Top Housing Trends of 2016

The year is coming to a rapid close, and – as comparable to most facets in our lives – we choose to reflect on the 12 months that have passed, and are committed to planning for the next dozen that is to come. In the exciting world of real estate, there are many trends that tend to surface with each passing year. In 2016, some of those trends were as follows:

One of the most recent housing trends that we saw in 2016 (and arguably one of the most talked about) were the changes to Canada’s housing rules. Over the last several years, our government has been known to change the mortgage requirements on numerous occasions which has (and continues to) deeply affect anyone who, is not only looking to perhaps qualify for government-backed insured mortgages, but also those who may be looking to purchase their first home and/or are looking to refinance their existing mortgage. We needn’t be too concerned, however. According to Phil Soper, President and CEO of Royal LePage, “Nationally, our real estate markets remain healthy, with home values showing modest to strong (yet rational) price appreciation in almost every Canadian city … Even in the hardest hit oil patch regions, prices have held up well, with small single-digit declines, year-over-year”. With ample amounts of new information to be discovered, it’s important that we all continue to become familiar with the details of these changes as they are extremely relevant to current and future homebuyers.

We’ve also seen a shift in the amount of homes for sale in the resale market vs. those that are for sale as new builds. In other words, over the past year, we’ve seen a rather lacking inventory in the resale market, and a major increase in the construction and interest of newer homes. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), we currently stand at a record-breaking  total of 14,014 homes sold in 2016, compared to an all-encompassing total of 13,129 homes sold in 2015. At this growth rate, it is predicted that homes sold in 2017 could reach 15,400. What’s interesting is that with new homes being built quite consistently across our City, inventory increases, and more people tend to buy. In fact, single home new builds have increased in sales by 8%, and townhomes by a whopping 57%.

Of course, much of the focus of these aforementioned housing trends have been quite logistical; and, although these rules and these numbers are evidently quite important, we mustn’t discount the several design trends that 2016 has brought to the forefront of our interior décor. We’ve seen such trends surface as the bold pops of paint colour (thanks, Benjamin Moore!) to the purity of white kitchens, to rusticity of barn-board sliding doors. Moreover, according to real estate professionals, homebuyers have been relatively persistent in requesting open layouts, multigenerational floor plans, first-floor master suites (with large closets), and extra-large garages.

2016 was a big year for the housing market and, as a result, we saw some pretty impressive reports, results, and trends. For more information about the year in a glance, you can contact us! We’ll gladly inform you on what has shaped our unforgettable year.