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Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Named Real Estate Agency Brand of The Year in 2020 Harris Poll EquiTrend Study Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, today announced it was recognized as “Real Estate Agency Brand of the Year” and “Highest Ranked in Trust and Love”

I hope you are enjoying the Easter weekend as best you can.  This week I would like to give you some hard data to paint you a clear picture of how active, or inactive, the Toronto real estate market is

Market update: Covid-19 is changing downtown Toronto real estate This week, the Ontario Real Estate Association and Real Estate Council of Ontario directed all realtors to not perform face-to-face showings or perform public open houses. This directive came out shortly

How has the Toronto real estate market held up?  The market has held up well so far and there have been a decent number of quality listings this week. In my newsletter today, I feature one example of a property I wouldn’t

Did COVID-19, the oil rout and the subsequent stock market sell-off negatively effect freehold real estate sales downtown this week? I have been closely monitoring the sale prices of freehold homes downtown, along with the amount of interest they are receiving on

Lets’ catch up! Here are my notes on the Toronto real estate market and how it is evolving:  Latest Population & Economic Trends: Over 150K people moved into the GTA  in 2018 and that was represented by 100K immigrants, 10K net interprovincial

As expected, this has been a big week for new listings. March break is over and the weather appears to finally be turning a corner. I have seen a good cross-section of listings come on the market this week. From

The March Toronto real estate market has been subdued to say the least. This week is particularly slow for new listings as March break has begun and many families have shifted their focus to other activities. If you live in

The market ground to a halt this week, as Christmas is now just over a week away. The types of property that come on the market this time of the year are usually investment properties, estate sales, and/or vacant houses in

The real estate market continues to slow down as we get closer to Christmas, but a few interesting listings continue to pop-up. The end-of-the-year deal is real and I frequently have clients who take advantage. So far, the real estate market

Late November is always an interesting month for real estate in Toronto. The inventory begins to dwindle and buyers shift their focus to winter vacation and the holidays. Moving over the holidays or a ‘shoulder’ season can be tricky, especially

The latest sales stats for October came out last week in line with expectations: the downtown real estate market continues to have an inventory issue and as such, remains competitive. Although interest rates have marched upwards, demand remains high. If I

I am continuing to see very strong demand for housing downtown, as a lack of inventory continues to keep the market competitive. The most competitive properties continue to be nicely finished homes that need very little maintenance. This type of

This week the sales numbers came out for September, a fairly important month after the downtown market cooled-off slightly over the summer. The summer lull, especially in July, made many professionals in the real estate industry nervous about predicting how the

Looking at the listings I featured last week, *%& McRoberts Ave was the most desirable. Not only because it was the most affordable, but because it presented well. On offer night, bidders disregarded any preconceived notion they had about the neighbourhood

Two weeks into the fall market and I am seeing a lot of quality listings on the freehold side. Many buyers and sellers who took the summer off are now back in the market and ready to engage. Interestingly, the

August’s sales statistics came out this week and showed a bounce-back in sales growth and appreciation. The belief is that sales growth in August and earlier this year will continue into the fall, as demand will pick up when buyers

Heading into the fall market, it appears we will have slightly more freehold inventory for sale compared to last year. Freehold property is defined as detached, semi-detached and attached houses. So far this August, listings of semi-detached and detached homes

This has been a fairly slow week for new listings, typical of mid-August. The few attractive listings that have come on the market are being snapped up and the unique properties continue to outperform. The house in Seaton Village with a

Prices continue to come off their spring highs as we roll on through the doldrums of summer. Some buyers who haven’t left on vacation are picking up deals on lingering inventory and/or on an above average number of new listings

Last week I noted that the market is beginning to shift in favour of buyers for the first time this year. This week I am continuing to see evidence of this in the freehold market downtown. More homes are being

Today Bloomberg released a list of the most expensive countries in which to rent an Airbnb. Interestingly, Toronto didn’t make the Top 20. While Toronto may have some of the most expensive real estate in the world, on average it

I am starting to see the momentum slowly shift back towards the side of buyers during these dog days of summer. This is inline with my previous forecast and advice of snagging the right home over the summer months. While the amount

This was a good week for new quality listings considering it is mid-July and the summer holidays are in full swing. What do I mean by quality listings? I am referring to properties with solid fundamentals in desirable neighbourhoods. A

June’s sales statistics came out this week and for the first time this year, the interpretation of the numbers has been positive. This resulted in media outlets reporting about how Toronto’s real estate market has finally turned a corner. When

This has been a slow week for new listings with the Canada Day long weekend upon us. In general, June has been slower than expected with very few new listings, which is keeping inventory tight. As such, the market for

The downtown market is continuing to trend upwards, with the most competition being on unique homes in prime neighbourhoods. Investors still appear hesitant to take on flip or development opportunity. Houses geared towards this segment are sitting longer, sometimes being

Is the momentum of the market downtown finally starting to slow?  Anecdotally, this week I am starting to see slightly more price changes, less aggressive bids on offer night and more anxious realtors. While early, I am optimistic in finding

The real estate market in downtown Toronto has continued to improve in May. We are finally seeing some good weather with more buyers and sellers coming to the table. I am seeing many more new listings in comparison to April, but

This has been a very interesting couple weeks in the real estate world. A lot of news has centred around rising interest rates and lower interest rates. How can interest rates be going up AND be going down at the same time? 

