Latest news with #CanadianRealEstateAssociation
CBC
6 days ago
- Business
- CBC
'Great time to buy': Real estate sales on P.E.I. up 52% in June, setting a monthly record
Social Sharing Real estate numbers for Prince Edward Island show a major increase in June sales, breaking a monthly record, while other Canadian cities saw a downward trend. Patty Castle, owner of Power House Realty, said one reason for the increase in sales could be that homes are cheaper on P.E.I. compared to other provinces. "[It's a] great time to buy right now, lots of inventory, lots of great prices," Castle said. She said she has clients from other provinces wanting to cash in on the Island's prices. WATCH | Housing market in P.E.I. stronger than in many other parts of Canada: Housing market in P.E.I. stronger than in many other parts of Canada 4 hours ago Numbers from the Canadian Real Estate Association show a 52 per cent increase in home and commercial sales in June compared to the same month last year. National average was up just 3.5 per cent over the same timeframe. But according to MLS system, which the association uses to track sales, last month's average home price was $403,987 — an increase of nearly 7 per cent over June 2024. Castle said the average time a house will be on the market in P.E.I. is about 60 days, and houses that are still priced as high as they would have been during the COVID-19 pandemic are sitting unsold for longer periods of time. 'Lots of opportunity' Tim Jackson, president of the P.E.I. Real Estate Association, said the Island housing market is becoming more balanced, but it still leans in favour of sellers. But, he said, prospective buyers have more options than they did in previous years. "Buyers have lots of opportunity to browse the market, they don't have to jump on the property right away, and buyers are able to make an informed decision," Jackson said. While there are government programs to help with affordability and more people are looking at rural areas or mini-homes, some Islanders are still finding the market to be a challenge. Even if the prices of houses are lower, you can't even make the money for a down payment. — Susan McGuirk, P.E.I. resident Island resident Marion Miller said home prices are still too expensive for everyone, especially for younger people. She bought her home in the 1970s for $40,000, but said people now are in different circumstances. With prices of most goods going up, she said, buying a house is no longer an option for a lot of people. "I think [prices] are very inflated as they are everywhere. People can't afford it," Miller said. Susan McGuirk echoed Millers remarks about the market on the Island. "Our wages here compared to the rest of Canada are not the same at all," McGuirk said. "Even if the prices of houses are lower, you can't even make the money for a down payment." A further sign that highlights how strong the market is on P.E.I. is the number of real estate agents. There are currently around 500 working in the province — about twice as many as there were five years ago.
CTV News
15-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
CREA cuts 2025 forecast again but says home sales are rebounding from ‘chaotic start'
A person walks past multiple for-sale and sold real estate signs in Mississauga, Ont., on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette For the second time this year, the Canadian Real Estate Association has downgraded its forecast for home sales in 2025, even as it says a turnaround could be looming following increased activity in June. The association reported that the number of homes changing hands across the country in June rose 3.5 per cent compared with a year ago. Canadian home sales last month also increased 2.8 per cent compared with May on a seasonally adjusted basis. In its outlook released Tuesday, CREA said it now expects a total of 469,503 residential properties to be sold this year, a three per cent decline from 2024. In April, the association forecast the number of home sales for 2025 to remain essentially unchanged from last year, which itself marked a steep cut from its January forecast of an 8.6 per cent year-over-year increase. The national average home price is forecast to fall 1.7 per cent on an annual basis to $677,368 in 2025, which would be around $10,000 lower than predicted in April. CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart said that despite a 'chaotic start to the year,' the latest data suggests the housing market rebound originally forecast for this year — before it was upended by the Canada-U.S. trade war — may have 'only been delayed by a few months.' 'At the national level, June was pretty close to a carbon copy of May,' said Cathcart in a press release, cautioning 'we're not out of the woods yet' given U.S. President Donald Trump's latest 35 per cent tariff threat. The association said the tariff-related uncertainty that drove so many buyers back to the sidelines earlier this year ended up taking a larger bite out of activity in B.C., Alberta and Ontario than was expected three months ago, but 'the good news is markets appear to be entering their long-expected recovery phase, fuelled by pent-up demand, lower interest rates, and an economy that is expected to avoid worst-case tariff scenarios.' 'Most housing markets continued to turn a corner in June, although market conditions still vary considerably depending on where you are in Canada,' said CREA chair Valérie Paquin. 'If the spring market was mostly held back by economic uncertainty, barring any further big shocks, that delayed activity could very likely surface this summer and into the fall.' CREA said it now forecasts national home sales in 2026 to improve by 6.3 per cent to 499,081. That would put activity back on track with what was expected in its April forecast, when it predicted a 2.9 per cent gain in sales next year. The national average home price is expected to increase three per cent from 2025 to $697,929 next year. Meanwhile, the national average sale price fell 1.3 per cent in June compared with a year earlier to $691,643. There were 47,871 home sales recorded last month, up from 46,237 in June 2024. The association said the recovery in sales activity over the past two months was led overwhelmingly by the Greater Toronto Area. Still, activity remains slower than usual, said Cameron Forbes, a Toronto-area broker and general manager at Re/Max Realtron Realty Inc. 'The uncertainty of the Trump tariffs and the impact on, certainly in Ontario, the manufacturing context and everything, still has a lot of buyers on the sidelines that probably shouldn't be,' said Forbes in an interview. 'It's still a market where I think buyers are unfortunately a bit uncertain. Many of them who have jobs, who have security of those jobs, who have equity in homes, that would be a great time for them to make a trade to a preferred location or a larger home for their family, but they are looking at the headlines and seeing the uncertainty related to tariffs.' The number of newly listed properties throughout the country was down 2.9 per cent month-over-month from May. A total of 206,435 properties were listed for sale by the end of the month, up 11.4 per cent from a year earlier and just one per cent below the long-term average for this time of the year. 'June's sales performance came in broadly as expected, with Canadian transactions continuing their gradual recovery from their early-year depths,' said TD economist Marc Ercolao in a note. 'We expect home sales will continue to rise in the second half of the year as pent-up demand continues to trickle into the market. That said, the sales level should remain subdued as economic uncertainty remains elevated, especially with Canada facing new tariff threats.' BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic said there are three major factors still holding back the housing market, including a 'sluggish' job market being aggravated by the trade war. With the Bank of Canada holding its key policy rate steady, he said mortgage rates of around four per cent are also 'not low enough to improve the affordability calculus in a demand-sparking way.' 'And, market psychology now appears bearish,' said Kavcic in a note. 'Just as expectations of higher prices drove accelerating gains on the way up, the understanding that prices are falling is holding back buyers on the way down in some locations.' Forbes added that much is riding on the outcome of ongoing trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S., which currently hold an Aug. 1 deadline. Reaching a compromise could prompt buyers to return, leading to a more 'healthy market,' he said. But failing to reach an agreement on time would mean further uncertainty in the housing market, he said. 'If that's the case, then we'll continue to have fewer sales for at least the next three or four months until the impacts of whatever comes to fruition are better known.' --- Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2025.
