Homeownership in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) became more affordable in March 2025 compared to the previous year. On average, both borrowing costs and home prices have declined over the past year, making monthly payments more manageable for households looking to buy a home.

“Given the current trade uncertainty and the upcoming federal election, many households are likely taking a wait-and-see approach to home buying. If trade issues are solved or public policy choices help mitigate the impact of tariffs, home sales will likely increase. Home buyers need to feel their employment situation is solid before committing to monthly mortgage payments over the long term,” said TRREB’s Chief Information Officer Jason Mercer.

Home buyers continued to benefit from substantial choice in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) resale market in February 2025. Home sales last month were down in comparison to the same period last year, while listing inventory remained high, providing substantial negotiating power for homebuyers.

“On top of lingering affordability concerns, home buyers have arguably become less confident in the economy. Uncertainty about our trade relationship with the United States has likely prompted some households to take a wait and see attitude towards buying a home. If trade uncertainty is alleviated and borrowing costs continue to trend lower, we could see much stronger home sales activity in the second half of this year,” said TRREB Chief Market Analyst Jason Mercer.

The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board’s (TRREB) Market Outlook and Year in Review report reveals that a well-supplied housing market will keep average annual home price growth at the rate inflation, with the average selling price increasing moderately in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) over the course of the year.

“A growing number of homebuyers will take advantage of lower borrowing costs as we move toward the 2025 spring market, resulting in increased transactions and a moderate uptick in average selling prices in 2025. However, the positive impact of lower mortgage rates could be reduced, at least temporarily, by the negative impact of trade disruptions on the economy and consumer confidence,” said TRREB Chief Market Analyst Jason Mercer.

For 2025, TRREB forecasts:
- A total of 76,000 home sales in 2025, up by 12.4 per cent over 2024. Lower borrowing costs coupled with ample supply will improve affordability and prompt more buyers to move off the sidelines.
- The average selling price to reach $1,147,000, up by 2.6 per cent over 2024, for all home types combined. Price growth will be stronger for single-family homes, as compared to the well-supplied condo apartment market.

The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) housing market experienced a transitionary year in 2024. Annual sales were up slightly compared to 2023, and new listings were up significantly year-over-year. Buyers benefited from substantial negotiating power on price, especially in the condominium apartment market. Average selling prices in 2024 dipped in comparison to 2023 as a result.

“Market conditions varied by market segment in 2024. Sales of single-family homes, including detached houses, increased last year, whereas condo apartment sales were down. Many would-be first-time buyers remained on the sidelines, anticipating more interest rate relief in 2025. The lack of first-time buyers impacted the less-expensive condo segment more so than the single-family segments,” said TRREB Chief Market Analyst Jason Mercer.

Greater Toronto Area (GTA) home sales increased strongly on a yearover- year basis in November 2024. Many buyers benefitted from more affordable market conditions brought about by lower borrowing costs. New listings were also up compared to November 2023, but by a much lesser annual rate. This meant that market conditions tightened, resulting in overall average price growth compared to last year.

Greater Toronto Area (GTA) home sales increased strongly year-overyear in October 2024. Over the same period, new listings were up, but by a lesser annual rate. The result was tighter market conditions compared to October 2023. The average selling price was up slightly on an annual basis.

While we are still early in the Bank of Canada’s rate cutting cycle, it definitely does appear that an increasing number of buyers moved off the sidelines and back into the marketplace in October. The positive affordability picture brought about by lower borrowing costs and relatively flat home prices, prompted this improvement in market activity.

Market conditions did tighten in October, but there is still a lot of inventory and therefore choice for home buyers. This choice will keep home price growth moderate over the next few months. However, as inventory is absorbed and home construction continues to lag population growth, selling price growth will accelerate, likely as we move through the spring of 2025.

Greater Toronto Area (GTA) home sales increased year-overyear in September. Buyers were starting to take advantage of more affordable market conditions brought about by interest rate cuts and lower home prices.

As buyers take advantage of changes to mortgage lending guidelines and borrowing costs trend lower, home sales will steadily increase in relation to population growth. With every rate cut, a growing number of GTA households will afford a long-term investment in home ownership, including first-time buyers.

Greater Toronto Area (GTA) home sales were down on a yearover- year basis in August 2024. New listings were up slightly over the same period. While the region’s housing market remained well-supplied in August, average home prices only edged slightly lower compared to August 2023.

Greater Toronto Area (GTA) home sales in July 2024 were up compared to July 2023. While sales were up from last year, buyers continued to benefit from more choice in the GTA marketplace, with annual growth in new listings outstripping that of sales. The better-supplied market meant that buyers also benefitted from a slight relief in selling prices on average.

As more buyers take advantage of more affordable mortgage payments in the months ahead, they will benefit from the substantial build-up in inventory. This will initially keep home prices relatively flat. However, as inventory is absorbed, market conditions will tighten in the absence of a large-scale increase in home completions, ultimately leading to a resumption of price growth.

June 2024 home sales in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) were lower compared to the same month last year, according to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB). Despite the Bank of Canada rate cut at the beginning of last month, many buyers kept their home purchase decisions on hold. The market remained well-supplied, resulting in a slight dip in the average selling price compared to June 2023.

The Bank of Canada’s rate cut last month provided some initial relief for homeowners and home buyers. However, the June sales result suggests that most home buyers will require multiple rate cuts before they move off the sidelines. This follows Ipsos polling for TRREB, which suggested that cumulative rate cuts of 100 basis points or more are required to boost home sales by any significant amount.

May home sales continued at low levels, especially in comparison to last spring’s short-lived pick-up in market activity. Home buyers are still waiting for relief on the mortgage rate front. Existing homeowners are anticipating an uptick in demand, as evidenced by a year-over-year increase in new listings. With more choice compared to a year ago, buyers benefitted from more negotiating room on prices.

“While interest rates remained high in May, home buyers did continue to benefit from slightly lower selling prices compared to last year. We have seen selling prices adjust to mitigate the impact of higher mortgage rates. Affordability is expected to improve further as borrowing costs trend lower. However, as demand picks up, we will likely see renewed upward pressure on home prices as competition between buyers increases,” said TRREB Chief Market Analyst Jason Mercer.

April 2024 home sales were down in comparison to April 2023, when there was a temporary resurgence in market activity. New listings were up strongly year-over-year, which meant there was increased choice for home buyers and little movement in the average selling price compared to last year.

Listings were up markedly in April in comparison to last year and last month. Many homeowners are anticipating an increase in demand for ownership housing as we move through the spring. While sales are expected to pick up, many would-be home buyers are likely waiting for the Bank of Canada to actually begin cutting its policy rate before purchasing a home.

We have seen a gradual improvement in market conditions over the past quarter. More buyers have adjusted to the higher interest rate environment. At the same time, homeowners may be anticipating an improvement in market conditions in the spring, which helps explain the marked increase in new listings so far this year. Assuming we benefit from lower borrowing costs in the near future, sales will increase further, new listings will be absorbed, and tighter market conditions will push selling prices higher.