Toronto Starts Fall Short of Target | Watch Today’s Real Estate Updates & Tips

Toronto’s housing starts have dipped 10% compared to last year—a reminder of how construction activity can ebb and flow, especially in our city’s larger urban market. As a real estate agent who’s worked across Markham and the GTA for nearly two decades, I keep a close eye on these shifts. Right now, Toronto is tracking 37 building permits linked to 6,600 condo apartment units that haven’t yet broken ground. While some projects are on pause, it’s important to remember that pre-sales for these condos likely happened months ago, before the recent slowdown in sales activity. Housing-start data always lags behind what we see on the ground because these developments move through several phases—planning, pre-sales, permits—long before construction crews arrive. In other words, today’s numbers may actually understate the activity we’ll see in coming months as these permitted condos work their way through the pipeline. For buyers, sellers, and investors, understanding this timeline is key to making informed decisions in our evolving market.