Breaking down the GTA housing market in 2019
By NextHome Staff
March 26, 2019
March 26, 2019
This year has gotten off to a good start with sales, listings and price all up on a year-over-year basis. This is encouraging, especially when the inclement weather experienced in the GTA on the last week of the month is considered.There were 4,009 home sales in January 2019, up 0.6 per cent and listings were up 10.5 per cent with 9,456 homes listed on TREB’s MLS system in January. While the average selling price was up by 1.7 per cent on a year-over-year basis, after preliminary seasonal adjustment the average selling price edged lower when compared to the previous month.
One trend to keep an eye on as we move through 2019 is stronger price growth for higher-density lowrise (such as condo townhomes, duplexes) and condominium apartment home types.As the market experiences increasing affordability pressures, it is likely that many of those looking to buy a home will prefer to purchase these often lower-priced home types. Much of the affordability pressure we are seeing in the GTA has been driven by the OSFI mandated two percentage point mortgage stress test, a provision TREB is urging the government to revisit with an eye toward more flexibility.