Toronto house gets flood of offers and sells for $420,000 above asking in 'ridiculous' market
A Toronto townhouse on a busy street that drew multiple offers and sold for $420,000 above asking is a sign there is still plenty of heat left in the city’s red-hot market.
But even as sellers are celebrating, there are warnings that the true costs of the high prices will be borne by local businesses facing labour shortages and a generation unable to own their homes.
"The property was a very good product. We’re lucky to have this property," selling realtor Teuta Guci told CTV News Toronto.
The three-bedroom townhouse, on Coxwell Avenue north of Michael Garron Hospital, attracted four bids and ended up selling for $1.52 million dollars, or almost 40 per cent over the asking price.
"We thought we did good. It was a really great price," she said.
The lack of a yard in the townhouse was made up for by the fact it had been recently renovated and showed very well, Guci said.
Figures released from Royal LePage's House Price Survey show after the pandemic-related downturn last year, low interest rates and new buyer confidence have pushed the GTA back into a sellers' market.
"The housing industry, as many people know by now, has been on fire," said Royal LePage’s president, Phil Soper.
And low supply of homes to buy, compared to a lot of people looking, has contributed to many price hikes, he said.
"It's ridiculous. So much demand, and so few homes for sale," he said.
Figures from Royal LePage’s housing survey showed the median price of a detached home in the GTA is $1.301 million, up 28.2 per cent since last year’s slump.
The median price of a condo in the GTA is now $630,000, up 8.6 per cent since last year.
The price jumps in the city, the low supply, and the ease of working remotely are likely making non-urban properties more attractive — single family homes in Milton for example jumped 40 per cent since last year.
Those figures are comparing the second quarter of 2021 to the second quarter of 2020. When compared to the first quarter, it’s clear the market has cooled somewhat, Soper said.
But economist Mike Moffatt of Western University’s Richard Ivey School of Business said the downside of high home prices is that they could damage the local economy in the long run.
“We’re already hearing about labour shortages and part of that could be because people can’t afford to live where the jobs are,” Moffatt said.
“Vancouver is one example, San Francisco is another, where you have these high housing prices that are keeping out talent and forcing people to move away from the city,” he said.
The City of Toronto is proposing a vacancy tax, which may have a small impact, he said.
“It could get some of the homes on the market that are empty, but it’s not a silver bullet,” he said. “We’ve seen that in Vancouver, where it helped a bit on the margins, but prices are still going up,” he said.
Guci agreed the market has changed since even a few months ago. But she said the sellers still have the advantage.
“The buyers are outside. And we are in Toronto, the subway is here, downtown is here, you know, I think this is going to last,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Defence attacks Stormy Daniels' credibility as she returns to the stand in Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defence tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
With contactless screening tech, this Toronto startup hopes to catch breast cancer early — and save lives
Amid evidence of rising breast cancer rates among young women in Canada, one Toronto startup is offering a contactless and radiation-free device that can help doctors identify suspicious changes in breast tissue. The company, Linda Lifetech, says this can lead to earlier detection of breast cancer.
Tornadoes tear through southeastern U.S. as storms leave 3 dead
Forecasters warned a wave of dangerous storms in the U.S. could wash over parts of the South early Thursday, a day after severe weather with damaging tornadoes and large hail killed at least three people in the region.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.