Brian O'Donoghue

Sales Representative

Direct 647-405-3126 | bodonoghue@bosleyrealestate.com

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The government is at it again. On Tuesday they said they would make it easier for some people to get into the housing market by tweaking the mortgage stress test, making it slightly lower for insured loans. The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), which regulates banks is expected to extend a new weekly benchmark to uninsured mortgages this spring. It’s a move that could be worrisome because some believe this will fuel prices even more, especially at the lower end of the market where condos are already in short supply. The number of condos available for sale in January was the lowest it’s been in 25 years. A lot of that is due to investors holding onto their units. Condo prices appreciated 15 percent last year.


The number of new listings continued to contract last week but that could be because of the family day holiday. There were 19% fewer listings week over week which created increased competition with 10% more sold properties and of those, 66 percent sold at or over the asking price. The east core continues to be a hot district which had 24 properties sold and of those 22 sold above the asking price.


The condo market is having the reverse effect. Overall listings were up 13% in the central core last week and the sold numbers were steady week to week and of the condos sold, 64% sold at or over the asking price. Resale condos that were selling for $1000 a square foot downtown a few months ago are now fetching $1,100 or close to $1,200 a square foot in some cases. Meanwhile, condos selling in the preconstruction phase are commanding $1,400 a square foot or more.

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Is the Toronto housing market picking up steam at an “uncomfortable” pace thatresembles  the  sky-high  gains  of  2016?  One  just  has  to  look  at  the  number  of multiple offers and wild bidding wars to know that demand is at an all time high.So  what  should  we  expect  as  we  move  forward?  Hopefully  as  we  start  movinginto  the  spring  market  many  agents  are  anxious  to  see  if  listings  will  become  more plentiful especially after this long family weekend. We as realtors continue to do what we always do. We perform our duties and forge ahead. Let us take thisweekend to be with family and see what next week brings us. Happy Family Day!


We have been collecting weekly sales data for awhile now and it is often fun tolook back a year and compare markets. For instance, last year at this time therewere 15% more freehold listings available throughout all neighbourhoods but sold properties were down 55% in 2019 at this time. The number of properties sellingat or above the asking price this year is at 62% compared to last year which was 58%.


The resale condo sector is following the same trends. New listings are down 18%than the same period last year but sales are up a whooping 62% more than lastyear at this time. And the number of condos sold at or above the asking price isstill at a high of 62%. The condo market has been traditionally reserved for first-time buyers, but as freehold home ownership becomes less affordable, we expecteven more activity in the condo market.

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 Wanted! - The desperately low inventory of properties for sale is responsible for the intense competition going on. Buyers fear that prices will escalate even more if they wait. Example 1: A property in Brampton gets an astounding 77 bidders for a rundown detached house and sells for $166,000 over ask. Example 2: A semidetached in the Junction neighbourhood was listed for $949,000 and 33 offers came in and sold for $470,000 above the asking price. But the craziest one was this week on a property in prime High Park which was listed for $1,299,000 and it received 38 offers and sold for $2,300,000 !!!!


Toronto’s job market added 210,000 new jobs in 2019, the largest annual increase on record and wage gains were the strongest since 2008. All this combined with low mortgage rates and early reports of eye-popping sales can spur on buyers, but the buzz can also discourage some buyers who don’t want to get carried away in competition. Bottom line ... we need more listings!


In the freehold, sector listings continue to be a source of concern as we have indicated above. One year ago, we had 28% more listings than we do today. The good news is that sales were up week-over-week almost 60%. But given the fewer listings, the number of homes that sold at or above the asking price remains high at 58%.


The condo market is well on its way to market health again. We saw listings increase 7% week-over-week and compared to the same period last year listings have climbed by 16%. The number of sold condos increased by 27% last week and the increasing demand continues to push the number of units selling at or above the list price to 57%, which points to continued strength in the high-rise market.


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.

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