the values ​​in neighborhoods that have traditionally been found more stable.

At Capital Economics, economists Paul Ashworth and David Madani predict that stricter rules and higher financing costs will continue to weigh heavily on the Canadian housing market. As a result, they expect the growth of the country’s gross domestic product to fall from three percent in 2017 to 1.5 percent in 2018.

The further tightening of the mortgage regulations at the beginning of the year led to a renewed relapse in the home country. sales, they say in a report.

“Instead of just a temporary eruption, we suspect that the new regulations, along with the increases in mortgage financing costs, will be the start of a potentially long and severe slowdown in the housing market.”

Economists expect that the rising weakness in housing combined with uncertainty about NAFTA will prevent the Bank of Canada from raising interest rates again this year

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