December 2016,

Dear Friend,

Toronto real estate board members reported  the sale of 8,547 homes in November 2016. This result represented a 16.5% increase compared to November 2015. The average price of a home was up approximately 22% compared to a year ago, and now stands at $729, 849.

The talk of lack of inventory, increase in prices, strong demand and buyers frustrated by the lack of listening is old news. This is the marketplace that we've been familiar with for the last five years. What is new is that prices have reached a level that many buyers are now starting to find difficult to qualify for and to purchase. One example of this is that there were  are many condominiums available in the $350,000 to $450,000 range 2 months ago,and those have all pretty much disappeared. It’s now difficult to find a good 500 square foot  condominium for $400,000.

Toronto real estate is becoming more difficult for first time buyers to afford. The result? First time buyers will have to go further away from the city in order to find the home that they're looking for, at a price they can afford!

Markets such as Barrie, Oshawa, Brock, are a great place to invest or to buy a home. They are nice mature communities relatively close to the city and the rents are  similar to Toronto without the huge capital investment.

No, there's not going to be a downturn. No, the bubble will not burst,( the demand is just too strong) but for those people who  cannot afford Toronto prices, it's time to look a little  further out.

The key is to have a full-time real estate professional like me who is knowledgeable and will work hard to get you what you're looking for. Whether it’s Toronto or  the outskirts give me a call and put my expertise to work for you.

If you know of someone thinking of buying or selling or if you're looking for a great investment property give me a call I'm never too busy to help your friends and family.

Have a great December