Ontario condo sold at staggering loss is just the latest case in worrying trend

A condo sold at a significant loss in Ontario last month demonstrates just how unpredictable prices tend to be in the province’s turbulent real estate market. 

Located in Oakville’s Glen Abbey neighbourhood, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit first sold for $657,000 in February 2022, at a time when cheaper borrowing rates contributed to heightened demand and sky-high home prices across Ontario. 

The unit’s intriguing sales history was shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday by @ShaziGoalie, who regularly shares interesting happenings in the province’s real estate market. 

According to its listing, the condo boasts an open-concept kitchen, a BBQ on the balcony, as well as access to a clubhouse gym and sauna. 

In May 2024, the home was put back on the market for $447,000 and eventually sold for $420,000 — exactly $237,000 less than it originally sold for just two years earlier. 

In another case last month, a three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment unit under condo ownershipin Brampton also sold at a $238,000 loss after nine failed attempts to sell. 

According to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), May continued to be a relatively uneventful month for many Canadian housing markets as the national month-over-month home sales edged slightly lower. 

“May was another sleepy month for housing activity in Canada, although it may prove to be the last of those now that interest rates have moved lower,” said Shaun Cathcart, CREA’s Senior Economist.

In some housing markets, slower activity meant prospective buyers had more wiggle room for negotiating lower prices. 

Home sales activity recorded over Canadian MLS Systems dipped 0.6 per cent between April and May 2024, remaining slightly below the average of the last 10 years.