Toronto Star
15-07-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
CREA cuts 2025 forecast again but says home sales are rebounding from ‘chaotic start'
For the second time this year, the Canadian Real Estate Association has downgraded its forecast for home sales in 2025, even as it says a turnaround could be looming following increased activity in June. The association reported that the number of homes changing hands across the country in June rose 3.5 per cent compared with a year ago. Canadian home sales last month also increased 2.8 per cent compared with May on a seasonally adjusted basis.
Reuters
15-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Canadian home sales rise 2.8% in June
TORONTO, July 15 (Reuters) - Canadian home sales rose 2.8% in June from May and were up 3.5% on an annual basis, data from the Canadian Real Estate Association showed on Tuesday. The industry group's Home Price Index edged down 0.2% on the month and was down 3.7% annually, while the national average selling price was down 1.3% on the year.
CBC
15-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Home sales rose in June, though fewer home sales expected for this year, says CREA
Social Sharing For the second time this year, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) has downgraded its forecast for home sales in 2025, even as it reported the number of homes changing hands across the country in June rose 3.5 per cent compared with a year ago. The association said Canadian home sales last month also increased 2.8 per cent compared with May on a seasonally adjusted basis. In its outlook released Tuesday, CREA said it now expects a total of 469,503 residential properties to be sold this year, a three per cent decline from 2024. In April, the association forecast the number of home sales for 2025 to remain essentially unchanged from last year, which itself marked a steep cut from its January forecast of an 8.6 per cent year-over-year increase. The national average home price is forecast to fall 1.7 per cent on an annual basis to $677,368 in 2025, which would be around $10,000 lower than predicted in April. CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart said that despite a "chaotic start to the year," the latest data suggests the housing market rebound originally forecast for this year — before it was upended by the Canada-U.S. trade war — may have "only been delayed by a few months." "At the national level, June was pretty close to a carbon copy of May," said Cathcart in a news release, cautioning "we're not out of the woods yet" given U.S. President Donald Trump's latest 35 per cent tariff threat. WATCH | Rise in home sales largely due to Greater Toronto Area, CREA says: Home sales rose in June while prices held steady: CREA 1 hour ago The association said the tariff-related uncertainty that drove so many buyers back to the sidelines earlier this year ended up taking a larger bite out of activity in B.C., Alberta and Ontario than was expected three months ago, but "the good news is markets appear to be entering their long-expected recovery phase, fuelled by pent-up demand, lower interest rates, and an economy that is expected to avoid worst-case tariff scenarios." "Most housing markets continued to turn a corner in June, although market conditions still vary considerably depending on where you are in Canada," said CREA chair Valerie Paquin. "If the spring market was mostly held back by economic uncertainty, barring any further big shocks, that delayed activity could very likely surface this summer and into the fall." CREA said it now forecasts national home sales in 2026 to improve by 6.3 per cent to 499,081. That would put activity back on track with what was expected in its April forecast, when it predicted a 2.9 per cent gain in sales next year. The national average home price is expected to increase three per cent from 2025 to $697,929 next year. Meanwhile, the national average sale price fell 1.3 per cent in June compared with a year earlier to $691,643. There were 47,871 home sales recorded last month, up from 46,237 in June 2024. Why the condo market is plummeting during a housing crisis 2 months ago The association said the recovery in sales activity over the past two months was led overwhelmingly by the Greater Toronto Area The number of newly listed properties throughout the country was down 2.9 per cent month-over-month from May. A total of 206,435 properties were listed for sale by the end of the month, up 11.4 per cent from a year earlier and just one per cent below the long-term average for this time of the year. "June's sales performance came in broadly as expected, with Canadian transactions continuing their gradual recovery from their early-year depths," said TD economist Marc Ercolao in a note. "We expect home sales will continue to rise in the second half of the year as pent-up demand continues to trickle into the market. That said, the sales level should remain subdued as economic uncertainty remains elevated, especially with Canada facing new tariff threats."
