Big Money Coming for Toronto Condos

💰 Investment Group Bets Big on Toronto

Source: Business Wire

The 411: Jesta Group is making a major bet on Toronto condos with a $500 million plan to scoop up more than 1,000 units over the next year.

• Jesta Group entered Toronto’s residential market with a $30 million bulk condo acquisition downtown.

• The firm plans to deploy $500 million over 12 months targeting large-scale condo inventory purchases.

• The strategy focuses on unsold developer inventory in high-quality downtown locations.

• The first acquisition sits near Toronto Metropolitan University, transit, shopping and recreation.

• Jesta says the current market created a “unique window” to buy at scale as condo demand slows.

• Cushman & Wakefield says the strategy could become a much bigger trend across the city.

Why This Matters: Toronto’s shaky condo market is creating the kind of discount window institutional investors love. When big money is buying while retail buyers are nervous, it usually means they see long-term value hiding under the short-term mess.

🏠 Millennials Stuck at Home

Source: Better Dwelling

The 411: Nearly 1 in 6 Canadian Millennials aged 25 to 39 still lived with their parents in 2021, double the 8.2% share of Boomers at the same age.

• Toronto wins the bleak trophy. About 26.1% of Millennials aged 25 to 39 lived at home, up from 11.3% for Boomers.

• For younger Millennials aged 25 to 29, the numbers get spicy. Nationally, 31.1% lived with parents, while Toronto hit a brutal 48.6%.

• Vancouver was not far behind, with 36.9% of Millennials under 30 living at home, up from 16% for Boomers.

• The “just move somewhere cheaper” advice is looking dusty. Winnipeg, Calgary, Montréal and Halifax all saw more young adults stuck at home too.

• This is not just delayed homeownership. It is delayed household formation, which means fewer renters, fewer buyers and fewer young Canadians starting independent lives.

• The housing industry may call this pent-up demand. A growing share of young adults cannot even get to the starting line.

Why This Matters: This is not just a “kids these days” story. It shows Canada’s housing crisis is delaying adulthood, not just homeownership. When nearly half of Toronto Millennials under 30 live with parents, that means fewer new renters, fewer first-time buyers and more pressure building on future demand.

💳 Condos Get Klarna’d

Source: Storeys

The 411: A Hamilton condo project is offering buyers a “buy now, pay later” style down payment plan as affordability pressures keep traditional buyers sidelined.

• The Rebecca Residences in downtown Hamilton is offering condo units starting in the $300Ks with weekly payment plans instead of large upfront deposits.

• Buyers can pay as little as $250 per week over 48 months for a one-bedroom unit.

• One-bedroom-plus-den units start in the $400Ks at $300 weekly, while two-bedrooms in the $500Ks require $350 weekly.

• The project comes from Rosehaven Homes and will bring 393 units to downtown Hamilton by 2029.

• Developers are clearly getting more creative as preconstruction sales continue to stall across the GTA.

• The project also benefits from Ontario’s temporary HST rebate, cutting up to $40,000 off select units.

Why This Matters: This is what a slow condo market looks like. When buyers cannot afford traditional deposits, developers start restructuring the payment model instead of lowering prices outright.

🛍️ RioCan Cashes Out Apartments

Source: Real Estate Magazine

The 411: RioCan is selling off hundreds of millions in apartment assets, including part of Toronto’s FourFifty The Well, as it retreats back to its retail roots.

• RioCan is divesting $379 million worth of multifamily properties from its RioCan Living portfolio.

• The biggest piece is its 50% stake in FourFifty The Well, the 46-storey rental tower at Toronto’s massive Well development.

• The tower includes 592 apartments and was completed in 2024.

• RioCan is also selling Bellevue apartment buildings in Montréal and exiting future phases of the project.

• The REIT says the sales are part of its strategy to refocus on retail properties instead of apartments.

• RioCan has already completed or lined up $1.04 billion in residential asset sales, hitting roughly 80% of its divestment target.

• Meanwhile, the REIT is doubling down on shopping centres, recently increasing ownership stakes in Oakville Place and Georgian Mall.

• Retail occupancy sits at 98.4%, and new retail leases are signing at rents nearly 59% higher than previous deals.

Why This Matters: One of Canada’s biggest REITs is quietly rotating away from multifamily housing even as the country talks nonstop about rental shortages. That is a notable signal about where institutional investors currently see stronger returns and lower headaches.

💸 Canada’s Wealth Gap Grows

Source: Financial Post

The 411: Canadian household wealth hit a record high in 2025, but most of the gains went to wealthier households with financial assets.

• Canadian household wealth hit a record $18.59 trillion in 2025, with the average household now worth $1.08 million, up 5.3% year over year.

• The catch: Canada’s “millionaire household” stat is doing some heavy lifting. The top 20% now hold nearly two-thirds of all wealth, averaging $3.5 million each.

• Meanwhile, the bottom 40% own just 3% of total wealth, with average net worth sitting at $81,650.

• Real estate stopped carrying the team. Average real estate assets slipped 0.7% in 2025 as the national home price index fell 4%.

• Stocks saved the spreadsheet. The S&P/TSX jumped 32% in 2025, helping financial assets offset the housing slowdown.

Why This Matters: Wealthier households were less exposed to rising interest rates because more of their money sits in stocks and investments, not just real estate. While home prices softened, the TSX jumped 32%, giving higher-income households another way to grow wealth while more leveraged homeowners felt the squeeze.

🤔 WTF of the Week:

Toronto basically approved a second downtown in the middle of North York.

Over 80,000 homes are planned across the Downsview corridor, turning former airport and low-rise lands into one of the largest redevelopment zones in Canada.

Grey = Existing Blue = Under Construction Red = Proposed or Approved

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