West End Toronto Real Estate Market Update - September 2020

Toronto Regional Real Estate Board President Lisa Patel announced that sales reported through TRREB’s MLS® System by Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® amounted to 11,083 – a new record for the month of September. This result was up by 42.3 per cent compared to September 2019. Following a record third quarter, sales through the first nine months of 2020 were up by approximately one per cent compared to the same period in 2019.

“Improving economic conditions and extremely low borrowing costs sustained record-level sales in September, as we continued to account for the substantial amount of pent-up demand that resulted from the spring downturn. Further improvements in the economy, including job growth, would support strong home sales moving forward. However, it will be important to monitor the trajectory of COVID-19 cases, the related government policy response, and the impact on jobs and consumer confidence,” said Ms. Patel.

Year-over-year sales growth in September continued to be driven by ground-oriented market segments, including detached and semi-detached houses and townhouses. Annual growth rates were also higher for sales reported in the GTA regions surrounding the City of Toronto.

The September 2020 MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark was up by 11.6 per cent year-over-year. The average selling price for all home types combined in September was $960,772 – up by 14 per cent year-over-year. Price growth was driven by the low-rise market segments. The relatively better supplied condominium apartment segment experienced a comparatively slower pace of price growth.

“On a GTA-wide basis, market conditions tightened in September relative to last year, with sales increasing at a faster pace than new listings. With competition between buyers increasing noticeably, double-digit year-over-year price growth was commonplace throughout the region in September, resulting in the overall average selling price reaching a new record,” said Jason Mercer, TRREB’s Chief Market Analyst.

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Click here if you would like to compare these numbers to last month’s or last year’s numbers.

If you would like further information about current market conditions, or if you are considering a move and would like to know how much your house is worth, feel free to get in touch, we are always available for your questions!

West End Toronto Real Estate Market Update - August 2020

Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) President Lisa Patel announced that the strong rebound in Greater Toronto Area (GTA) home sales continued with a record result for the month of August. GTA REALTORS® reported 10,775 residential sales through TRREB’s MLS® System in August 2020 – up by 40.3 per cent compared to August 2019.

Sales were up on a year-over-year basis for all major home types, both in the City of Toronto and surrounding GTA regions. It should be noted that the low-rise market segments, including detached and semi-detached houses and townhouses, were the drivers of sales growth. Condominium apartment sales were up on an annual basis for the second straight month but to a lesser degree.

“Increased demand for ownership housing has been based on improving economic conditions, in terms of monthly GDP growth and job creation, and the continuation of very low borrowing costs. In addition, fewer households have chosen to go on vacation as a result of COVID-19 and instead have remained in the GTA and been active in the housing market, satisfying pent-up demand from the spring,” said Ms. Patel.

Both the number of new listings entered into TRREB’s MLS® System during the month and the number of active listings at the end of the August 2020 were up on a year-over-year basis. While new listings were up strongly for all home types, growth in new condominium apartment listings far outstripped growth in the other market segments.

“Generally speaking, market conditions remained very tight in the GTA resale market in August. Competition between buyers was especially strong for low-rise home types, leading to robust annual rates of price growth. However, with growth in condominium apartment listings well-outstripping condo sales growth, condo market conditions were comparatively more balanced, which was reflected in a slower pace of price growth in that segment,” said Jason Mercer, TRREB’s Chief Market Analyst.

The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark was up by 11.1 per cent in August 2020 compared to August 2019. Over the same period, the overall average selling price was up by 20.1 per cent to $951,404. Annual detached and semi-detached sales growth was stronger in the comparatively more-expensive City of Toronto compared to the surrounding GTA regions, which helps explain why growth in the overall average selling price outstripped growth in the MLS® HPI Composite Benchmark.

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Click here if you would like to compare these numbers to last month’s numbers.

If you would like further information about current market conditions, or if you are considering a move and would like to know how much your house is worth, feel free to get in touch, we are always available for your questions!

Making the Most of your Outdoor Space!

gabenjenny.com

One of my favorite things about summer is dining outdoors, especially this summer! The glorious weather we have enjoyed this summer has allowed us to get out of our houses (finally!) and feel a sense of normalcy after all those months stuck inside.

Even though Labour Day is fast approaching, there is still time to take advantage of the warm weather and the chance to dine ‘al fresco’, so we pulled together some outdoor dining furniture that works well with the outdoor living themes from last month. Bring in similar pops of colour, be consistent with style, and you will have expanded your functional living space all season long.

