Sales on TRREB have continued to weaken. For August there were 5,294 sales. This was 5.2% lower than August of last year and even with July. Usually, sales in August are higher than July.
So far prices have remained steady, but we believe that is about to change. A lack of new listings kept prices from falling. But in August, new listings were 16.2% higher than August of last year and the current inventory of active listings are 16.5% higher than a year ago. This represents almost 3 months of sales and is a strong indicator of a buyers’ market.
The Downtown and Humber Bay condo markets are even in worse shape. From August of 2022 to August of 2023, new listings are 40.7% higher and active listings are 46.2% higher.
Based on the increase in listings, expect overall prices to be 3% lower this fall. For the condo market prices will be down more. Expect price declines of 5-10%. This does not even consider the Assignment Market (people trying to sell their pre-con condos before registration).
Initially people believed that the Bank of Canada 5% rate would be over by the end of 2023. Our guess is that this 5% rate will last into the end of 2024. This poses problems for many mortgage borrowers. So, what is the solution?