Yesterday the sales figures for April came out, showing month-over-month price gains for most market segments in the city of Toronto. Freehold townhomes faired the best with an astounding 7.6% bump in appreciation month-over-month. Detached homes, a market segment that was hardest

The spring market is continuing to heat up. I am seeing more bids on offer night and consequently larger sale prices throughout the most desirable neighbourhoods. If you have been following my newsletter, you will know this started over two months ago.

Last week Toronto’s real estate figures were released and were inline with my expectations. We saw another strong month-over-month price increase for downtown Toronto real estate. The average semi-detached house in the 416 increased by 4.7% and is now back over the

This has been a very slow week in terms of new listings because of the holiday weekend. Moving into next week and April, I expect a substantial bump in new listings when compared to March. While the bump in new

Wow! This week I saw a lot of new quality listings, which gives me some optimism for more inventory heading into Spring. I expected a bump-up in listings this week because of the delay caused by March Break last week, but I

March break slowed the market down this week in terms of new listings. We should receive a bit of a bump next week with the bulk of new inventory coming after Easter. Into April and May is when we will see how much

March usually isn’t a great time to list your house for sale. The weather is unpredictable, the kids are out of school for March Break and Easter comes into play. Although, this March the lack of inventory and an excess of buyers are

Momentum and new listings continued to build this week. On the street there are a lot of buyers out looking at properties. Anecdotally, many property viewings are double or triple booked. This is especially true in the condo market, where the price per

The market finally picked up this week and I am starting to see more quality inventory. I expect February sales numbers to be down when compared to last year, but prices in the City of Toronto up month-over-month. The uptick in prices will

The market continues into mid-February with very few new quality listings. This is making the current market very competitive. The market for houses, condos and hard lofts under $1m is where the strength lies today. The market over $1M is more balanced. As

In January the real estate market cooled off as expected after a flurry of activity in December. Sales across the region were down around 20% compared to last January. Although the number of ‘sales’ is the headline in the press,

Christmas Market Notes! December has been a very active month, and an uncharacteristically strong month because of the push to buy before the new mortgage restrictions. Some sellers have been taking advantage of the market conditions. I am seeing homes

The area of the freehold market where I am seeing the most strength continues to be the $800-$1.2m mark. This coinsides with the rush by buyers to purchase their dream home before their mortgage approval diminishes in the new year.

New listing growth has hit a wall this week and buyers are picking over the homes left on the market. I am seeing movement on homes that have been sitting on the market, rather it be that the property has sold

Will Toronto be imposing a Vacant Home Tax, similar to the recently imposed tax in Vancouver?  We won’t know until March 2018, at the earliest: In May 2017, the City of Toronto was given the authority to impose a tax

Last week there were many interesting listings given the time of year. This week was more typical of what to expect in late November; very few listings with some price reductions. I am looking forward to seeing November’s sales figures.

This has been a great week in terms of new quality listings coming on the market. Just looking at My TOP 10 you can see many interesting opportunities. If I was to characterize the current market to a new buyer

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As we move into November, less inventory is coming online and the market is starting to tighten up. As such, I am continuing to see the market become more competitive when compared to previous months. If I am seeing any weakness, it

October’s sales numbers came out yesterday, inline with my forecast. The market picked up in September and that momentum rolled into October. Buyer confidence has improved and I expect this positive report will support momentum through the rest of the year. If you are

The inventory is continuing to build in Toronto, with slightly more listings coming on the market then are selling, although it is still competitive for the quality/unique properties. This week was less active is terms of new listings, but I am seeing an

The downtown market continues to chug along, relatively inline with last months bounce-back, if not a bit stronger on the freehold side. I am starting to see some pick-up in the sale of investment properties. Condos are selling at the asking

This has been a very active week for new listings across the board. Houses, condos, lofts, investment properties, gut jobs.There is something for everyone on the market right now. The most competitive market segment continues to be condos and houses up-to and around

Happy Thanksgiving! This week, September’s sales figures came out relatively inline with my expectations. Toronto outperformed the broader GTA as buyers came back to the market and prices bounced up. Sales are down drastically when compared to last year, but overall this

In the last post I discussed some of the ways that Torontonians have implemented the practical simple living aspects of tiny house living. In unique condos, laneway suites, and in smaller houses, buyers find affordable living by creating their own

