Toronto-area home prices down 18% from last February, sales halved: board

Greater Toronto Area home prices fell almost 18 per cent from last February as the number of properties sold was halved, the region's real estate board said.

The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) said Friday that the average selling price for February totalled $1,095,617, roughly five per cent higher than the average January price of $1,038,390.

It attributed the swings to higher borrowing costs prompted by a quick succession of interest rate hikes, which have weighed on the market and offset the dramatic drop in prices that has materialized in recent months.

Even as prices have come down from pandemic highs, buyers have sat on the market's sidelines awaiting further decreases and more supply, which has been lacking as prospective sellers lament the pricing slump.

February's pricing data signals average selling prices are levelling off after trending lower through the spring and summer of last year, TRREB said.

The trend has pushed some buyers to purchase a lower-priced home.

TRREB found the share of home purchases below $1 million sat at 57 per cent last month, up from 38 per cent during the same time period last year.

Overall sales remain far lower than they were a year ago, when the market was soaring, buyers dropped conditions and feisty bidding conditions were the norm.

February sales totalled 4,783, down 47 per cent from 9,028 a year earlier. In comparison, January recorded 3,094 sales.

New listings also lag figures from a year ago, amounting to 8,367 in February. That number is down 41 per cent from a year earlier, but TRREB sees changes coming.

Ipsos polling the board has seen suggests buying intentions have picked up for 2023, said Jason Mercer, TRREB's chief market analyst.

"This increased demand will run up against a constrained supply of listings and lead to increased competition between buyers," he said in a news release.

"This will eventually lead to renewed price growth in many segments of the market, especially those catering to first-time buyers facing increased rental costs."

Mercer's remarks came a day after the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver said February's home sales were up 76.9 per cent from January, but down 47.2 per cent from the year before.

Sales for the month totalled 1,808, roughly 33 per cent below the 10-year February sales average.

The composite benchmark price for all residential properties in the B.C. region hit $1,123,400, a 9.3 per cent drop from the same month last year but a 1.1 per cent increase, when compared with January.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2023.