Toronto condo apartment sales up 11% in third quarter

The buoyant economic conditions in Toronto mean more people moving to the city for work and wanting the most affordable housing options.

This has helped the condo apartment sales market in the third quarter, which gained 11.1% year-over-year according to new figures from the Toronto Real Estate Board.

TREB members reported 6,407 condo apartment sales through the MLS in Q3 while listings eased by 1% to 9,538.

“As economic conditions continue to be favourable for job growth in the Greater Toronto Area, people have continued to come to the city for work. Home ownership is important to many Canadians, and, as a relatively affordable housing option, condos in the GTA offer prospective buyers the chance to achieve their dreams of owning property,” said TREB president Michael Collins.

The tightening market put upward pressure on prices with the average price of a condominium apartment rising 5.8% to $584,564; although in the city of Toronto, which accounts for 70% of sales, the rise was slightly lower at 5.6% ($628,074).

Keeping up with demand
TREB says there are still concerns about supply as the market gathers pace; CMHC data for August shows completions of condo apartments was down year-to-date compared to last year, which may have curbed investor purchases.

“Condominium apartments are obviously a popular choice amongst first-time homebuyers. Moreover, it is also important to remember that condominium apartments owned by investors represent a huge component of the GTA rental stock and certainly account for most additions to the rental stock, on net, over the past decade. With this in mind, a well-supplied condo segment will be important moving forward to ensure that we can keep up with population growth driven by a strong and diverse regional economy,” said Jason Mercer, TREB’s Chief Market Analyst.