491 residential homes were sold last month through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System of the Waterloo Region Association of REALTORS® (WRAR), a decrease of 39.7 per cent compared to October 2021 and 36.2 per cent below the previous 5-year average for the month.

Total residential sales in October included 310 detached (down 38.2 per cent from October 2021), and 84 townhouses (down 45.1 per cent). Sales also included 64 condominium units (down 36.0 per cent) and 31 semi-detached homes (down 47.5 per cent).

“Unsurprisingly, the pace of home sales continued to slow in October after the Bank of Canada’s sixth straight interest rate hike in September,” says Megan Bell, President of WRAR. “Faced with higher borrowing costs, some buyers have had to re-assess what they can afford. As these buyers get moved to the sidelines, sellers question if now is the best possible time to sell.”