The Real Estate industry, along with the buying/selling public, anxiously anticipate interest rate relief sometime this year. I’ll be the first to admit frustration at the cost of financing a mortgage and how “locked out” the younger generation is, when it comes to the housing market. I’m a proponent of using amortization rates as a tool to help first time home buyers put a roof over their heads but there is, to my knowledge, no discussion at any level of government on this. Meanwhile…

The 2024 market is off to a decent start out of the gate. Sales were up 38% over January of 2023 in the Region, from 392 units to 539. While sales were up, new listings declined by 5% over the same time period. This will keep selling prices steady.

The Average Selling Price in Durham Region came in at $894,825, up slightly from $883,790 a year ago. If you think this is a minor accomplishment, think again. In January of last year, the Average Selling Price had dropped 24% from the previous year. We’ve seen the bottom and it’s in the rear view mirror, in this writer’s opinion.

Months of Inventory across the Region stood at 1.4 months. When you drill down to certain types of homes and certain neighbourhoods, that number can drop dramatically. Days on Market stood at 33 days, up from 6 days in the peak. I’ll take it. A month gives us marketers time to run ads, knock on doors, make calls and really dig for buyers the way we did in prior, balanced markets.

The Sale Price to List Price came in at 99%, very healthy. That means when Sellers finally figure out what that true market value of their home is, the market is giving it!

And drum roll finally; the Sales to New Listings Ratio clocked in at 65.1%, gently tipping into Seller territory. That figure is the one to watch as we head into the Spring market.

I’m confident this is going to be a good year in real estate in Durham Region. The market is complicated but that’s where our experience counts. If you’d like to know the value of your home, reach out to us for aFREE equity checkup!