Led by Toronto, home price gains blow past expectations

New home prices in Canada blew past expectations in October, led by gains in Toronto’s booming housing market, according to a Reuters report.

Economists had predicted a slight month-over-month gain of 0.1% nationwide, according to Reuters. However, Canadian new home prices rose 0.3% in October. The Toronto and Oshawa region led the increase. In that region, prices were up 0.5%, with builders citing market conditions and higher land costs as prime movers in the increase.

On an annual basis, prices were up 1.5% nationally in October – the largest year-over-year increase since December of 2014, according to Reuters. The Toronto and Oshawa market saw an annual gain of 4% – the largest since January of 2013.

The continued rise of home prices in Canada has led some analysts to worry that Canadians may be taking on more debt than they can handle, Reuters reported.