The market finished September off strong, continuing on its upward trend when compared to the last three months. I expectthis to be reflected in the Toronto Real Estate Board sales figures next week. I also expect a more positive bias to

Another busy week as the Toronto market continues to heat back up. Homes are selling quickly across the city. Pre-emptive(bully) offers are back, although at slightly less aggressive offer prices when compared to the spring. Sellers are now more willing to accept

The fall market is now back in full swing and buyers appear to be more aggressive. Many of the listings I am following are getting multiple offers and/or selling with only 1 or 2 days on the market. I expect

The first week of the fall market has been an active one! Many great new listings across the board. Homes, condos, lofts, you name it. It appears buyers have also come back, which isn’t a surprise given how active the

Very interesting times in the real estate market right now. This past week there was very little action, almost zero homes of interest came on the market. Although out now is our new 4-part blog series looking at minimalist living.

HOW DOES TINY HOUSE LIVING APPLY IN TORONTO? In PART 1 I discussed how tiny house living embodies many of the principles of the simple living philosophy: sustainability and conscious consumerism with an eye toward achieving financial independence. Beyond the

As suspected, this was a more active week for house listings with sellers trying to get ahead of the fall surge. Having said that, almost nothing interesting came on the market in the condo sector and most of the quality condos listings have been purchased.

The dog days of summer continue take hold as buyers and sellers continue to focus on vacation and uncertainty. Having said that, this week did pick-up a bit in terms of new listings. This may be inline with the strategy

You may have seen them on FYI’s Tiny House Nation or on HGTV’s Tiny House Big Living: homes cleverly built and designedaccording the specific needs of the owners. You may have even considered this kind of living for yourself. But tiny

Last week was a very slow week for new listings. The long weekend has sapped any remaining energy out of the market. The few listings that have come on the market have been in the condo segment. The freehold listing

The hot summer weather is finally here and just in time for the long weekend! As is typical before a long weekend, new listings have been slow. Toronto empties out on long weekends and the few sellers who do wish

An attitude shift in the media about the market appears to be in the initial stages. The principal analyst for the CMHC commented this week that she expects the Toronto market to rebound, citing a knee-jerk reaction to the non-resident tax. Unsurprisingly, we

We mocked up some 3D renderings of the 333 College Street condo development to get a feel for the real impact this proposed development would have on Kensington Market. These renderings are to scale and include the latest version of

Summer vacation has arrived for many! We are still hard at work :-), but accordingly the market is dragging a bit and there were very few listings this week. Looking at the sales, I am continuing to see strong pricing in

A lot of the news this week in real estate is revolving around the quarter point interest rate hike by the Bank of Canada. What is flying under the radar is the recommendation by the OSFI, a federal regulator, to initiate

The market continues to slow down as the summer is in full swing and buyer’s of freehold homes continue to stay on the sidelines. A stalemate of sort is taking place between buyers and sellers over the $1 million mark.

An interesting development this week is the potential for interest rates to rise sooner then expected, possibly as soon as mid-July. As I have mentioned before, rising interest rates will put pressure on the bottom of the market, particularity first-time

In the first half of June, inventory built up quickly. This past week was rather slow in terms of new listings downtown, although this could be attributed to seasonality. Certainly, I am seeing a lack of quality listings come on the market. The

This week I was in some very unique homes for the creative spirits out there! Both homes were beautiful in their own way and bring different perspectives on living. Neither are necessarily cheap ($900-$1.2m), but I believe both will be

I am still seeing some surprising sale prices and even a bully offer on home on Hugo Ave, near the Junction. The Junction and surrounding area seems to be running red hot and the pent up demand in this now

I saw a definite uptick in freehold home listings this week, both in terms of quality and quantity. The inventory in the freehold market continues to build, although the market remains competitive. The condo market remains tighter with less quality stock

This week the Bank of Canada kept its key interest rate unchanged at 0.5%. The rational behind deciding to yet again not raise rates is “ongoing excess capacity in the economy.” This is the 15th consecutive time the BOC has

GETTING IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR: SPOTTING THE NEXT BEST NEIGHBOURHOOD. The ebbs and flows in Toronto’s real estate market can create major buying opportunities for the wise investor. The trick is spotting these areas early and being the first

What nearby condos stand to increase the most in price when Rail Deck Park is built? A couple months ago I was at a community park helping out a local initiative to clean up the Kensington Market neighbourhood. Attending this

…and why you should buy a home in Riverdale! The people of the city of Toronto have many different options when it comes to their choice of  housing and the vibe of the location.  The diverse cultures that make up

Former Black Hoof partners go head-to-head in Kensington Market Toronto’s highly competitive restaurant/bar scene ensures that when one greater eatery closes, another will pop up. Although, in this fast-paced, volatile environment, what makes an establishment, established? Two seasoned restaurateurs (and