Outdoor areas are also a great place to have some fun and experiment with your style. Boho not your thing but you've always wanted to give it a try? Decorating outside is an easy way to get out of your comfort zone! Here are some great outdoor looks inspired by some of our favorite west end Toronto neighborhoods. We hope they will inspire you to make the most of your outdoor space.

Dishes | LED Candles | Table | Chairs | Bar Cart

Dishes | LED Lanterns | Table | Chairs | Storage Cabinet

Dishes | Solar Lantern | Table | Chairs | Serving Table

Dishes | Solar Lantern | Table | Chairs | Bar Cart

We plan on taking advantage of outdoor dining as long as we can, and don’t forget you can always invest in a propane heater and extend your outdoor dining season well into the fall! Have fun with it and enjoy!

West End Toronto Real Estate Market Update - July 2020

Toronto Regional Real Estate Board President Lisa Patel announces that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 11,081 sales through TRREB’s MLS® System in July 2020 – a 29.5 per cent increase over July 2019 and a new record for the month of July. On a preliminary seasonally adjusted basis, sales were up by 49.5 per cent compared to June 2020.

Year-over-year sales growth was driven by low-rise home types, particularly in the regions surrounding the City of Toronto. However, condominium apartment sales were also up on an annual basis, including in Toronto.

Total new listings were also up strongly on a year-over-year basis by 24.7 per cent, but this annual growth rate was less than that of sales, which means market conditions tightened on average compared to July 2019. In addition, active listings at the end of July were down by 16.3 per cent.

“Sales activity was extremely strong for the first full month of summer. Normally we would see sales dip in July relative to June as more households take vacation, especially with children out of school. This year, however, was different with pent-up demand from the COVID-19-related lull in April and May being satisfied in the summer, as economic recovery takes firmer hold, including the Stage 3 re-opening. In addition, fewer people are travelling, which has likely translated into more transactions and listings,” said Ms. Patel.

The July 2020 MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) Composite Benchmark was up by 10 per cent compared to July 2019. The overall average selling price was up by 16.9 per cent year-over-year to $943,710. On a preliminary seasonally adjusted basis, the average selling price was up by 5.5 per cent compared to June 2020.

Price growth was strongest for low-rise home types, notably within the City of Toronto. Despite more balanced market conditions in the condominium apartment market segment, year-over-year price growth remained in the high single digits.

“Competition between buyers continued to increase in many segments of the GTA ownership housing market in July, which fueled a further acceleration in year-over-year price growth in July compared to June. On top of this, we also experienced stronger sales growth in the more-expensive detached market segment, which helps explain why annual growth in the overall average selling price was stronger than growth for the MLS® HPI Composite benchmark,” said Jason Mercer, TRREB’s Chief Market Analyst.

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Click here if you would like to compare these numbers to last month’s numbers.

If you would like further information about current market conditions, or if you are considering a move and would like to know how much your house is worth, feel free to get in touch, we are always available for your questions!

Outdoor Living Inspiration

royaldesignstudio.com

If you are lucky enough to have a backyard to enjoy during covid, you are probably spending a lot more time out there this year, so we wanted to provide you with a few of our favourite looks, inspired by some of our favourite west end neighbourhoods.

Every year the outdoor living design/decor market expands and gets better. You can match up to the inside of your home or experiment with a totally different style. We are bringing you some inspiration this week for outdoor living and taking advantage of whatever outdoor space you have. Use an outdoor rug to anchor the space and bring in pattern and colour. Pillows, throws and candles will add texture and more pops of colour.

daybed & accent chair | coffee table | rug

sofa | coffee table | accent chair | rug

sofa | coffee table | accent chair | rug

sofa | coffee table | accent chair | rug

Get creative and use lots of colour. Potted plants are an instant way to change the look and feel of your outdoor space. (And you don't have to be patient waiting for everything to turn green!). Have fun out there!

West End Toronto Real Estate Market Update - June 2020

Toronto Regional Real Estate Board President Lisa Patel announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 8,701 sales through TRREB’s MLS® System in June 2020. This result represented a very substantial increase over the May 2020 sales result, both on an actual (+89 per cent) and seasonally adjusted basis (+84 per cent), and was only down by 1.4 per cent compared to June 2019. Year-over-year growth in sales was reported in some areas and market segments. Especially notable were the detached and townhouse market segments in the GTA regions surrounding the City of Toronto.

