Toronto Apartment Rents Spiked 21% YoY in January
Toronto Apartment Rents Spiked 21% YoY in January
The rental exorbitance that defined 2022 showed no signs of relenting in January, according to a new national rent report.
The report — a collaboration between Rentals.ca and Urbanation, based on data from RentFaster.ca — puts the average rent for all property types in Canada at $1,996. Although that figure has dipped nominally since December, it was 9.5% above the pre-pandemic level and 10.7% over the year prior. January was the ninth-straight month in which annual rent growth exceeded 10%.
As it has in previous months, the report also highlights the mounting affordability challenges in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Apartment rents in Toronto were up 20.8% from the year prior, and in addition, some of the country’s priciest medium-sized markets were in the GTA, including Vaughan, Oakville, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Brampton, and Burlington.
GTA Rental Housing Supply Gap to Double Over Next 10 Years
The Greater Toronto Area will see its rental supply deficit more than double in the coming decade.
A new report from the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) and Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO).
The report — which incorporates data from Urbanation, analysis from Finnegan Marshall, and policy recommendations from BILD and FRPO — forecasts that the region will experience a shortfall of approximately 177,000 units by 2031, as the proportion of rental households spikes by 58%.
To satiate imminent demand, the report recommends a target of at least 124,000 purpose-built rental units over the next 10 years, a 164% increase over the number of units projected. This figure is provided “under an optimistic assumption that secondary rental supply (other than condos) will continue growing at the same pace as the last 10 years.” If that target is achieved, the projected rental supply gap could shrink to 77,000 units.
Toronto home prices expected to rise in second half of 2023, regional real estate board says
Toronto’s real estate board predicts the region’s housing market will start to rebound in the latter half of this year, with home prices and sales increasing after months of declines.
The average home price for the year is expected to reach $1,140,000, the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) said in its annual forecast, released Friday. That is higher than January’s average price of $1,038,668 but still 4 per cent lower than last year’s average.
The board forecast 70,000 sales this year, 7 per cent fewer than last year.“The second half of 2023 should be characterized by an increase in demand for ownership housing, supported by lower fixed mortgage rates, a relatively resilient labour market, and record immigration,” the board’s chief market analyst, Jason Mercer, said in a news release.
Pent-up demand for housing is growing and it could lead to a ‘bigger than ever’ crisis.
GTA- When the dam breaks: Pent-up demand for housing is growing and it could lead to a ‘bigger than ever’ crisis.
High rates have cooled the market for now, but what happens when a wave of eager buyers step off the sidelines and find a chronic shortage of housing?
Kitchener Line GO Expansion
Metrolinx’s GO Expansion program is delivering more GO service across the network, including trains every 15 minutes or better on the Kitchener Line.
The addition of passing tracks at strategic locations along the line will allow for more trains and more GO Transit trips – delivering two-way, all-day GO service from Union Station to Kitchener GO Station.
Benefits of the line extension-
• Increased service levels will allow more people to choose transit for more of their trips and meet the needs of this growing Region.
• The investment will reduce journey times between Kitchener and Union Stations from 111 minutes to 98 minutes.
• Walkable access to two-way, all-day rail service for a projected 54,000 residents and 33,000 jobs by 2041.
Calgary real estate sales break record despite late year slowdown
City of Calgary-
Real estate sales in Calgary saw record numbers in 2022
Calgary saw a record 29,672 sales in 2022, outperforming expectations in sales and growth in prices.
“Really different dynamics throughout the year, but whatever we had happen in the second half (of the year) didn’t offset the strong gains we had earlier in the year,” CREB chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie said.
The benchmark house price marketwide increased by 7.8 per cent year-over-year to $518,800.
“We’re in a really interesting, changing market right now. We had a little bit of a slowdown in the second half of the year,” Bev Clark of Knag Real Estate said. “Part of the reason was because we had lower inventory because there was a flurry of people wanting to sell their homes as they saw the market going up and everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon.”
Calgary-Supply of lower-priced homes remains low for January
City of Calgary Monthly Statistics
Supply of lower-priced homes remains low for January
The level of new listings in January fell to the lowest levels
seen since the late 90s. While new listings fell in nearly every price range, the pace of
decline was higher for lower-priced properties.
At the same time, sales activity did slow compared to the high levels reported last year but
remained consistent with long-term trends. However, there has been a shift in the
composition of sales as detached homes only comprised 47 per cent of all sales.
GO Expansion progresses along the Barrie Line
GO Expansion progresses along the Barrie Line
More stations, more service, more connections
GO Expansion program will see 80% of residents live within two kilometers of rapid transit. By building over 200 kilometers of new track and electrifying 600 kilometers of track across the region, the GO Expansion project will result in over 200 million boarding a year by 2040 across the GO rail network. We’re improving service now and into the future so transit will help York and Simcoe grow.
Building Permits Decline In December As Housing Construction Slows
Building Permits Decline In December As Housing Construction Slows
After a year of consistent interest rate hikes and stubbornly high inflation, housing construction slowed across Canada in December.According to recent data from Statistics Canada (StatCan), the total value of building permits issued in December fell to $10.3B, a monthly decline of 7.3% and down 9.3% from a year prior.
Looking at 2022 as a whole, the total current dollar value of building permits increased 6.8% annually; however, StatCan noted the increase was “largely the result of inflated valuations from persistent material and labour cost increase.” Adjusted on a constant dollar basis, the total value dropped 6.6%.