by Peter Tarshis on, March 30, 2011 at 9:36am
Driving in Downtown Toronto last nite to the Hockey Game, Toronto vs Buffalo (btw 4/3 Toronto); I drove by 9 cranes on Bay St. The 'Real Estate Condo-mania' continues in MY CITY.
A total of 2,202 new condominium suites were sold in the Greater Toronto Area in February - marking the first time ever that sales have exceeded the 2,000 unit threshold in that particular month, the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) has revealed.
According to RealNet Canada Inc., BILD's official source of new home market informaiton, the 2,202 units sold represents the highest February total ever - 36% better than 2010 and 26% higher than the previous high-water mark set in February 2002 when 1,774 new condos were sold. Condo sales accounted for more than six out of every ten new home sales (61%) in the GTA in February.
According to BILD president and CEO Stephen Dupuis, the strength of the new condo market in the GTA in February is a continuance of the factors that have propelled it thus far - the generally positive economic climate, low interest rates and relative affordability compared with low-rise homes.
Dupuis noted however that the month of February was the second-worst on record for low-rise sales, better only than the global recession year of 2009, as higher prices caused by inventory shortages continue to compromise affordability.
"The relative unaffordability of low-rise product has caused a huge market shift towards high-rise condominiums, which is fine to a point, but only if steps are being taken to create a more balanced market over the mid- to long-term," he said.
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