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President's Toronto SUN Column

TREB President's Column as it appears every Friday in the Toronto Sun's Resale Homes and Condos section.


Finishing the year on a high note

December 30, 2011 -- November was another active month for resale housing transactions throughout the Greater Toronto Area, with 7,092 homes changing hands.  This represents an 11 per cent increase over November 2010.

The 905 Region led the way in sales activity, increasing nearly 12 per cent compared to a year ago, with a total of 4,065 transactions.  In the City of Toronto, where 3,027 homes changed hands, sales increased by 10 per cent compared to November 2010.

Meanwhile, at 9,786, the number of new listings throughout the GTA increased 14 per cent last month in comparison to a year ago. As we move into 2012, the supply of homes newly available for sale is likely to outpace transactions, translating into more balanced market conditions.

The average cost of a GTA home in November was $480,421, increasing almost 10 per cent compared to the same period a year earlier. Year over year price increases were comparable in the City of Toronto and the 905 Region. The City of Toronto’s average price of $524,805 grew by 10 per cent compared to November 2010 while the 905 Region’s average price of $447,371 grew by almost 10 per cent compared to a year ago.

The number of days that homes were available for sale decreased considerably compared to November 2010, averaging 29 days last month and 34 days a year ago.  

Key to any healthy housing market is consumers’ ability to afford the carrying costs associated with home ownership, and from this perspective economic conditions remained relatively unchanged last month.
Toronto’s unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage point to 8.4 per cent in November, while carrying costs also remained consistent with five year fixed rate mortgages available at just over five per cent.

Canada also garnered more positive global attention in November as the international business-consulting firm FutureBrand named ours the country with the best brand in the world for the second consecutive year.

As part of the study, which examines how travelers perceive countries around the world, 3,400 travelers were surveyed on their views about 110 nations. Switzerland came in second, followed by New Zealand, Japan, Australia, the United States, Sweden, Finland, France and Italy to round out the top ten.
        
Another annual study, conducted by Mercer LLC assessed Quality of Living in 221 cities around the world, ranking them against New York as the base city. In the Americas region, Canadian cities dominated with Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal ranking respectively in the top spots.

From a global perspective Vienna achieved the best living standard in the world, followed by Zurich, Auckland and Munich, with Düsseldorf and Vancouver sharing fifth place. Toronto ranked among the top 15 in the world.

Numerous studies released in recent months all point to the same conclusion: around the world Canada, including its most populous city, is a highly regarded place to live. This means that owning a home in the GTA is a wise long-term investment, and it is the only one in which you can live as it appreciates.

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Archive
Note: All links are PDF files

 2011
December 8 It’s Time to Lend a Helping Hand
November 25 Helping those less fortunate
November 18 Building up to National Housing Day
October 28 First-Time Buyers Have Lots Of Options
October 21 Using A Realtor To Buy A New Home
October 14 Celebrating Many Years Of Service
October 7 Renovation Rebate Would Benefit Homeowners
September 30 Land Transfer Taxes Unfair to Home Buyers
September 23 Energy Rebates Should Be A Priority
September 16 Tell City Hall to Target Waste, Not Home Buyers
September 2 Realtors ride for a great cause
August 26 Strong economy sees numbers boosted
August 19 New Web Site Easy to Use
August 15 Learn to keep termites at bay
August 9

