NEWS RELEASE



TREB Releases Commercial Market Figures As Reported By GTA REALTORS®

TORONTO, April 4, 2018 -- Toronto Real Estate Board President Tim Syrianos announced commercial leasing and sales transactions reported through TREB’s MLS® System for the first quarter of 2018.

TREB Commercial Network Members reported 6,277,221 square feet of combined industrial, commercial/retail and office space leased through TREB’s MLS® system. This result represented a 13.5% increase from Q1 2017 when 5,532,412 square feet of space was leased.

Over 70 per cent of total space leased was in the industrial market segment, with deals reached on more than 4.5 million square feet. This result was up from approximately 3.9 million square feet reported during Q1 2017.

Average lease rates reported on a per square foot net basis for transactions with pricing disclosed were up for all major market segments. Some of these increases were likely reflective of a robust regional economy in the Greater Toronto Area.  However, it is also important to note that average lease rates are also affected by changes in the composition of deals from one year to the next, in terms of property type, size and location.

“The current economic climate for the GTA is one filled with robust employment opportunities, which foster immigration-based population growth. Companies continue to seek out talented professionals across a number of different sectors, and this is reflected in the leasing activity. It follows that if companies are hiring, many are also looking to take on more space.  Despite some trade-related uncertainty south of the border, the strong start for leasing activity could be a leading indicator of continued strength in the local economy in 2018” said Mr. Syrianos.

There were 187 combined industrial, commercial/retail and office sales in Q1 2018.  Average sale prices on a per square foot basis for transactions with pricing disclosed were up for the industrial and commercial/retail segments and down for the office segment. Year-over-year changes in selling prices were due to both market conditions and changes in the mix of properties sold.

 

First Quarter 2018: Commercial Lease Transactions

Total Leased Space for All Lease Transaction Types on TREB's MLS® System

Total Leased Square Feet

 

Q1 2018

Q1 2017

% Change

Industrial

4,524,227

3,878,236

16.7%

Commercial

641,232

716,340

-10.5%

Office

1,111,762

937,837

18.5%

Total

6,277,221

5,532,412

13.5%

Continued…

First Quarter 2018: Per Square Foot Net Average Lease Rate Summary

Lease Transactions Completed on a Per Square Foot Net Basis with Pricing Disclosed on TREB's MLS® System

Average Lease Rate

 

Q1 2018

Q1 2017

% Change

Industrial

$6.70

$6.39

4.9%

Commercial

$21.44

$16.34

31.2%

Office

$16.28

$14.36

13.4%

First Quarter 2018: Commercial Sale Transactions

Total Number of Sales on TREB's MLS® System

Total Sales

 

Q1 2018

Q1 2017

% Change

Industrial

63

122

-48.4%

Commercial

67

183

-63.4%

Office

57

70

-18.6%

Total

187

375

-50.1%

First Quarter 2018: Average Sale Price per Square Foot

Transactions with Pricing Disclosed on TREB's MLS® System

Avg. Sale Price Per Sq. Ft. (Pricing Disclosed)

 

Q1 2018

Q1 2017

% Change

Industrial

$155.86

$125.95

23.8%

Commercial

$273.06

$251.11

8.7%

Office

$299.28

$336.52

-11.1%

Source: TREB

NOTE: Some table totals may differ due to conversion and rounding.