Toronto home sales down 49 per cent from last year as listing decline and rates rise

The Toronto Regional Real Estate board says November home sales showed a similar retreat to recent months with activity down by about half from last year.
The board says November's 49 per cent decline from last year to 4,544 sales came as rising interest rates continue to put pressure on affordability and the real estate market.
It says the total of 8,880 new listings for the month was about a 12 per cent decline from a year earlier, while also down from last month.
Listings have slowed in part as sellers hold off over fears they won't make as much as they would have 10 or 12 months ago when the market was moving at a torrid pace.
The composite benchmark price was down 5.5 per cent in November compared with last year, while the average price across home types was down by 7.2 per cent.
The average price of a detached home was down 11.3 per cent to $1.39 million, while the average price of a condo was down 0.9 per cent to $709,000.
Selling prices saw declines earlier in the year as interest rates started to rise, but have held relatively steady in recent months, said TRREB's chief market analyst Jason Mercer in a news release.
"The marked downward price trend experienced in the spring has come to an end. Selling prices have flatlined alongside average monthly mortgage payments since the summer."
The retreat in the market overall is more of a short-term trend, with the longer concern still one of supply given the huge share of record immigration that will head to the Toronto area, said TRREB president Kevin Crigger in the release.
"The long-term problem for policymakers will not be inflation and borrowing costs, but rather ensuring we have enough housing to accommodate population growth."
Toronto's sales numbers showed a similar trend to Vancouver, where the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver said last week that home sales were down 53 per cent from a year earlier.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull dies at 84
Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull has died at the age of 84. He played for the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks and Hartford Whalers as well as the World Hockey Association's Winnipeg Jets over a 23-year pro career.

Girl, 6, dead after accident at ski resort north of Montreal on Sunday
A six-year-old girl died in hospital Sunday night after being involved in an incident at the Val-Saint-Côme ski resort in Lanaudiere. Quebec police are investigating, though details into the event are not yet known. Officers indicated that it involved a T-bar lift, but they were not able to say more.
New alcohol recommendations could speed up changing drinking habits: businesses
Advocates and business owners in the beverage industry say new guidance for drinking alcohol could speed up changing consumer drinking habits as younger generations drink less and non-alcoholic beverages become more popular.
WHO: COVID-19 still an emergency but nearing 'inflection' point
The coronavirus remains a global health emergency, the World Health Organization chief said Monday, after a key advisory panel found the pandemic may be nearing an 'inflection point' where higher levels of immunity can lower virus-related deaths.
All countries 'dangerously unprepared' for future pandemics: report
The world is 'dangerously unprepared' for future pandemics, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) say in a report published on Monday, calling on countries to update their preparedness plans by year-end.
Are you a Ukrainian who recently moved to Canada? We want to hear from you
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine displacing millions of people, many refugees have begun to lay their roots in Canada. If you or someone you know has fled the war-torn country and settled in Canada, we want to hear from you.
NDP to call for emergency debate in House of Commons over private health care
Federal New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will call on the House of Commons to hold an emergency debate on the privatization of health care.
COVID-19 global emergency isn't over: 5 things to know about the WHO decision
The World Health Organization decided Monday not to declare an end to the COVID-19 global public health emergency.
Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet set to retire after overseeing Vatican's bishops' office
Marc Ouellet, the Quebec cardinal who oversaw the Vatican's powerful bishops' office and has been recently accused of sexual misconduct, is retiring.