Public and Businesses See Eye-to-Eye on Municipal Finance Issues

July 22 Know when it's time to renovate
July 8 Treat first-time buyers fairly
June 17 Time To Repeal The Land Transfer Tax
June 10 Take a tour of the virtual office
June 3 Parking red tape should be streamlined
May 27 Helpful Advice Is Keystrokes Away
May 20 Taking a walk through REALTOR® QUEST
May 13 The social side of real estate
May 6 Staying on top of municipal issues
Apr. 29 Expect demand to remain strong
Apr. 22 Know what to look for in a condo
Apr. 15 Choosing between new and resale
Apr. 8 Learn to use the tools of the trade
Apr. 1 Expect demand to remain healthy
Mar. 25 City needs to cut parking red tape
Mar. 11 Select the right neighbourhood
Mar. 4 Consider investing in a fixer-upper
Feb. 25 Expect homes to remain affordable
Feb. 18 REALTORS® help clarify parking rules
Feb. 11 Learn the benefits of going online
Feb. 4 Increase the value of your resale
Jan. 28 Know the value of a REALTOR®
Jan. 21 Move is on to repeal an unfair tax
Jan. 14 Choose a home that fits your style
 2010
Dec. 17 Working Hard to Make a Difference
Nov. 19 Sorting out HST misconceptions
Nov. 12 Give more thought to going green
Nov. 5 All signs point to a healthy market
Oct. 29 Green your home and save money
Oct. 15 Keeping your best interest in mind
Oct. 8 All signs point to a healthy market
Oct. 1 Condos have become a way of life
Sept. 24 Setting the HST record straight
Sept. 17 Coming to 'Terms' with Real Estate
Sept. 10 Growing Up and going green
Sept. 3 Keeping your best interest in mind
July 16 Charity begins and ends at Home
July 9 Saving the HST with Resale Housing
July 2 Recognizing Our Volunteer Efforts
June 25 Getting to know all your options
June 18 Embracing Diversity in the GTA
May 28 REALTORS® need to know quite a lot
May 14 April transactions nearly met record
May 7 Shopping for the best deal in Town
Apr. 30 The Hidden costs of moving
Apr. 23 Knowing all the local options
Apr. 16 Many ways to cut energy costs
Apr. 2 It pays to renovate before you sell
Mar. 26 Working in your best interests
Mar. 12 Growing Tax burden is taking its toll
Mar. 5 A Professional Touch
Feb. 26 Registry links buyers to homes
Feb. 19 Mitigating the HST tax threat
Feb. 12 Expect strong start to 2010 to continue
Feb. 5 Helping those in desperate need in Haiti
Jan. 29 Having a green home provides savings and peace-of-mind
Jan. 22 REALTORS® assist with Rentals Too
Jan. 15 REALTORS® Give Back
Jan. 8 Why our REALTORS® are the envy of the world
 2009
Dec. 11 Making the jump to home ownership
Dec. 4 Your kind of town, Toronto is
Nov. 27 Emerging Neighbourhoods
Nov. 20 Mid-Month market report: The economic recovery continues
Nov. 13 There's More to us than MLS
Nov. 06 Fix-up Frenzy
Oct. 30 A Taxing Issue: Let's call on future mayor to roll back LTT
Oct. 23 Where to buy
Oct. 16 Value Added
Oct. 10 Market report
Sept. 25 NO sense of harmony
Sept. 18 Vertical City - The GTA is growing up and going green
Sept. 11 Go Site-seeing
Sept. 04 A changing shade of grey
August 28 Gateway to the World
August 21 Vertical City – Toronto is Growing Up
August 14 A new way to hunt for homes
August 7 Home Away from Home
July 31 The Canadian Dream
July 24 Move or Improve
July 17 Weathering the Storm
July 10 Mid-year market report
June 26 Making the Right Connections
June 19 Condo City
June 12 More co-op on grow ops
June 5 Investing in Real Estate
May 29 The News is Good
May 22 Ownership Housing Plays Important Role
May 15 REALTORS® Invest Time to Improve
May 8 REALTORS® take message to Ottawa
May 1 REALTOR® Education
Apr. 24 Community Spirit Alive
Apr. 17 Tech tools of the trade
Apr. 10 Public Wants Toronto Land Transfer Tax Repealed
Apr. 03 Invest In Future
Mar. 27 Agents of Change
Mar. 20 Harmonized Sales Tax Would Hurt Home Buyers
Mar. 13 Actions Speak Louder than Words on Affordable Housing
Mar. 06 Market review: 2009 so far
Feb. 20 Scholarships offered by real estate board
Feb. 13 Make Home Owners Priority of City Budget
Feb. 06 Federal Budget Helps Home Buyers and Owners
Jan. 30 January's Resale Housing Market Report
Jan. 23 TREB to Feds: More help to Homebuyers
Jan. 16 Lifestyles in the 416 and 905
 2008
Dec. 19 Be prepared for closing costs
Dec. 12 Toronto Land Transfer Tax Costs City's Economy $170 million
Dec. 5 Understand your privacy and rights
Nov. 28 Seasons of Real Estate
Nov. 21 Setting the Stage for a Sale
Nov. 14 The Ins and Outs of Inspections
Nov. 7 Outlook still good for GTA
Oct. 31 Taking Advantage of Taxes
Oct. 24 The Ins and Outs of Insurance
Oct. 17 Fighting Back Against Fraud
Oct. 10 Local Market Holds Steady
Oct. 3 Show Good Form During a Deal
Sept. 26 Using Equity to Your Advantage
Sept. 19 Choices Abound but Choose Carefully
Sept. 12 GTA Housing Market Stable
Sept. 5 Points to Ponder This Fall
Aug. 29 Don't Take This For Granted
Aug. 22 A Helping Hand
Aug. 15 A Market Report for July
Aug. 8 A Primer on Attracting Buyers
Aug. 1 Returns on RENOs
July 25 New Federal Mortgage Rules
July 18 Revitalizing the Big Smoke
July 11 Condos Changing the GTA
July 4 Feeding the City's Future
June 27 Recognizing Volunteers
June 20 Buyers, Be Aware of the New Rules
June 13 The Market Remains Healthy
June 6 Reasons to Pick a REALTOR®
May 30 The Power of MLS
May 23 Greening Up Resale Homes
May 16 A Quest for Knowledge
May 9 Lobbying Goes a Long Way
May 2 Toronto Compared
Apr. 25 Beware of Hidden Development Charges
Apr. 18 From the President
Apr. 11 Guarding Against Grow-Ops
Apr. 4

The Importance of the Budget

Mar. 28 Another Way to Invest in Real Estate
Mar. 21 Federal Budget Misses Opp
Mar. 14 Prepare Now for a Spring Move
Mar. 7 Remember to Budget for City's Budget
Feb. 29 From the President