New listings were up slightly on a year-over-year basis by 2.1 per cent. However, active listings on TRREB’s MLS® System at the end of June 2020 were down by 28.8 per cent compared to June 2019. Growth in new listings will need to outstrip growth in sales for a number of months before active listings approach last year’s levels. The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark was up by 8.2 per cent year-over-year in June. The average selling price for all home types combined was $930,869 – up by 11.9 per cent compared to June 2019. The actual and seasonally-adjusted average selling price was also up substantially compared to May 2020, by 7.8 per cent and 9.8 per cent respectively.Average and benchmark selling prices were up year-over-year for all major home types.

The strongest average annual rates of price growth were experienced in the detached and semi-detached market segments in the City of Toronto at 14.3 per cent and 22 per cent respectively. This, coupled with the fact that average selling price growth outstripped growth in the MLS® HPI benchmarks, points to a resurgence in the higher-end market segments.

Click the links to see how this month’s numbers compare to last month and last year.

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West End Toronto Real Estate Market Update - May 2020

The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board announced that Greater Toronto Area REALTORS® reported 4,606 sales through TRREB’s MLS® System in May 2020. This result was down by 53.7% compared to May 2019. While the number of sales was down substantially on a year-over-year basis due to the continued impact of COVID-19, the decline was less than the 67.1% year-over-year decline reported for April 2020.

On a month-over-month basis, actual and seasonally adjusted May sales were up substantially compared to April. Actual May 2020 sales increased by 55.2% compared to April 2020. After accounting for the regular seasonal increase that is experienced each year between April and May, seasonally adjusted sales were up by 53.2 per cent month-over-month.

The number of new listings entered into TRREB’s MLS® System in May was down by a similar annual rate to that of sales, dipping by 53.1% to 9,104. On a month-over-month basis, actual new listings were up by 47.5%.

The MLS® Home Price Index Composite Benchmark price was virtually unchanged in May 2020 compared to April 2020. On a year-over-year basis, the composite benchmark was up by 9.4%. The average selling price for all home types combined was up by 3% compared to May 2019 to $863,599. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the average selling price was up by 4.6% month-over-month compared April 2020.

The difference in year-over-year growth between the MLS® HPI Composite Benchmark and the average selling price was related to the fact that home sales in the City of Toronto, particularly in the detached segment, were down by a greater annual rate than overall sales in the GTA. This resulted in a compositional impact on the overall average selling price.

Here is a breakdown of the numbers for Toronto’s west end districts. Click on the links to compare these numbers to April 2020 and May 2019.

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Taking the Overwhelm out of Downsizing Your Home

Some of our favourite recent clients have been those who have been downsizing from their current home to a smaller, more manageable home or condo, a family suite in a family member’s home or to a retirement residence. We love taking the time to guide these clients through this big life transition and help them to start this new chapter in their lives.

Many of these clients have been in their homes for decades and some as long as half a century. These clients endear themselves to us with their stories about how the neighbourhoods have changed, the neighbours who have come and gone, the home renovations they have undertaken and the families they have raised within the walls of these homes. We are honoured and grateful to take this journey with them and consider it a privilege to play a part in this transition.

Some of these clients are in their 70’s, their children have long left home and they are finding that they either don’t want to or can’t manage the responsibilities of maintaining a house any longer. These clients require special attention because most have not moved for many years, they often have accumulated decades worth of belongings that need to be sorted and organized, and it is common for them to feel overwhelmed by the process and all the decisions that need to be made.

However, not everyone considers downsizing later in life, some other motivating factors can be a need to reduce household expenses or pursue a simpler lifestyle, a divorce, an empty nest or the desire to reduce responsibilities in order to enjoy more financial freedom and travel. Regardless of the reason or motivation, the process is similar for everyone and requires compassion, sensitivity and proactive planning.

We take a very thoughtful approach to the downsizing process and are sensitive to the many emotional components that this transition can trigger. Dealing with items belonging to family members who have passed away, engaging grown children in the downsizing process, getting rid of sentimental items that no longer fit or serve and dealing with estates or the division of assets are just a few of the unique obstacles that we need to consider and navigate. With these things in mind, we often suggest beginning this process far in advance of the proposed move in order to avoid undue stress and overwhelm. We sit down with our clients and map out a detailed plan of how to get them from where they are to where they want to go, and implement a timeline and provide resources to help get them there.

You can find more details about how we approach the downsizing process on our downsizing services page. If downsizing is something you are considering but don’t know where to start, we would be happy to sit down with you and chat through your options. With a good plan and an experienced team behind you, downsizing doesn’t have to be overwhelming and can open you up to a world of possibilities!