An Ontario home sold at a devastating loss after multiple failed attempts to sell is the latest window into just how unpredictable prices tend to be in the province's real estate market. 

According to its listing, the two-bedroom, two-bathroom property, located near Niagara-on-the-Lake, provides views of the Toronto skyline and direct access to Lake Ontario. 

The detached home —  roughly a 30-minute drive from the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge  — also features an expansive patio with a fire pit area and a private pier. 

The lakefront property was first sold in March 2022 for $1.46 million, at a time when cheaper borrowing rates contributed to an uptick in demand and skyrocketing prices in the province's real estate market. 

Just one month later, the home was put back on the market for $1.59 million, but failed to attract any buyers. The property was re-listed at the same price point in August and November 2022 without any success. 

"NOTL nightmare"

Finally!

After nearly 2️⃣ years and 8️⃣ listings, 44 Firelane is sold for a whopping $500k loss. 👇🏽 https://t.co/kKSQBS44Rn pic.twitter.com/y9a104x0Nq

— Shazi (@ShaziGoalie) June 13, 2024

In January 2023, the home entered the market again at $1.55 million at a slight discount, but its price shot back up again when it was re-listed for the fifth time in April 2023 for $1.6 million. 

The home's price increase didn't stop there. In July 2023, it was relisted for a sixth time for a staggering $1.68 million. After failing to attract buyers once again, it slashed $400,000 off its price tag and was relisted for $1.28 million in January 2024. 

Even this heavy price reduction didn't get the home sold, and eventually, the property was listed for a seventh and final time, just under the $1 million mark in March 2024. 

Following two years of failed sales, the home finally got scooped up for $980,000 — exactly 480,000 less than it was originally sold for in 2022. 

It's important to note that the property was under a power of sale, which differs from a regular home sale. The clause is written into a mortgage note that authorizes the mortgagee to sell their property in the event of default to repay the mortgage debt. 

Under these circumstances, the lender forces a sale on the public and gets all the funds owed to them, while the current owner keeps any excess profit. In a foreclosure, the lender typically takes ownership and gets to keep all the profits from the sale. 

Despite a short-lived pick-up in market activity last spring, the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) says May home sales continued at low levels, with prospective buyers benefitting from more negotiating room on prices. 

The MLS Home Price Index Composite benchmark was down by 3.5 per cent on a year-over-year basis in May 2024. The average selling price of $1,165,691 was down by 2.5 per cent over the May 2023 result of $1,195,409.

"While interest rates remained high in May, home buyers did continue to benefit from slightly lower selling prices compared to last year," said TRREB Chief Market Analyst Jason Mercer.

"Affordability is expected to improve further as borrowing costs trend lower. However, as demand picks up, we will likely see renewed upward pressure on home prices as competition between buyers increases."