This week, the housing market waits for the results of the April 28 federal election. Plus, what retirees can learn from the Golden Girls of Port Perry, and one home worth a look.

The typical first-time homebuyer in Ontario is now close to five years older than they were just a decade ago, as eroding affordability forces buyers to delay their transition to ownership.

In 2014, the median age of a first-time homebuyer was 36, but within five years that had shot up to 38, writes Jason Kirby. By 2024, the median age rose yet again, to 40.

Home prices in Ontario skyrocketed during the pandemic. Even with many markets experiencing a correction over the past two years, the benchmark price for a home in the province is nearly double where it was a decade ago, while prices in some markets have jumped even higher.

Meanwhile, the Toronto market continues to fill up with available listings. Industry experts say another wave of homes for sale is going to surface by next month. As Carolyn Ireland writes, these experts believe that a batch of new listings will arrive once the dust has settled on the federal election, as sellers bet that buyers will be in a more decisive mood once one major source of uncertainty settles itself.

Mortgage shoppers who haven’t already locked in could be regretting it as fresh tariff confusion pushes bond yields and fixed mortgage rates higher. Mortgage shoppers enjoyed some of the lowest five-year fixed-rate options since 2022 – in the 3.7-per-cent range – during the early weeks of April, as investors piled into bonds after U.S. President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal tariff” bristol-board presentation. But a number of factors have soured investor faith in these typically haven investments and fixed rates are trending higher. Penelope Graham writes about the fresh crop of concerns bond investors have on their mind.

Rates shown are the lowest available for each term/type and category (insured versus uninsured) as of market close on Thursday April 24.

The City of Vancouver is asking residents to consider a dramatic change in the kind of development that will be allowed in the city’s Downtown Eastside, proposing towers of up to 32 storeys and loosening restrictions on the amount of market housing allowed. City planners are positioning their proposed changes as a way to provide more social housing and more “housing options” by encouraging new development in the area, writes Frances Bula. But the proposed changes to the historic area, home to thousands of low-income, mentally ill or drug-addicted residents, have prompted warnings that the new policy will lead to gentrification and make the neighbourhood unaffordable. Supporters say it could revitalize an area that has verged on squalor.

A growing group of seniors are redefining retirement living by shirking loneliness and moving into co-living spaces. Many are widowed, divorced or never married and looking for togetherness to save money, avoid isolation and have more control over how they live the last chapters of their lives. For some, moving in with their friends is more appealing than a seniors’ residence. Brenda Bouw speaks to the Golden Girls of Port Perry to learn more.