Heaps Estrin's Blog - Market Updates

Heaps Estrin Market Update | August 2026

As much as the arrival of back-to-school ads can make it feel like summer is slipping away, we're not quite ready to let it go just yet. There are still cottage weekends to enjoy, patios to linger on, and – for the bold – perhaps an annual pilgrimage to the CNE. At the same time, August has always been a month of quiet preparation. Behind the scenes, many buyers and sellers are beginning to think about September, when many return from holidays and market activity typically accelerates.

For anyone considering a move this fall, now is the time to prepare. The strongest results rarely happen by chance. They are the product of thoughtful planning well before a property hits the market.

July's TRREB statistics point to a modest tightening…

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How to Choose a Listing Agent in Toronto

Choosing the right listing agent is one of the most impactful decisions you will make when selling your home. In a market as nuanced as Toronto's, the difference between a good agent and the right agent can influence not only your final sale price, but your entire selling experience. This guide walks through what actually matters when choosing a listing agent, and why the decision deserves more thought than a quick referral or a familiar name.

What Does a Listing Agent Actually Do?

A listing agent represents your interests and guides you through every stage of selling your home. Their role extends well beyond placing a sign on the lawn and adding your property to MLS. A strong listing agent prices your home strategically, prepares and markets it to…

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Selling an Estate or Luxury Home: What's Different at the Top of the Market

Selling a luxury home is a fundamentally different undertaking than selling a typical property. The buyer pool is smaller and more discerning, the marketing must be more considered, and the entire process rewards patience, discretion, and genuine expertise. This guide explores what changes at the top of the market, and what sellers of estate and luxury homes in Toronto should understand before they list.

A Smaller, More Selective Buyer Pool

At the highest end of the market, the number of qualified buyers for any given home is limited. A family searching for an eight-figure estate in The Bridle Path is not browsing the same way a first-time buyer might. These buyers are selective, well-advised, and often working within specific criteria that a home…

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The Toronto Luxury Real Estate Market: What Buyers and Sellers Should Know

Toronto's luxury real estate market is one of the most dynamic and resilient in Canada. For buyers and sellers operating at the top of the market, understanding how it works, what drives it, and what sets it apart is essential to making confident decisions. This overview offers a grounded look at the Toronto luxury market and the factors that shape it.

What Defines the Toronto Luxury Market

Luxury in Toronto is defined by more than price alone. It encompasses estate properties on generous lots, architecturally significant homes, heritage residences in the city's most established neighbourhoods, and premium condominiums in its most sought-after buildings. What unites them is a combination of quality, location, and scarcity that places them at the…

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Selling a Family Home After Decades: A Guide for Downsizers

There is a particular kind of home that carries more than square footage and a street address. It carries decades of ordinary mornings, holidays, milestones, and the quiet accumulation of a life lived in one place. Selling a family home after twenty, thirty, or more years is rarely a simple transaction, and it should not be treated as one. This guide is for those beginning to consider that next chapter, and what it actually takes to move forward with confidence.

Why This Sale Feels Different

Selling a home you have lived in for a few years is one kind of decision. Selling the home where you raised your family, where the same tree has grown taller every summer, where every room holds a specific memory, is another kind of decision entirely. It is…

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What to Look for When Buying a Luxury Home in Toronto

Buying a luxury home is not simply buying more space. It is buying quality, character, and the kind of lasting value that reveals itself over years, not just at closing. For buyers entering Toronto's luxury market, knowing what genuinely matters, beyond square footage and finishes, makes the difference between a home that satisfies today and one that continues to deliver years from now. Here is what experienced buyers look for.

Lot Quality Above All Else

Of everything that shapes a luxury property's long-term value, the lot itself is often the most overlooked and the most important. Frontage, depth, grade, and orientation all affect not only how a home lives day to day, but how it can be built upon, expanded, or eventually reimagined.

A wide,…

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Heaps Estrin Market Update | July 2026

Toronto feels particularly alive this summer. World Cup fever has transformed neighbourhoods into one big celebration, patios are overflowing, and spontaneous street parties seem to erupt on every corner. The city has rediscovered its energy. Interestingly, the housing market has, too.

After a slow start to the year, buyer activity has continued to build through the second quarter and, unlike a typical year, that momentum has carried into the summer months. While summer often marks the beginning of a seasonal slowdown, this year has felt different. Buyers have largely adjusted to today's borrowing conditions and, with the major banks expecting interest rates to remain relatively stable, many are recognizing that waiting for significantly…

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Heaps Estrin Market Update | May 2026

After a long winter – and a cautious start to the year – Toronto is beginning to feel a little more like itself again. Patios are being prepped, event season is back, and across many pockets of the city, the spring market is showing renewed signs of life, much like the cherry blossoms currently drawing crowds to High Park. Not exactly spring fever – but certainly a noticeable thaw.

April marked the second consecutive month of year-over-year sales growth, while new listings declined and overall inventory tightened. Buyers, buoyed by improved borrowing conditions and prices that remain below this time last year, are slowly beginning to re-engage. Open houses have felt noticeably busier recently, particularly in neighbourhoods where…

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Heaps Estrin Market Update | April 2026

This is the time of year when the weather is as fickle as a Blue Jays win streak – sunshine one minute, flurries the next. And much like the return of baseball, the early innings of the spring market can feel a little unpredictable. But beneath that variability, a clearer story is beginning to take shape.

The latest TRREB data shows that sales across the GTA are up 1.7% year-over-year, while new listings are down a notable 16.7%. At the same time, prices remain below last year’s levels. In short, improved affordability is drawing buyers back into the market – and they’re starting to act.

On the ground, we’re seeing this play out in real time. Inventory that has been sitting on the market for prolonged periods is beginning to…

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Heaps Estrin Market Update | March 2026

March marks the moment we collectively spring forward – longer days, temperatures finally crawling out of the negatives, and traditionally, the start of the spring real estate market. This year, however, the market feels less like it’s sprinting out of the gate and more like it’s quietly gathering momentum, with buyers and sellers alike watching for the right moment to act.

According to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board’s February report, 3,868 home sales were recorded last month, down 6.3 per cent compared to February 2025. New listings declined even more sharply, falling 17.7 per cent year-over-year.

What stands out in these numbers is the relationship between supply and demand. While sales have slowed modestly, new listings have…

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