As both Canada's & Ontario's most populous & busiest city, Toronto's real estate market has seen tremendous housing appreciation in recent years, with MLS Listings selling quickly. Buying a house or condo has been increasingly difficult for home buyers, due to high demand & competition and reduced affordability. Multiple offers & lost real estate bidding wars have meant that many apartment renters wanting to purchase a property in major residential housing markets such as North York have had to give up. New mortgage rules that came into effect recently have also made owning homes & condos in Scarborough & other suburbs such as Markham, Vaughan or Ajax a dream out of reach for many. In recent years, interest rate increases and mortgage restrictions have increased difficulty for buyers. Although home & condo prices have come down a little, they remain elevated in historic terms. The recent changes to mortgage rules, by making it easier for people to borrow, may further contribute to higher prices. Governments still wrestle with the number one issue - which is a shortage of supply.
GTA districts have numerous types of homes for sale available on the MLS listings service. Options include detached houses, semi-detached or townhouses. Less clear is what style: There are, for instance back split style homes for sale in Markham suburbs that offer a lot of housing value for money. Another popular choice are bungalows, which have shown real house price appreciation due to demographic changes, more common 2-storey house styles, or new homes in suburbs. With regard to condominiums, older condo residences normally have higher maintenance fees but offer more space, but smaller newer condo developments provide higher sale prices per sq ft.
Start browsing homes for sale or condos for sale using a Searchable Toronto Map listing properties for sale in GTA. Access it by clicking on the icons below to search real estate or alternatively, search from the menu at the top to find properties. There is info on this site covering other districts and neighbourhoods as well, including North York, Scarborough, Markham, Vaughan etc.. If you see something interesting, please contact me so we may view it. Please note that housing conditions are robust & many may already be conditionally sold, so please get in touch so I can verify availability.
A vital part of any home buying search is locating one of Torontos realtors to assist you. A successful realtor can help you navigate the myriad residential properties currently being promoted. They should be experienced so they can quickly locate what you want. Agents are paid on commission, & in most cases sellers bear the cost of their services, so a house buyer can concentrate on finding their preferred property. Your residential property agent should know about neighbourhoods, style of homes, relative prices of real estate in Toronto, & amenities.
Toronto is known for its different neighbourhoods. New neighbourhood names have resulted from recent redistricting. A good realtor will be familiar with areas to assist an anxious home buyer wanting to know how areas are ranking & which pockets are safe. Willowdale & Bayview Village are excellent & established locales sporting many condos. Scarborough is always popular with new comers & has many affordable bungalows & new developments near the Town Centre & older spacious units near Bridletowne Circle. Markham has developed fast & has newer houses near Cornell & Unionville , as has Vaughan near Thornhill Woods. There is a Toronto neighbourhood map & links to various neighbourhoods by name here. Select from the menu on the left & let this site be your neighbourhood guide.
October 7 - Toronto Regional Real Estate Board realtors reported 4996 residential sales through our Realtor's system in September 2024, representing an 8.5% increase from the same period last year. New home listings, at 18,089, were up by 10.5% compared to 2023. On a seasonally adjusted basis, September sales were higher than August, as were new listings.
Prices declined in comparison to the same period last year, with the MLS Home Price Index showing a decline of 4.6%. The average sale price, at $1.107m, was down by a lesser one percent, although the price edged up on a seasonally adjusted basis in comparison to August. Condos saw a 3.6% decline in prices in comparison to last year, and townhouses were lower by 4%.
The increase in sales was more than matched by an increase in new listings during the same period. This resulted in more choice and more negotiating power for buyers, and helped to temper upward price movement. First time buyers benefited from lower prices in the more moderately priced condo and townhome market segment.
Recent policy announcements offer further positive news for home buyers looking to take the plunge. The Federal Government indicated that it will soon be possible for home buyers to buy homes up to $1.5m with less than 20% down. This marks a change from the previous rules, which limited less than 20% downpayments to purchases up to $1m only. In addition, first time buyers will soon be able to take out 30 year amortizations rather than the previous 25 year limit – this is help lower monthly mortgage payments for such buyers. Finally, OSFI announced that it is scrapping the stress test for borrowers with uninsured mortgages who are looking to renew. This will enable borrowers to shop around for the best rate and will allow for more affordable renewals.
Ram's take: "The market remains balanced, with increasing listing supply giving more choice for home buyers. The recent changes in mortgage rules, when combined with the OSFI stress test changes and the continued expected decline in interest rates into 2025 should provide support for the market – both in terms of transactions and in terms of price. It’s important to keep in mind that 2025 and 2026 will see a significant amount of home buyers renew their mortgages, so the reduction in rates and changes to stress test rules can’t come soon enough. Additionally, the economy appears to be slowing, and prospective buyers are concerned about employment opportunities – this could temper demand somewhat. So we enter 2025 with some trepidation but also cautious optimism, and hope to see positive impact from these changes.”
Read more about the Toronto Real Estate Market here.