TORONTO, October 3, 2014 – Toronto Real Estate Board President Paul Etherington announced that there were 8,051 transactions reported through the TorontoMLS system in September 2014. This result represented a 10.9 per cent increase compared to September 2013. On a year-to-date basis through the first three quarters of the year, sales were up by 6.9 per cent annually to 73,465. "Despite a persistent shortage of listings in some market segments, we have experienced strong growth in sales though the first nine months of 2014. This is evidence that GTA households remain upbeat about purchasing a home. The majority of home buyers purchase a home using a mortgage. The share of the average household's income dedicated to their mortgage payment remains affordable, which is why buyer interest has remained solid," said Mr. Etherington. The average selling price for September 2014 transactions was $573,676 – up by 7.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2013. Average