Edmonton Real Estate Blog

If you are thinking of buying a home better buy now before prices go up even further.

The spring marketplace has been very strong in Edmonton. Currently there are 2,910 single family homes listed for sale in Edmontonproper*. That is a healthy inventory level for this time of the year.

However in the past 30 days there have been 863 single family homes sold in Edmonton proper. This is also a healthy number of sales for this period of time*.

With these listings and sales that would give us a listing to sales ration of 3.37:1, this is below the 4:1 that we need in Edmonton for a neutral market. This is an indicator that there is upward pressure on valuations  and I would anticipate house prices to be rising for the next period of time.

We also know that the 5 year mortgage rates are going up on Friday. Waiting to buy will cost you more money than you will be able to savefor additional down payment. Call me today to start your search for a new homeat 780-995-6520 or visit www.edmontonhomesforsale.biz to search all Edmonton and area MLS listed homes.

*based on listings and sales as of April 26, 2012

It is amazing what can happen in just a few weeks. We have had a complete turnaround in the real estate market here in Edmonton. Just a few short weeks ago we were in a buyer’s market and now we are in a seller’s market.

As of today April 04^th there are 2,673 actives single family homes for sale in Edmonton proper. That is a healthy level but I expect it to rise as we get deeper into this spring marketplace.

In the last 30 days there has been 849 single family homes sold in Edmonton proper. This would give us a listing to sales ration of 3.14:1 much lower than the 4:1 that we need here in Edmonton for a balanced market.

With this low of a ratio I will be expecting home valuations to start rising. If you have been thinking about buying you should do it now before valuations and interest rates rise any further.

To get pre-approved for a mortgage visit www.edmontonmortgagesource.com

Lenders and policy makers are currently in discussions to change the mortgage rules again!! They are currently debating reducing the maximum amortization period back down to 25 years. This will make mortgage payments higher and will reduce the overall amount of a mortgage you will be able to qualify for.

They are also having discussions about increasing the amount of down payment required to buy.

Both of these will have a huge impact on your ability to buy, and how much you will be paying monthly. If you are thinking of buying you should consider buying right now before these changes come into being.

Search all MLS listed homes on our website www.edmontonhomesforsale.biz or call me today 780-995-6520

This has been one of the most strangest years that I can remember since I started real estate back in 1985. I say strange because it was the busiest January and February that I can ever remember having but by looking at the sales statistics it would appear not everyone was having the same success.

As of today March 03, 2012 there are 2,318 single family homes listed in Edmonton proper on the Multiple Listing System.  That is a reasonable listing level.

In the previous 30 days there were 604 single family homes sold in Edmonton proper through the Multiple Listing System. That is a significant increase over last months sales level.

This would give us a listings to sales ratio of 3.84:1 which is below the 4:1 we need in Edmonton for a neutral or balance market. This tells me that we are starting to see some increased pressure for valuations to start to rise.

If you are a buyer you better buy now before prices go up and interest rates go up. Call me today to help you find your dream home now. Serge 780 – 995 – 6520

Whether you are thinking about buying or selling it always pays to have the best working for you.

Just got exciting news. I ranked #4 for office production in the month of January. Thinking of buying or selling a home in Edmonton call me today to ensure you get representation from a professional. Call me today 780-995-6520

Congratulations to my client Robyn for getting an accepted offer on his home in only 3 days. It is now sold, but we still have other buyers looking for homes. If you have been thinking of selling call me. Serge 780-995-6520

I just finished reading the press release from the Realtors Assc. Of Edmonton and I was very surprised at their statistics. They are indicating that it is still a rather slow market in Edmonton which was opposite to what I had been experiencing. The month of January was one of my busiest January’s that I can remember since starting real estate in 1985.

But let us look at what an analysis of the market really tells us. As of today February 03, 2012 there are 2003 single family homes listed in Edmonton proper. I found that to be a relatively low number.

However when I take a look at the number of sales in the previous 30 days there were only
440 homes sold. That is a number much lower than I had anticipated based on the number of homes that I personally have sold.

This would give us a listing to sales ration of 4.55:1. With a ratio that high it would indicate that there is still downward pressure on valuations and still a buyer’s market which is supported by the press release from the Realtor’s Assc. Of Edmonton.

However I think this will be short live and we will shortly see the pendulum swing the
other way back into a seller’s market soon. So if you are thinking of buying better buy soon before valuations start to rise again.

Edmonton, January 4, 2012: The REALTORS® Association of Edmonton reported that the all-residential average price for real estate sales through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in December was
up 1.7% ($316,415) from a year ago. The average price of a single family detached home was also up 2.0% to $364,803 from December 2010. Relative to last December housing prices were up overall as well. As typical for December whensales usually fall off, month over month sales were down 27% and prices dipped 1.5% as compared to the November figures.

“With economic uncertainty impacting Europe and depressed housing markets in parts of the United States, it is a relief to report on the stability and health of the local real estate market,” said REALTORS® Association of Edmonton President (2011) Chris Mooney. “With prices and sales varying within a small
range there is a solid base going forward into the 2012 market.”

In November the average price of a single family detached home was $364,924and dipped just 0.3% in December. A year ago the average price was $357,636. That stability was reflected in condo pricing as well. In November the average price of a condo was $228,689 and the December price of $227,679 was down just 0.4%. A year ago the average condo price was $225,641. Duplex and rowhouse properties sold on average for $282,620, a 9.7% drop from a year ago.

The average residential price (including all SFD, condo, duplex, townhouse properties sold in the Greater Edmonton Area) was $316,415: down from November by 1.5%. There were 1,085 properties listed and 827 sold in December. There were 1,088 listings and 829 sales in December 2010. With slower sales the
Days-on-market was 65 and the sales-to-listing ratio was a high for the year of 76.2%.

Looking back over the year, Mooney was content. “Last January, I forecast a 3% increase in single family prices and no movement in condo prices when comparing December to December. We ended up with a change of about half that overall and condo prices up. Homeowners generally saw an equity increase in the value of their homes in 2011.”

The all-residential average price for the entire year was $325,457 as compared to $329,019 in 2010. There were 10,962 SFD sales (up 5.5%) in 2011 and 4,638 (down 0.4%) condo sales. Total residential sales were 16,893 units (up 3.8%) on listings of 30,906 units (down 2.0%).

Total MLS® sales (including residential, rural, recreational and commercial properties) were valued at $6.29 billion and represented 39,350 listings and 18,986 sales transactions. “REALTORS® were involved in almost 60,000 real estate transactions in 2011 and advised on thousands more that never
materialized. There were tens of thousands of business people, families and individuals who met with one of our 3,200 REALTOR® members this year, and I am proud of their service to the community and the local economy,” said Mooney.

REALTORS® also provided funding of $300,000 to 44 community groups this year through the REALTORS® Community Foundation and supported arts, heritage and community events through marketing and individual contributions. The REALTORS® Association of Edmonton printed over 2.5 million copies of the Real Estate Weekly in 51 issues and 1,061 members participated in professional development courses including 225 new members and 20 new broker/managers.