Canadian real estate remains in prolonged catch-up period as buyers idle on sidelines

According to the Royal LePage® House Price Survey released today, the aggregate price of a home in Canada increased 1.9 per cent year over year to $824,300 in the second quarter of 2024. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, the national aggregate home price increased 1.5 per cent, despite a slowdown in activity in the country’s most expensive markets.

“Canada’s housing market is struggling to find a consistent rhythm, as the last three months clearly demonstrated,” said Phil Soper, president and CEO, Royal LePage. “Nationally, home prices rose while the number of properties bought and sold sagged; an unusual dynamic. The silver lining: inventory levels in many regions have climbed materially. This is the closest we’ve been to a balanced market in several years.

The Royal LePage National House Price Composite is compiled from proprietary property data nationally and regionally in 64 of the nation’s largest real estate markets. The national median price of a single-family detached home increased 2.2 per cent year over year to $860,600, while the median price of a condominium increased 1.6 per cent year over year to $596,500. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, the median price of a single-family detached home increased 1.8 per cent, while the median price of a condominium increased 0.8 per cent. Price data, which includes both resale and new build, is provided by RPS Real Property Solutions, a leading Canadian real estate valuation company.

In the second quarter of 2024, the aggregate price of a home in Canada recorded an increase of 30.8 per cent over the same period in 2019.

“2024 marks the fifth year since the pandemic and post-pandemic rebound began to wreak havoc on real estate prices. Yes, values remain well above 2019 levels, yet a thirty per cent rise in home values spread over five years, or six per cent annually, is approaching long-term norms for Canadian residential property appreciation.”

Royal LePage is forecasting that the aggregate price of a home in Canada will increase 9.0 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to the same quarter last year. Nationally, home prices are forecast to see continued moderate price appreciation throughout the second half of the year.

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