Toronto Regional Real Estate Board President Michael Collins announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,606 sales through TRREB’s MLS® System in May 2020. This result was down by 53.7 per cent compared to May 2019. While the number of sales was down substantially on a year-over-year basis due to the continued impact of COVID-19, the decline was less than the 67.1 per cent year-over-year decline reported for April 2020.

Market Report | December 2019 - Toronto Real Estate Board President Michael Collins announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 7,090 sales through TREB's MLS® System in November 2019 – a 14.2 per cent increase compared to November 2018. On a GTA-wide basis, sales were up year-over-year for all major market segments. Annual sales growth in ground oriented home types, including detached houses, led the way.

Market Watch | August 2019 | Toronto Real Estate Board President Michael Collins announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 7,711 residential sales through TREB's MLS® System in August 2019. This result represented a 13.4 per cent increase compared to 6,797 sales reported in August 2018. On a month-over- month basis, after preliminary seasonal adjustment, sales were up by 0.8 per cent.

Bank of Canada Lowers Rate Used in Mortgage Stress Tests | A key Canadian interest rate used by lenders to determine who can qualify for a mortgage has dropped for the first time in almost three years, potentially giving the country’s housing market a near-term boost.

The Bank of Canada lowered its 5-year conventional mortgage rate on Wednesday to 5.19%, from 5.34%, where it had been since May 2018. It’s the first decrease since August 2016. The rate is an indicative measure based on average price quotes from financial institutions.

Renewal-Shock Concerns are Fading for Canadian Mortgage Holders | Canadian homeowners set to renew their mortgages this year can rest a little easier about having to pay higher rates.

Rates to renew a five-year mortgage aren’t much higher than they were when the mortgages were taken out, according to National Bank research. That means “no payment shock” for the 17.4% of mortgages renewing in 2019, Matthieu Arseneau, deputy chief economist at the Montreal-based bank, said by phone

Market Watch | May 2019 - Toronto Real Estate Board President Garry Bhaura announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported a substantial year-over-year increase in home sales in April 2019. 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.

2019 Top-Tier Spring Outlook | Population growth and revitalized consumer confidence in the country’s largest real estate market is expected to drive Canadian top-tier real estate performance in spring 2019. New data compiled by Sotheby’s International Realty Canada reveal that Greater Toronto Area top-tier sales have stabilized from previous years’ unpredictability, with sales over $1 million down a nominal 2% year-over-year in the first two months of 2019. A shortfall in inventory over $4 million, as well as a shift of luxury real estate transactions to off-market and private channels resulted in a 38% decrease in MLS® sales compared to the first two months of 2018; however, demand for luxury housing remains robust leading into spring. While buyers’ market conditions remain entrenched in Vancouver as the city started the year with 52% and 50% declines in sales over $1 million and $4 million respectively, pent-up demand and a positive shift in market confidence are palpable.

Potential home buyers in cities with white-hot real estate markets got some relief in Tuesday’s federal budget with an incentive program that could lower mortgage payments for households making less than $120,000 per year.

The government unveiled a multi-pronged approach to housing affordability that centres on the incentive plan, but beefs up an existing initiative that allows buyers to withdraw money from their RRSPs, and a variety of measures to boost the supply of homes on the Canadian market.

March 2019 | Market Watch - “The OSFI mandated mortgage stress test has left some buyers on the sidelines who have struggled to qualify for the type of home they want to buy. The stress test should be reviewed and consideration should be given to bringing back 30 year amortizations for federally insured mortgages. There is a federal budget and election on the horizon. It will be interesting to see what policy measures are announced to help with home ownership affordability.” said Mr Bhaura.

Bank of Canada announces interest rate decision | The Bank of Canada left its trend-setting interest rate unchanged at 1.75% on Wednesday as the sharp decline in oil prices temporarily dims its economic outlook for the coming months. Before long, however, the central bank expects the economy to expand with renewed vigour. More rate hikes, it stressed, will be necessary “over time”.

Toronto Real Estate Board President Garry Bhaura announced the continuation of moderate price growth in November 2018 compared to November 2017. The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) Composite Benchmark was up by 2.7 per cent year-over-year. The average selling price was up by 3.5 per cent year-over-year to $788,345.

The moment you enter through the gates of Chelster Hall, a grand home in Oakville, Ont., it feels like you’ve entered a retreat where all stress and worry seem to disappear. Once you’re past the wide front doors, a magnificent chandelier comes into view. Hanging from a domed ceiling some 30 feet above you, it’s in perfect elegant symmetry with the custom oval Persian carpet underfoot. Just ahead of you are vistas of Lake Ontario sparkling in the distance. On a cold winter day, you can see the mist rising from Niagara Falls.

Whether it’s a country home or more permanent abode, many urbanites have entertained the idea of owning farmland outside the city. If you find that your daily commute is routinely filled with daydreams of greener pastures, it may be time to start getting serious about making your farmstead fantasies a reality. One property located in the idyllic New Jersey countryside makes a serious case for a rural retreat.

Montreal’s culture is a vibrant, eclectic mix of English and French, old and new, high-end and working-class. Whether you’re moving to the city or just planning a visit, the city’s walkable neighbourhoods, including thoroughfares, side streets and alleyways, are best explored on foot. Don’t let the winter put you off—the city’s snow-clearing chops are top-notch, and today’s parka design is quite fashionable.

One of Toronto’s quirkiest homes, the angular blue property at 1 Bond Ave. that made waves in cookie-cutter Don Mills when it was built in the late ’90s, is on the market. The house, along with its fraternal twin property at 3 Bond Ave., drew the chagrin of neighbours when it was built at the turn of the millennium.

A new report released today by Mustel Group and Sotheby’s International Realty Canada reveals the impact of rising housing costs on young families across the country’s major metropolitan real estate markets, highlighting the significant contrast between the home ownership aspirations and realities of this demographic.

Strengthening consumer engagement and robust economic fundamentals in the nation’s largest housing market are projected to drive Canadian top-tier real estate performance this fall, as sales over $1 million rebound in Toronto. New data compiled by Sotheby’s International Realty Canada reveal that Greater Toronto Area residential real estate activity over $1 million and luxury activity over $4 million are gaining traction, as summer sales rose 19% and 34% year-over-year respectively.

August appears to have cemented the Toronto region’s real estate recovery, with average resale home prices up 4.7 per cent year over year to $765,270, including single-family homes and highrise apartments. That is about $34,000 higher than the average a year ago.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce’s prediction of a mortgage slowdown has come true.

Mortgage balances rose 2.5 percent to C$208.5 billion ($160 billion) in the fiscal third quarter from a year earlier, the Toronto-based bank said Thursday in announcing earnings that beat analysts’ estimates.

Larry Page’s ‘city of the future’ on Toronto’s waterfront may end up having one foot rooted firmly in the past.

Sidewalk Labs LLC, the urban innovation unit of Alphabet Inc., is considering constructing buildings in the 4.9-hectare (12-acre) high-tech community entirely with tall-timber technology -- engineered wood products that proponents say are as strong and fire-resistant as those made from steel or concrete.