Buying a home in the GTA requires a six-figure income

A study by TheRedPin shows few places are within reach for households earning less than $100,000 a year.

TheStar.com
Aug. 12, 2016
By Tess Kalinowski

It takes a six-figure household income to afford a home in the Greater Toronto Area. The exceptions are a couple of pockets of Durham where, if you’re earning a little less than $100,000 a year, you can still find a starter nest.

A study being published Friday by real estate brokerage TheRedpin shows that the average required to buy a home, anything from a condo apartment to a detached house, is $124,153, including the income needed for property taxes and utilities.

If your household income is $76,057, you can still get a rung on the property ladder but you’re probably looking at a neighbourhood like Brock near Lake Simcoe. It’s at least 90 minutes from Toronto but it had the lowest selling price in the region the first half of the year, averaging $373,269.

It’s easy to see why first-time buyers in particular fear being priced out of the market, said Tarik Gidamy, TheRedPin’s broker of record.

“Not many people have the chance, especially gen Y and the newer generation, to amass a deposit that would qualify for today’s average home price,” he said.

TheRedpin study averaged home prices based on the Toronto Real Estate Board statistics and factored in utility costs and taxes. The average selling prices include every type of home — detached, semis, townhomes and condos.

The study assumed an average 20-per-cent down payment, an interest rate of 2.49 per cent and a 25-year amortization. Property taxes were calculated on a per-municipality basis.

The study found that purchasers eyeing detached houses, semis or townhomes need 17 per cent more income to buy this year than they did last year as area home prices continue to climb faster than most people’s earnings.

Apartment condo purchasers needed an additional 6 per cent.

The highest average home prices were in York Region, where King Township homes averaged $1.208 million between January and July, and in Richmond Hill, which showed a $1.066-million average price in the same period.

“The average Canadian who has an average job is getting driven out of those markets completely,” said Gidamy, who added the area is especially attractive to foreign and move-up buyers, who have equity from a previous home and some additional income.

You need a household income of about $180,000 to buy a house in Richmond Hill, according to TheRedPin. Many people consider the purchase in terms of a monthly payment. The average monthly mortgage payment on a Richmond Hill home would be $3,818.

“You can find a detached home, but most are over $1 million They’re going for $1.5 million and higher and $1.8 million is about the average,” said agent Ali Mosadeq, a Richmond Hill native who specializes in that market.

Buyers, who want a three-car garage will likely have to spend over $2 million. Custom homes are selling for $4.5 million and some are approaching $5 million, he said.

Great schools and the prospect of a subway extension up Yonge St. are helping attract buyers willing to pay those prices, said Mosadeq.

Although there are new condos going up along Yonge St., Mosadeq said, “Richmond Hill is still a freehold community,” meaning that most buyers target detached and semi-detached homes.

That won’t change until the town gets a subway, which would attract more young workers looking for a quick commute downtown or local office jobs, he said.

At the other end of the market, buyers with less than $100,000 in annual income can still afford real estate in Durham Region, including Oshawa and Clarington.

First-time buyers in particular are increasingly attracted to Oshawa, which had a slightly higher average home price of $427,790 through the first part of the year, agent Eva Allaire said.

The gritty city used to be considered too far from Toronto, but the trend toward multiple offers that afflicts buyers throughout the region has also become a normal part of the Oshawa real estate scene, Allaire said.

She cited a client of hers who, earlier this year, was outbid on five homes because they had a budget. They eventually got a place that was listed for about $350,000, but they paid about $30,000 over the asking price.

“If (sellers) don’t hold off on offers, houses can sell in two, three hours,” said Allaire.

“Sometimes I’m on my way to a showing and on the way there I get a call cancelling because the house sold,” she said.

Income needed to buy in the GTA

King: Average price $1,208,094; household income required $205,525

Richmond Hill: Average price $1,066,569; income required $179,551

Oakville: Average price $995,666; income required $168,871

Markham: Average price $960,118; income required $161,662

Aurora: Average price $941,068; income required $162,741

Vaughan: Average price $921,714; income required $156,731

Whitchurch-Stouffville: Average price $920,463; income required $157,688

Caledon: Average price $768,988; income required $136,641

Newmarket: Average price $761,080; income required $134,605

East Gwillimbury: Average price $753,054; income required $132,365

Toronto: Average price $736,932; income required $124,126

Uxbridge: Average price $729,755; income required $134,712

Burlington: Average price $678,401; income required $118,893

Milton: Average price $629,536; income required $108,246

Mississauga: Average price $620,606; income required $109,560

Pickering: Average price $599,267; income required $113,595

Whitby: Average price $574,506; income required $109,671

Brampton: Average price $570,380; income required $105,743

Ajax: Average price $568,342; income required $108,207

Clarington: Average price $459,464; income required $90,141

Oshawa: Average price $427,790; income required $87,801

Brock: Average price $373,269; income required $76,057

Source: TheRedPin