6 February 2017

Condo Market Continues Strong Growth into 2017

by admin Blog

Condo Prices 2016 Year in Review

2016 brought some of the most dramatic increases in home ownership costs in recent history. The fourth quarter of 2016 in particular saw an increase in condo sales by 22.3% and a decrease in new listings by 13.4% compared to last year.

Dwindling Supply

What this means is that despite the increase in sales over last year, supply remains constrained by the almost 15% reduction in condo listings. Pre-construction developers can barely keep up with the demand as most projects with occupancy dates in 2017 and 2018 are already sold out.

Increased Prices

The average condo price in the Toronto region saw a 14.5% increase over last year’s figures. This was also the first year where over-asking sale prices for condos became a thing. The average sale to list price in the Toronto and Mississauga market were at 99% or 100%

Less time on the Market

Condos on average were also spending less time on the market. With same day sales becoming a reality for many home owners. In the fourth quarter of 2015, the average home would spend 33 days on the market before it sold. In 2016 this number has gone down to 23 days on the market.

Condos are the Future

The average detached home in Toronto now sells for about $1.4 Million, a staggering 27% increase over last years figures. The average detached home in Mississauga sells for about $750,000.

All low-rise home segments saw over 100% sale to list price ratio, meaning multiple offers and high competition are the new norm.

With no sign of prices slowing down, condos have become an attractive option for first time home buyers, many of which can no longer afford single family low-rise homes. While detached and semi-detached homes saw the highest price increases, condos saw a more controlled growth at a modest 15%.

Forecasts have marked 2017 as a year of similar growth, with expected condo price increases of 10-12%.

Rentals are the Future of Condo Investment

Competition between renters increase in 2016. The number of condos listed for rent was down almost 15%. Average days on market

The number of condominium apartments listed for rent in the fourth quarter of 2016 was down substantially (-14.2 per cent) compared to Q4 2015. This lack of inventory was at the root of the dip on rental transactions (-5.8 per cent).

The average one-bedroom rent for the TREB market area as a whole was up by 7.4 per cent on a year-over-year basis to $1,776. The average two- bedroom rent was up by 8.0 per cent to $2,415.

Given these trends, many buyers are now purchasing condos with the intent to rent them out as a short term investment, and then sell them down the line in a couple of years.

The bottom Line and forecast for 2017

If you take away anything from this article it should be the following:

Home and Condo prices across the board have been rising over the past couple of years. Many home buyers who are on the fence or waiting for prices to settle down should be warned, as prices are not going back to 2016 or 2015 levels. At least not anytime soon. All indicators point to a continuing rise in home prices for 2017.
As more buyers are priced out of detached, semi-detached and town-home houses, many are turning to condos as an affordable alternative. This means that your average condo will have a much wider appeal than a detached home simply due to the fact that more people can afford it. This translates to a wider audience when you list your condo for sale.
Those same income earners who could afford condos five years ago are now finding themselves renting instead as they are unable to afford the increasing condo prices. What this means for any condo investor is a continuing increase in rental demand, which will continue well into the next couple of years.

We hope you found this assessment both honest and informative. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for up to date Condo information around the GTA.

Tags: 2017 market, condo prices, condosky, find condo, mississauga, multiple offers, oakville, over asking, pre-construction condos

22 December 2016

Condo Shopping in 3 Easy Steps

by Hamza Sibai Blog

Search for Condos in 3 Easy Steps

We are excited to announce the launch of our brand new spanking website, designed from the ground up to make the condo shopping experience as smooth and hassle free as possible.

The aim of this post is to orient you to our new website, teach you how to use the powerful search and e-mail tools built-in to the website, and walk you through the process of searching for your dream condo at Condosky.com

Searching for a Condo… First things first

When you first land on our page you will be greeted by our homepage, with its striking blue banner and search bar.

The easiest way to shop would be to type in a search term and see what comes up. Why don’t we try running a search and seeing what comes up?

Since moving to the waterfront, I’ve been really digging the lakefront lifestyle, so I think I will search for something that is on the water. I’ll try typing “waterfront” and see what comes up.

Condo Search Results Page

Success! It seems our search function is working as expected. At this point you can scroll down to get a glimpse of the projects listed.

Condo Project Summary

Each project summary will include:

the name of the project
its current construction status (on the top right corner)
the builder
address
City
Starting price
and expected occupancy

Clicking on any of these fields (with the exception of price) will show you results matching that field. For instance if I click 2019, I will be presented with a list of condos with an occupancy in 2019. If I click on Toronto, I will see a list of condos in Toronto. Easy as pie, right?

Our simple 3-step-search

If you still need to do more filtering, simply click on the Orange Magnifying Glass and filter using our simple 3 step process:

In this case I am looking for condos in Toronto, that are in pre-construction, with expected occupancy dates of 2018, 2019, and 2020+. You can mix and match any of these options to find what you are looking for.

Now, getting back to the search… If you find yourself too busy to read up on the individual condos, and just want to save this list for later, you can use our handy e-mail feature to e-mail a list of your search results. Once you click submit, we will send you an e-mail with links to each project on your search results page.

It’s all in the details…

Now that you’ve narrowed your search down, you are ready to delve deeper into the mysteries of each condo. Clicking on a project will take you to a more detailed page. Here you will find a summary of the project, renders, details, videos, a list of the condo amenities as well as a google map, complete with walk, transit, or bike score if available.

Viewing the Floor plans

Clicking on the Floor Plans button will grant you access to available plans, sorted by type of unit. You can click view to browse through these floor plans. If you find the floor plans are too small to fully appreciate you can also maximize them.

If you think you’ve learned enough and are ready to take the next step, simply register for more information. Registering will grant you access to important information about the project that is not available on our website.

Registration

Step 1

Step 2

Narrow down your choices using the Bed Room Types filter. Let us know if you prefer a low, medium, or high unit (or leave it blank if you’re undecided) and select the floor plan(s) that you are most interested in. Once you’re done, you can leave us a note in case you have any questions, or preferences you want to make clear. Hit submit and you’re done.

At this point, one of our friendly and knowledgeable agents will get in touch with you to help you to answer any questions you may have and to help you sort through the finer details.

And that’s it!

Congratulations, you’ve just registered for your first condo on Condosky.com. We hope the experience was as exciting and seamless as we envisioned it. Be sure to keep an eye on this blog for market updates, condo news, investment analysis, DIY home projects, and so much more.

Begin Your Search Now

Tags: condosky, etobicoke, find condo, mississauga, new website, oakville, pre-construction condos, preconstruction condos, search for condos, toronto, toronto condos

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