TORONTO - Monday, May 4, 2009

In April 2009, Greater Toronto REALTORS® reported 8,107 sales -down seven per cent from April 2008. While April sales remained lower than last year, the housing market gained momentum on a month-over-month basis. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of sales in April, at 80,900, was up 26per cent from March and up two-thirds compared to January's ten-year low."Conditions in the resale housing Market have improved markedly this Spring," according to TREB President Maureen O'Neill.

"Home purchases have increased as households have taken advantage of low interest rates and slightly lower home prices." The average price for April transactions was $385,641 - down three per cent from last year. "The rate of average price decline continued to diminish last month. This is due in large part to a tightening in the resale market," stated Jason Mercer, TREB's Senior Manager of Market Analysis. "The level of sales relative to new listings increased in April."

Seasonally adjusting TREB MLS® data removes recurring seasonal trends observed each year. For example, MLS sales are highest in late spring each year and lowest in winter months. Removing the recurring seasonality, allows for the analysis of a meaningful trend reflecting actual changes in market conditions.