Fewer buyers going to open houses as Toronto housing market cools, agents say

Two GTA real estate agents say they are seeing fewer potential buyers attend open houses in the areaas the local real estate market cools in the wake of the Ontario government's new housing measures.

Danyelle Boily, a real estate agent with Bosley Real Estate, told CBC Radio's Metro Morningon Tuesday that the number of people going to open houses hasdropped sharply sincemeasures were introduced in April.

She said the evidence is anecdotal but the numbers at her recent open houses are roughly half that of the same time last year.Last year, for example, a "very beautiful picture perfect" house in Toronto would have attracted between 30 to 40 people to an open house, but a similar house on the market this yearwould likely draw only about 20 people.

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It's a buyer's market and potential buyers are being cautious, she said, but it does depend on the house.

"I would say it's more of a balanced market. If a house is very desirable, it will still get competing bids but I would say buyers are being more careful and more judicious about their home purchases," she explained. "And they don't swing for the moon anymore with the bids."

"Even if they are in competition, they will bid below asking and try to get a deal," she added.

Boily attributes the drop in open house attendance to fears surrounding the15 per cent tax on foreign buyers in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region, expanded rent controls and legislation allowing Toronto and other cities to tax vacant homes.

She said the recent interest rate hike is also partly to blame. Potential buyers "don't want to step into something" they can't afford in a few years.

"It's more of an emotional reaction," she said.

Boily and Dan Cooper, a real estate agent with RoyalLePage, CEO Dan Cooper Group inOakville which has 12 agents focused in the west end, said theslowdown in the housing market is also manifesting itself as fewer heated bidding wars and more conditions being put back into offers.

Cooper said he thinks the slowdown is a correction that will be short-lived.

"If you look at the spring, it's been a crazy roller coaster ride," hetold Metro Morning.

Fall expected to pick up

"When we had that correction in April, due to the non-resident speculation tax, it's been a big change. Basically, this is second consecutive month of extreme volume weakness. It's largely attributable to a dramatic shift in buyer psychology caused by the perceived future impact of the Ontario government Fair Housing Plan."

The spring was geared towardssellers, the market has "reset" itself, the summer is geared towards buyers which means the market is much less frustrating than it was earlier, he added.

Cooper said he's keeping a close eye on the Vancouver market because it has gone through what Toronto is experiencing. Vancouver had a four to six month lull after its foreign buyer's tax was implemented. Its situation is slightly different than that of Toronto because itsprices are higher, themarket is smaller and foreign buyers playmore of a role in select areas, he said.

"You are going to see our market correct probably by the fall with ease," he said.

Both agents acknowledged that the slowdown is partly due to the time of year but they said summer is not the whole story. Both expect the fall market, after Labour Day, to pick up in terms of listings and competition.

"I don't have a crystal ball," Boily said. "We'll see."