Sales of new single-family homes in the GTA ticked up in June, thanks in large part to the enhanced HST rebate program announced by the provincial and federal government last spring. But new condo sales in the region remain “well off the 10-year average,” according to a new report by the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD). The GTA saw 1,175 new homes sales in June, which included 902 single-family homes and 273 condos. The report noted that while sales in the single-family home segment were up more than two times from last year’s record low, condo sales merely “limped higher” from last year, remaining well below the 10-year average of 1,792. “New home buyers across Ontario are responding positively to the enhanced HST rebate program as new home sales rose 130 per cent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2026,” the report read. According to the report, the second quarter of 2026 saw 8,410 new home sales in the province, up from 3,645 sales during the same period last year. “The driving force behind this increase has been the announcement of the provincial-federal enhanced HST rebate program, which began on April 1 and took full effect in late June,” the report added. Ontario and the federal government announced in March that the HST rebate would be temporarily expanded for new homes in the province for one year, allowing all buyers a rebate of up to $130,000. “It is incredibly positive to know that 4,765 families across Ontario were able to purchase new homes as a result of the enhanced HST rebate program,” Justin Sherwood, Chief Operating Officer of BILD, said in a news release. “The historic buying opportunity that the HST rebate program presents cannot be understated. As a result of the additional new home sales in the second quarter of 2026, it is estimated that in the first three months of the program 17,300 jobs in the construction industry were protected, around $2.8 billion in GDP was preserved and approximately $1.4 billion in gross government revenues was maintained.” Scott Andison, Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Home Builders Association, noted that the June numbers do not yet reflect the impact of the Development Charge Reduction Program, which is anticipated to alleviate additional cost pressures for builders. “We are likely to see a further economic boost as home builders get more shovels in the ground and the cost to build becomes more affordable,” Andison said in the release.
