GTA home prices dropped for fourth consecutive month in June
June sales of Toronto homes fell by just over 41 per cent compared with the same month last year as higher borrowing costs weighed on the market, the region's real estate board said Wednesday.
About 6,474 homes changed hands last month, down from 11,053 during the prior June, the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board said. June sales were also down compared to May.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
While the board attributed some of the decrease between May and June to seasonal trends, it said the figure and year-over-year sales suggest the current, cooler market conditions will persist.
“Home sales have been impacted by both the affordability challenge presented by mortgage rate hikes and the psychological effect wherein homebuyers who can afford higher borrowing costs have put their decision on hold to see where home prices end up,” Kevin Crigger, the board's president, said in a release.
“Expect current market conditions to remain in place during the slower summer months.”
Crigger's prediction comes as several of the country's biggest housing markets - Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary - have eased in recent months.
Realtors and economists attribute the phenomenon to rising interest and mortgage rates as well as inflation, which recently hit 7.7 per cent, the highest it's been in almost 40 years. The Bank of Canada has teased further hikes could be on their way.
Those conditions mean less purchasing power for prospective buyers, but the market is still shifting in their favour because homes are sitting for sale longer and often not garnering the frantic bidding wars they would have months ago.
READ MORE: What $1 million gets you in real estate markets across Ontario
Though homes sold for less on average in June than those that changed hands in May, prices were still up from last year.
The average home price in the region stretched to $1,146,254 last month, a roughly five per cent increase from June 2021. June's average was an almost six per cent drop from May 2022.
The year-over-year increases in prices were seen across every category of housing and stretched to areas surrounding Toronto.
Average prices in the 416 - a nickname for the City of Toronto that excludes its suburbs - reached $1,737,012 for detached homes, $1,027,050 for townhouses and $771,267 for condos.
In suburban regions of the GTA, known as the 905, the average price was more than $1,361,862 for a detached home, $906,311 for a townhouse and $692,598 for a condo.
As prices crept up from June 2021, real estate agents have noticed many have held off listing their properties, preferring to wait for the market to turn again.
The number of properties listed during June was almost unchanged from last year, the board found.
New listings rose by one per cent to 16,347 last month from June 2021. They also dropped 12 per cent from May 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
NEW High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
NEW Where to watch the state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney
A state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney will be held in Montreal on March 23. CTV News will have live special coverage of his funeral service.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.