Posted: July 9, 2009 at 9:21 am | Tags: Alexander, Board, Calgary, canadian funding corp, canadian funding corporation, crisis, Doug Porter, downturn, economist, Edmonton, Housing Market, June, moishe alexander, month, Ontario, ottawa, price, province, Real, record, sale, talk, Toronto, Vancouver, winter, year
TORONTO – Despite all the talk of a housing downturn and economic crisis in Ontario, the province’s two biggest cities both saw record housing resales last month for the month of June.
The Toronto Real Estate Board said Monday there were 10,955 sales in the Greater Toronto Area in June, a 27% increase from the 8,600 homes sold a year ago. It was the best June for sales since the board started tracking the numbers in the mid 1960s.
In Ottawa, housing sales jumped 12.5% in June to 1,895, also a new record for the month.
The average sale price in the GTA last month $403,972, up 2% from a year earlier. In Ottawa, the average sale price rose 3% annually to $306,925.
“I think the next stage” might be price pressure, said Doug Porter, deputy chief economist at BMO Capital Markets. “The moderation we have seen in prices may not last long if this kind of sales and listing balance remains in place.”
Porter said the mad scramble to buy a house is playing out across the country, as consumers wade back into the market tempted by interest rates the lowest they’ve been in 50 years.
Five-year fixed rate mortgages were as low as 3.75% last month, though they’ve nudged back up to about 4.5% since.
“Vancouver sales were up about 76% from a year ago, the second best June ever for them. Calgary sales were up 27%, and Edmonton sales were up 38%,” said the economist. “A lot of people emerged from their foxholes over the winter and have been brought in by low mortgage rates or a belief the economy is going to improve.
“There was some pent-up demand, things almost froze over solid over the winter.”
http://ontariomortgageinfo.blogspot.com/2009/07/housing-sales-soar-in-ontarios-biggest.html
brought by Moishe Alexander, CFC canadian funding corp CEO
Posted: June 16, 2009 at 11:56 am | Tags: activity, aflutter, Alexaner, Association, Average, Brings, Calgary, canada, canadian funding corp, canadian funding corporation, cent, CEO, CFC, Edmonton, Gregory Klump, May, Moishe, moishe alexander, Montreal, National, price, record, sale, Toronto, Vancouver
All the Canadian newspapers are aflutter because the Canadian Real Estate Association released their monthly report today, with positive news. I think people tend to get over excited about these releases whether positive or negative, but, here is the gist of it.
Resales of existing Canadian homes showed continuing improvements in in May, with both the number of transactions and the national average price on the rise. The national average sale price in May hit the highest monthly level on record, at $319,757, which was up four-tenths of a percentage point from the previous record in May 2008.
The real-estate association said the dollar value of sales through its members reached $11.4 billion in May, up 10 per cent from the previous month and more than 50 per cent above the low of $7.5 billion in January.
The association said the the rebound in activity was led in some of the most expensive local markets in Canada and that had the effect up pushing the national average price upward.
Seasonally adjusted sales were up on a monthly basis in about 70% of local markets. Monthly activity gains in Toronto (9%), Calgary (25%), Montreal (10%), Vancouver (8%), and Edmonton (12%) contributed most to the overall increase in monthly activity.
“Inventory levels are still high in many markets, but fewer new listings and rising sales activity suggests that the selection of homes available for sale may shrink as the year progresses. The supply of homes up for sale needs to be drawn down further before average price increases become more widespread among local markets,” said CREA economist Gregory Klump.
http://www.edmontonrealestateblog.com/my_weblog/2009/06/edmonton-brings-up-the-national-average.html
Posted: June 15, 2009 at 12:29 pm | Tags: Alexander Sales, Area, Atlantic, Barry Cohen, canada, canadian funding corp, canadian funding corporation, demand, Estate, Executive Vice, Greater, home, Luxury, market, MAX, MAX Ontario-, MAX Realtron, May, Michael Polzler, Moishe, moishe alexander, month, period, Rebound, record, sale, Toronto, year
Sales of luxury properties in the Greater Toronto Area posted their strongest performance on record in May 2009, according to RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada.
Two hundred and seventy-three high-end homes changed hands in May 2009, up six per cent from 258 reported during the same period one year earlier, and the highest number of sales over $1 million in a one-month period in the history of the Toronto Real Estate Board. The previous record was set in May of 2007 at 266 sales.
“Confidence is slowly returning to the marketplace,” says Michael Polzler, Executive Vice President, Regional Director, RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada. “Traditional market indicators are in place – the stock market has made tremendous gains in recent months, crude values have risen significantly, and the Canadian dollar has gained almost 10 points in the past month. Combine these influences with pent-up demand and growing economic stability and you have the ingredients for solid sales in the top-end of the market.”
Further evidence of a rebound is the recent sale of a Bridle Path home priced at over $13 million, the first sale over the $10 million price point in more than a year. The 18,000 sq. ft. gated estate, situated on more than two acres, was listed by Barry Cohen, Broker, RE/MAX Realtron, and featured a spectacular backyard with a negative edge waterfall pool, fountains, hot tub, and tennis court.
Demand for homes priced in excess of $1 million has increased steadily since the beginning of the year, says Polzler, mimicking the overall real estate market. Seven hundred homes have changed hands year-to-date, compared to 944 in January to May of 2008. Given current momentum, however, it’s likely that activity will continue at a healthy pace for the remainder of the year – with sales at year-end at least on par or ahead of 2008 levels.
RE/MAX is Canada’s leading real estate organization with over 17,600 sales associates situated throughout its more than 677 independently-owned and operated offices across the country. The RE/MAX franchise network, now in its 36th year, is a global real estate system operating in more than 70 countries. Over 6,700 independently-owned offices engage nearly 100,000 member sales associates who lead the industry in professional designations, experience and production while providing real estate services in residential, commercial, referral, and asset management.
http://eleganthomesinwesttoronto.blogspot.com/2009/06/luxury-homes-sales-rebound.html