Jesta Group plans to invest $500 million in bulk purchases of unsold Toronto condominium inventory, targeting more than 1,000 units over the next 12 months, the company announced Tuesday.

The family-owned global real estate firm entered the Toronto residential market with the acquisition of a $30-million bulk condominium portfolio in downtown Toronto. The deal is among the first large-scale bulk condo inventory acquisitions of its kind in the city, according Jesta.

The acquired portfolio is located near Toronto Metropolitan University and within walking distance of transit, shopping and recreation in one of downtown Toronto’s established urban corridors.

Jesta said it is actively pursuing additional bulk acquisitions of existing developer condominium inventory in high-quality downtown Toronto locations. The company is partnering with select family offices and institutional investors as it expands the strategy.

The move comes as many condo developers across Canada are grappling with expenses tied to slow presales. In several cases, would-be buyers have backed out of presale contracts, forfeiting deposits worth thousands of dollars in each instance.

The transaction was brokered by Jeff Lever, a Cushman & Wakefield executive vice-president.

“Toronto’s fundamentals remain strong and the current market environment has created a unique window to deploy capital at scale,” said Anthony O’Brien, senior managing director at Montreal-based Jesta. “We are aggressively pursuing opportunities that fit this investment ethos and encourage developers with qualifying inventory to reach out directly.”

Lever said the move signals the beginning of increased activity in the sector.

“Jesta Group is moving early and decisively in what we expect to become a significantly more active segment of the Toronto market,” Lever said. “Jesta’s $500-million commitment signals serious and sustained capital deployment in this city.”

Jesta said its 12-month acquisition pipeline represents one of the largest single-firm bulk-residential acquisition commitments seen in the Toronto market.

Vancouver-based Goodman Commercial recently launched a new bulk-condo brokerage service in anticipation that such deals will rise in the future.

Pictured: Downtown Toronto

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