Brian O'Donoghue

 HO HO HO here comes Santa! The annual Santa Clause parade comes to town on Sunday and if that doesn’t signal the start of winter then this week’s blast of early snow sure did. Despite the early onset of snow and temperature drop there is no sign that the real estate market is slipping into hibernation yet. A shortage of listings has been the problem for most of the year but when we ask around the office if agents have buyers they are working with everyone puts their hand up. We know there are many frustrated buyers out there, but we would encourage them to all keep looking.

If you are thinking of putting your buying intentions on hold you might pay the ultimate price when prices escalate in the Spring...just like they did last year.

Clearly as we see the year start to wind down freehold listings are not increasing week to week. Last week we saw an 8% drop and sales also dropped by 7%. These statistics are not uncommon when you compare to previous years. Its more a statement of the approaching winter market. Still, sentiment for home ownership remains strong as nearly 61% of sales happened at or above the list price.

The condo market on the other hand saw a 10% increase in new sales last week, but a sharp drop in sales down by 24%. Multiple offers once reaching a high of 52% of suites sold back in October has diminished to a still healthy 43% of condos selling at or above the asking price. We are still seeing heightened activity in the more price-friendly price point for first time buyers being between $400K to $700K.

Bosley Real Estate Ltd. is a full service boutique brokerage operating in Toronto, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Port Hope and Cambridge Ontario since 1928. We have four centrally located offices and over 250 sales representatives selling and leasing homes and condominiums in all the vibrant communities we work in. Our brand is well recognized internationally thanks to our unique affiliation with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. Our sales teams meet weekly to discuss market conditions, trending topics, and anecdotes that more accurately reflect the true temperature of the real estate market.

 The Toronto Real Estate Board released the market stats for the month of October and all we can say is we are UP! October continued the string of strong performances. Beginning in the spring the Toronto and GTA market have shown month per month growth in sales and sale prices. The average sale price for the City of Toronto is $925,498 up 6.4% from a year ago. The number of sales has also increased by 8.7%. Still the growing concern is the lack of inventory with active listings down almost 6% compared to last year resulting in tighter market conditions and accelerating price growth.

Last week in the city the freehold sector saw a 10% drop in new listings. Sales were also lower than the previous week, down 12%. We are still witnessing a bit of everything, with some listings sitting on the market, some listings selling in crazy bidding wars and scores of potential buyers cautiously waiting for the right house. Still, sentiment for home ownership remains strong as nearly 55% of home transactions in the 416 sold at or above the asking price.

The condo market did not see an increase in new listings but rather a 12% drop from the previous week, but sales were up 9%. The condo sector stats for October were also stellar. The average condo price came in at $662,631 up 9.8% from October 2018. With nearly 50% of sold units still happening at or above the list price, the condo market continues to lead the way in terms of price growth in the GTA.

Bosley Real Estate Ltd. is a full service boutique brokerage operating in Toronto, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Port Hope and Cambridge Ontario since 1928. We have four centrally located offices and over 250 sales representatives selling and leasing homes and condominiums in all the vibrant communities we work in. Our brand is well recognized internationally thanks to our unique affiliation with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. Our sales teams meet weekly to discuss market conditions, trending topics, and anecdotes that more accurately reflect the true temperature of the real estate market.

Now that Halloween is behind us and the time has come to turn back the clocks this weekend, it’s the world of marketing and retail sales that will keep us focused on the changing seasons. If you haven’t been to a big box store lately you may not have noticed that it is suddenly Christmas everywhere you look. Unfortunately, the real estate market does not flip seasons as easily as your local retailer and the indicators we look for are harder to spot.

This fall has been a particularly quirky market. Some areas are hotter than average and setting records and some neighbourhoods feel like they are in a cool chill. We don’t know why this is happening making some of us think that the market will end early and has others thinking it will go to the last day of the year. We will keep on working and let you know how our seasonal transition fairs.

Last week in the city the freehold market saw a decline of 27% in new listings but a massive increase of 60% more sales than the past three weeks. This is not uncommon given that we had the federal election and Thanksgiving to contend with. Tight supply has been the ongoing story for most of the year. Homes trading at or above the list price is at a very respectable 65%, well within the range we have seen for a strong fall market.

The condo market held steady with a small 3% increase in new listings, but a 19% increase in sold condos and of those sold 52% sold at or over the list price. Next week we will have the statistics for the month of October to report. Let’s see how that unfolds.

Bosley Real Estate Ltd. is a full service boutique brokerage operating in Toronto, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Port Hope and Cambridge Ontario since 1928. We have four centrally located offices and over 250 sales representatives selling and leasing homes and condominiums in all the vibrant communities we work in. Our brand is well recognized internationally thanks to our unique affiliation with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. Our sales teams meet weekly to discuss market conditions, trending topics, and anecdotes that more accurately reflect the true temperature of the real estate market.