The real estate stories in Toronto continue to dominate the media! We can always count on our parent brokerage – Bosley Real Estate – for smart market analysis and the most relevant real estate news stories. And this week there are some surprising revelations.
Be sure to also keep following our own popular blogs, new updates, forecasts, and market discussion! Our most recent piece is this month’s installment of Dear Urbaneer where we assist clients whose impending move has them feeling anxious . We offer a checklist – from common sense preparations to things often overlooked – that will help reduce stress and promote an efficient, successful move: ‘Dear Urbaneer: Help! Do You Have A Moving Checklist?‘
MARKET UPDATE FOR THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 24TH, 2017
As the last of the children return to school from warm beaches and snowy hills we are reminded of our obligations as parents to teach our children to be kind to others. Under no circumstances do we permit bullying from our children to their peers. Of course, as adult Realtors we rarely take our own good advice and are constantly talking about Bully offers as the way to get a jump on hot listings before the set offer date. Now don’t get me wrong, like all good adults when we are doing something so obviously wrong as being a Bully we take the mature step of re-naming the process to something much more socially acceptable, in this case the ‘Pre-emptive’ offer. So with all the talk of pre-emptive offers we decided to take a look at how common this really is and if it benefits the Seller to accept the ‘Pre-emptive’ offer.
In our sampling of freehold sales in 5 MLS districts (C01, C03, C10, C11, E01) we noted some interesting trends. Pre-emptive offers are much more common downtown than uptown, with 25% of listings selling before their offer date south of Bloor and a mere 7% selling before their offer date once you go north of Eglinton. The other interesting fact is that the final sale price, as a percentage above the list price, was on average higher on offer night then when a Seller accepted a Pre-emptive offer. So while we remind our children not to be Bullies, we might also want to take the time to let our Seller ’s know that the best strategy might be to ignore the ‘Bully’ when it comes their way.
In the Freehold market the number of new listings exploded last week while sales remained virtually unchanged from the week before. New listings increased an astounding 100% compared to the previous week while sales increased a meager 5%. While we are hopeful that the new listings will ease some of the pressure Buyers face on offer nights, we continue to believe that there is insufficient inventory for the obviously strong demand for freehold properties. With a consistent 75% of all listings selling above their list price Buyers should keep a tight hold on the railing, the ride is not over yet.
Condos on the other hand continue to carve their own market, mostly in the downtown core. There was also a significant increase in new available condos for sale but the inventory only increased 50% over the previous week while sales matched the increase of the freehold market at 5%. It is important to note that by far the majority of new condo listings and sales are happening in the central core with only 7% of condo sales occurring in the east or west parts of our research area. Like the freehold market, condos have settled into a consistent 70% of sales occurring above the list price.
HERE ARE THE TOP FIVE TRENDING STORIES OF THE WEEK:
Rent asunder: Landlords using evictions, hikes to circumvent rent control, Toronto tenants say
“… their landlord intended to move into their west-end Toronto townhouse. … of their own and choose to rent because of skyrocketing real estate prices.”
Hot real estate market forcing landmark musicians out of Toronto
“While Toronto frets overs its vanishing music venues, there’s another … The core matter is sky-high real estate prices and commercial development …”
Condos are Ontario’s new rental housing
“We now have 25 years’ worth of new buildings, many in downtown Toronto, that are not rent controlled. Perhaps it’s time to get rid of the permanent …”
Supply of newly built GTA homes hits historic low
“Never mind affording a house, just finding one is a growing problem: there were only 324 new construction detached homes for sale in the Toronto …”
Can laneway homes take the pressure off Toronto’s real estate market?
“As aspiring first-time homebuyers lose hope in this insanely competitive market, architects and planners are looking at laneways as a possible solution …”
While we can never be completely certain where the market is headed, I – and my team – can make solid decisions about strategy based on history, existence of key influencers, and likely trends. At urbaneer, we understand the intrinsic value of being aware of what the experts say, and assessing their advice within the context of our own experience. Please know we are here to help!
~ Steven and the Urbaneer Team
Steven Fudge, Sales Representative
and The Urbaneer Team
Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage • (416) 322-8000
http://www.urbaneer.com • info@urbaneer.com
– earn your trust, then your business –
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