Home sales set record for September

OTTAWA— Canadian homes sales set a monthly record in September and the national average price soared

17.5 per cent from last year, the Canadian Real Estate Association said Thursday.

There were 45.6 per cent more sales compared with September 2019, according to CREA, and home sales were up 0.9 per cent on a seasonally adjusted basis compared with August.

The actual national average home price in September was a record $604,000, up 17.5 per cent from September 2019.

“Many Canadian housing markets are continuing to see historically strong levels of activity as we enter into the fall market of this very strange year,” CREA chair Costa Poulopoulos said in a statement.

In addition to a shortage of property listings in a number of regions, there’s been “fierce competition” among buyers, Poulopoulos said.

CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart said other factors included pent-up demand due to early pandemic-related lockdowns, low interest rates, and government COVID-19 supports.

“But I think another wild card factor to consider, which has no historical precedent, is the value of one’s home during this time. Home has been our workplace, our kids’ schools, the gym, the park and more. Personal space is more important than ever.,” Cathcart said.

Douglas Porter, chief economist for BMO Capital Markets, said September’s price increase wasn’t a fluke as the average gain over the first nine months of 2020 was 11.6 per cent.

But Porter raised doubts as to whether the “recent sizzling strength” can persist.