2023 ended with a slight decline in sales and home prices in the Greater Montreal area. But the market should recover soon, perhaps at the same time as nature, at the end of winter, experts predict.
According to real estate firm Royal LePage, we saw some “passivity” from buyers in 2023 as the year saw widely reported increases in mortgage rates. And while there may seem to be an increase in the number of “For Sale” signs on city streets, supply remains “historically” low. In the Montreal region, the number of homes on the market is currently 47% lower than the average over the past decade. However, not everything is so gloomy and hopeless. In its report, Royal LePage noted that demand for property viewings is already growing. This certainly means that potential buyers are expecting better deals this year and are already in the home-hunting phase.
This is exactly what realtors observe in their practice. “They have a lot more calls, a lot more visits,” confirms Dominic St-Pierre, vice-president and general manager of Royal LePage, Quebec region. He predicts a “hot” spring market. Which has nothing to do with temperature, he clarifies. Buyers are waiting for real reassurance about the Bank of Canada’s intentions and lower mortgage interest rates. “And even if the decline does not happen now,” adds Mr. St. Pierre, but at least in the near future. Once this is done, we should see a gradual return of life, especially among buyers who have put their projects on hold to wait for these more favorable conditions.
The market recovery will not be as strong as in 2021, which was exceptional, but “the market should be very active again,” says Dominique St-Pierre, “like before the pandemic, when the real estate market in Montreal was very active.”
Home owners can be sure that their property continues to increase in value. Statistics for 2023 confirm the rise in residential property values both in Montreal and throughout Quebec. Average property prices are expected to rise another 5% in 2024.
If we observe the market over a longer period, we note a 30.6% increase in property values over the past four years in the Montreal region – from the end of 2019 to the end of 2023.
In 2021, prices continued to rise both in Montreal and beyond in remote small towns. The issue of housing affordability has become critical in the Montreal region, especially for young families looking to buy their own home. Those who did not want to leave Montreal had to buy condos and 2-plexes to start at least somewhere and stop paying “someone else’s mortgage” for rental housing.
But what about those who did not buy real estate 5 years ago and are desperately watching the rise in prices, realizing that they have to pay twice as much today? So, buy or wait?
Prices in Montreal are already near their highs, and most likely will not rise as much in 2022. The same cannot be said about the prices in the cities adjacent to it. If the average price for houses in Montreal increased by 23% in 2021, then in 2022 prices will continue to rise, but by no more than 1%, analysts say. The rise in condo prices in 2022 will also slow down and amount to 3%. My advice: if you can’t buy a home in Montreal itself, look at what you can count on in the surrounding area.
La demande est toujours aussi forte pour l’immobilier à Montréal. Conséquence, le prix de certaines catégories de propriétés ont augmenté d’environ 20%, selon l’Association professionnelle des courtiers immobiliers du Québec (APCIQ) Comparativement au mois de novembre 2020, le nombre de transactions résidentielles a chuté de 17%, rapporte la base de données provinciale Centris des courtiers immobiliers, sur laquelle se base l’ACPIQ pour élaborer son rapport. En tant que telles, les inscriptions sur le système de Centris pour les propriétés à vendre ont également connu une baisse en novembre 2021, avec une diminution de 20% comparativement à 2020.
Une enquête de Royal LePage dévoilée jeudi révèle que 18 % des milléniaux québécois et 28 % des milléniaux montréalais ont acquis un condo, une maison ou un immeuble depuis la mi-mars 2020.