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Montreal was one of Canada’s hottest real estate markets last year as low unemployment and economic growth translated into the area’s best sales growth in a decade.

Total sales in the Greater Montreal Area increased eight per cent to 44,448 on the strength of condominium sales and good overall activity on the Island of Montreal.

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Sales growth exceeded 20 per cent in five of the city’s most popular boroughs.

That compared with sales decreases of 18 per cent in the Greater Toronto Area and 10 per cent in Greater Vancouver.

Unlike Toronto and Vancouver, Montreal doesn’t have a foreign buyers tax.

More than 14,000 condos changed hands across the Island of Montreal and nearby communities during the year, marking a 17 per cent increase from 2016.

“It’s on fire,” said Paul Cardinal, manager market analysis for the Quebec Federation of Real Estate Boards.

The overall sales growth far exceeded his expectations. He said the last time growth in Montreal sales outpaced Toronto and Vancouver was in 1998.