Canadian new house prices remained unchanged on a national basis in May, for a third consecutive month.

New housing prices were flat or declined in 15 of the 27 census metropolitan areas (CMAs) surveyed in May. Recent mortgage rate hikes, along with tighter mortgage regulations, may have slowed the demand for new homes. The Bank of Canada reported that the rate for a conventional mortgage on a five-year term increased from 5.14% to 5.34% in May.

Toronto new home prices were unchanged in May, following four consecutive months of declines. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reported that, year to date, housing starts in Toronto were down 36.2% in May compared with the same period in 2017, reflecting a slower pace of construction for row, single and semi-detached new houses