Record Breaking Real Estate Market in May, 2015

Local Toronto area real estate market records were shattered when the Toronto Real Estate Board reported 11,706 sales in the month of May, 2015, for sales activity processed through the TREB MLS system. Total sales were up by 6.3%  percent compared with the 11,013 sales that were reported in May, 2014.

The Toronto real estate market as a whole showed sales increases for all types of residential housing. There was a decrease in sales of detached homes reported in the city of Toronto, but this was more as a result of a shortage of listings, than anything else.
The record number of transactions in May, combined with a shortage in the number of homes available for sale, resulted in large price increases in all areas of the market. The Home Price Index (HPI) Composite Benchmark, a key metric that the real estate board follows,  was up by 8.9% percent compared to May, 2014.

Real Estate Market Average Price Up 11%

The average selling price for all types of homes in May, 2015 showed an increase of 11% percent over the previous year, reaching $649,599. There was a shift to higher priced, higher end homes, which further boosted average selling price.
Extremely tight market conditions, with detached homes, semi-detached homes, and both freehold and condominium townhomes showing the highest demand, resulted in surging prices throughout the Greater Toronto Area. No matter what part of the Toronto area, listings remained in short supply, and in the suburbs such as Mississauga, Brampton, and Oakville, there were bidding wars on many listings.

We predict that this frenetic real estate market activity will continue throughout the rest of 2015, barring any unforeseen shocks to interest rates or the economy in general. With more buyers than sellers in every housing type and price point, it would take several months of increased listings and fewer sales, to create a more balanced real estate market. Until that time, it seems the only way for real estate is up.