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Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 5,142 transactions through the TorontoMLS System during the first 14 days of May 2012. This result was up by more than 14.5 per cent in comparison to the first 14 days of May 2011. The number of new listings continued to grow at a slower pace than sales – up 13 per cent year-over-year to 8,749.

“Annual growth in sales was experienced across the GTA for all major home types in the first half of May. Sales growth was strongest for the condominium apartment segment. While the condo market has generally been the best supplied market over the past year, we have continued to see enough demand to exert moderate upward pressure on average selling prices in this market segment,” said Toronto Real Estate Board President Richard Silver.

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Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 10,350 transactions through the TorontoMLS System in April 2012. This level of sales was 18 per cent higher than the 8,778 firm deals reported in April 2011. The strongest sales growth was reported in the single-detached market segment, with transactions of this home type up by 22 per cent compared to a year ago.

“Interest in single-detached homes has been very high, both in the City of Toronto and surrounding regions. Growth in single-detached listings has not kept up with demand, which means competition between buyers in this market segment increased. With this in mind, it was no surprise that the strongest annual price increase was also experienced in the single-detached segment,” said Toronto Real Estate Board President, Richard Silver.

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Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 4,557 transactions through the TorontoMLS system during the first two weeks of April 2012. This result represented an increase of almost seven per cent in comparison to the same period in April 2011. The number of new listings grew over the same period, but by a lesser annual rate than sales, which means market conditions tightened compared to last year.

“Competition between buyers remained strong in many parts of the Greater Toronto Area during the first half of April, with many listings attracting a lot of attention. Strong competition meant that, on average, sellers priced within market value range received offers that matched their asking prices within three weeks,” said Toronto Real Estate Board President Richard Silver.

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Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 9,690 sales through the TorontoMLS System in March 2012. This result was up by almost eight per cent in comparison to the 8,986 deals reported during the same period in 2011.

“The GTA resale market has not suffered from a lack of willing buyers this year. Buyers have been spurred on by the positive affordability picture brought about by low mortgage rates,” said Toronto Real Estate Board President Richard Silver. “The challenge has been a lack of inventory. Many listings have attracted multiple interested buyers. Strong competition has led to annual rates of price growth well above the long-term average.”

The average selling price in the GTA was $504,117 in March – up by 10.5 per cent in comparison to March 2011.

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An interest rate hike of 2 per cent would leave four-in-10 Canadians unsure about whether they could afford their homes, according to a new study from the Bank of Montreal.

The survey, compiled for BMO by Leger Marketing and released Wednesday, found 43 per cent believe an interest hike would either hamper their ability to pay or leave them on unsure footing.

One-in-five Canadians surveyed said a 2 per cent rise would hurt their ability to make mortgage payments, while 23 per cent said they were unsure if a rise would affect them.

The report also found 57 per cent of respondents believe they could still afford their home if interest rates spiked two per cent.

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