As we settled into our sales meetings this week the topic of the day was definitely what was happening to the market and if the recent government changes have had the desired effect in increasing the affordability of housing in the city.  Much of our conversation centered around the differences between the massive downturn in the market in 1989 versus the brief pause in the market we experienced in 2008. While admittedly none of us actually own a crystal ball, the general consensus was that these past few weeks will likely be a pause in the market and not a large correction as some Sellers are fearing and most Buyers are hoping for.  What we may be seeing as a result of this pause is a move towards more realistic pricing and less of setting a low asking price and letting the market show us the true value. All the more reason to make sure you hire a Realtor that knows how to properly price and market a property.

The freehold market saw an increase in new listings of 15% up to 454 from 394 the previous week.  It is normal at this time of year to see an increase in listings as the Spring market hits its stride and this increase seems far too low to indicate a flood of listings to the market by fearful home owners who think we are facing a serious price correction. In an exact opposite trend there was a 15% drop in the number of sales to 196 from the 232 over the previous week. This is a trend we will follow carefully as we are expecting a rebound in sales numbers over the coming weeks. While pre-emptive offers continue to disappear from the landscape it is interesting to observe that 73% of all homes still sold above their asking price.

The condo market continues to separate itself from the freehold market with a week that saw both new listings and sales increase over the previous week.  New condo listings increased 6% and sales kept very close track increasing 5% over the previous week. Condos also continue to sell above their list price with 75% of all sales happening above the advertised price.