Whether it was in search of more space or to be closer to loved ones, thousands of households have moved within and outside of the Greater Toronto Area throughout the pandemic.
Many more are expected to pack their lives into boxes and move this year — the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) predicts that the GTA will see 110,000 sales in 2022, down from 2021 levels but a strong year nonetheless.
As the market ramps up into the typically busy spring months, the effects of the pandemic — along with other economic and seasonal trends — continue to play a role in the moving industry. Property scarcity, higher interest rates and the ongoing migration to more affordable communities are keeping the Canadian housing market, and moving companies, busy.
“There are far more people that want to buy a house than there are houses available, and so that’s going to continue to drive the market. We are now entering a rising rate environment, but that isn’t deterring people from either looking to enter the market for the first time or changing locations or buying more space,” said Tonya Currie, CEO of MoveSnap, a full-service digital moving concierge platform that assists Canadians throughout the moving process nationwide.
“It is heating up this spring and we will see a significant amount of moves in the summer once again,” she told Livabl.
Markets and moving patterns are somewhat seasonal again
Pre-pandemic, Currie said that the Canadian housing market was far more seasonal, where activity was quieter in the winter months and more active during the summer. Enter COVID-19, and there was a high level of buying, selling and moving activity all of the time.
In spring 2022, however, Currie said that market patterns are starting to shift back to where they were before. In Toronto, TRREB recorded 10,955 sales in March, higher than February’s 9,097 transactions and January’s 5,636 sales, all of which were down compared to the same months in 2021.
“As we enter into spring 2022, what we are seeing is we are starting to enter back into that seasonal feel of the housing market, and we did see a drop in activity in January and February, lower than I think people anticipated,” said Currie. “It’s starting to normalize, if you will, and as we head into spring, it’s picking up again.”
With many people buying homes during the spring and closing a month or two later, the busiest times to move in Canada are between June and September, said Currie. This also coincides with the school calendar, when children are less likely to be disrupted by a move in the summer.
Aaron Parker, founder of GTA-based Parker’s Moving, anticipates that it will be “another very busy summer,” for the industry in 2022. In the past, moving companies were busiest in the spring and summer months, but Parker has noticed that the winter is now also slammed. The competition for housing is a major factor — buyers are no longer waiting for the optimal season to move as they aggressively bid for houses.
“No doubt, there is still a slight shift towards people wanting to move more in the spring, summer and fall, but I think that’s always been consistent,” said Parker. “What we’re noticing is that winter is really picking up because people are so desperate because inventory is so limited right now.”
Urban exodus fuels moving activity outside of GTA
The urban exodus movement — where homebuyers migrated from cities to more rural or suburban communities — was one of the defining trends of the pandemic and continues to influence the moving industry to this day.
According to Parker, about 10 per cent of the more than 600 moves his company has completed since March 2021 is an exodus from the city where clients have relocated to smaller communities within and around the GTA such as Guelph, Whitby, Kingston and Prince Edward County.
“So many people are leaving the city because they can now do work remotely [away from] their office and they get more space if they just leave the city,” he said.
From MoveSnap’s perspective, there are all kinds of motivations behind why people are moving farther away from Canadian cities. For one, people are seeking out more space for fewer dollars, whether they’ve expanded their family or are working from home permanently. Others want to live closer to friends and family, or have had a change in their income that has prompted them to move. The cost of housing and declining affordability in many cities has also enticed Canadians to move.
“We are still seeing our clients moving for affordability,” said Currie. “There is a fair amount of movement to unfamiliar, unknown areas. Before the pandemic, a lot of people would move within the same region. We are seeing people move outside of that familiar area and into unknown areas.”
For those who don’t plan on venturing out of the city, many people are opting to stay and renovate their home. Instead of spending money on vacations and other expenses, Parker said that clients who are working from home and looking for a change without the hassle of moving are renovating their space. This often requires the use of moving companies to transport furnishings and personal belongings to and from storage during home construction.
“What’s keeping us moving companies busy is a lot of these clients have to move out the entire contents of their house and put it in storage and then bring it back,” said Parker. “So there’s this whole other shift of moves that was not nearly as prevalent before the pandemic that we’re now seeing out of the blue because people are tired of looking at the same walls and furniture.”
Moving consumers feeling ‘cautiously optimistic’
As offices reopen and COVID-19 restrictions die down, consumers are generally feeling more comfortable with moving.
Currie said that MoveSnap has assisted 125,000 clients with moving places, from problem-solving to sourcing services. Now that we’re coming out the other side of COVID-19, Currie explains that consumers are “cautiously optimistic,” which is leading to a smoother moving experience.
“Generally speaking, as restrictions lift, people are feeling more confident and comfortable in the home buying process and getting back out there in the market,” said Currie.
For Parker, the pandemic hasn’t detracted much from the level of excitement or nervousness that people feel when they’re moving. Beyond asking the important questions about COVID-19 moving protocols, Parker finds that the pandemic “still didn’t factor that much into people’s biggest decisions with their new houses or accommodations.”
While everyone might be feeling positive about the easing of restrictions, unique challenges like labour shortages and supply chain disruptions remain, said Currie. Parker explains that finding good talent in any industry can be a challenge. Moving jobs in particular can be physically demanding. To combat this, Parker said that his company has worked to establish a team-like culture that fosters support and kindness, which helps to attract and retain quality talent.
“Our mantra here at Parker’s Moving is, ‘I treat our team like family so that they treat our clients like friends,’” he said. “[There] are for sure labour shortages, which we haven’t dealt with because we’ve figured out a way to fix it.”
Moving this spring or summer? Here’s what you should know
If you’re one of the many households that will be relocating to a new home in the coming months, Parker and Currie offer similar advice — start early and ask for help when you need it.
Currie said that fewer people are opting for DIY moving and are going for professional support over renting a van with friends. She points out that it’s important to reserve any services well in advance of your move during peak-season, as there’s only so many slots available. If you are on the hunt for professional movers, Parker recommends asking friends and family for referrals based on experience over Google searches. He suggests that consumers request their mover to do an on-site or virtual walk-through ahead of time for accuracy, but also to build rapport.
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“One of the main reasons we do that is not only for us to give them an accurate estimate so there’s no guesswork and there’s complete transparency, but it’s honestly so we become friends over the call,” said Parker, who does a 15-minute walk-through with clients.
Parker advises against bringing any items that you haven’t used in the last calendar year to your new place, so declutter, dispose or donate those belongings. If you don’t have much time to dedicate towards packing, using professional packers can help you to stay organized and put more time back in your day. If you have the availability to pack, Parker said it’s best to start early on and make progress every day.
“Staying organized is really important. Know when to ask for help. Moving can be overwhelming, and generally speaking, we’re all feeling a bit overwhelmed as a result of the pandemic,” said Currie. “People’s stress levels are really high, and so asking for help is really important and can change the outcome of your move.”
