Edmonton Real Estate Blog

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Serge Bourgoin
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Team Leading Edge
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Edmonton Real Estate weekly update for May 19-25.

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To view and search all MLS listed homes in Edmonton and surrounding area, visit us at www.EdmontonHomesForSale.biz

According to the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton the average price of a single family home (SFD) in the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)1 in April has dropped slightly from the high in March, even with the sale of 13 homes over a million dollars.

In April, the average SFD price was down more than $5,000 to $427,685; a decrease of 1.5% from March but up 5.9% from the same month a year ago. The all-residential average price was $365,045; up 0.4% from March and up 4.5% from a year ago. The higher SFD prices this year have put pressure on affordability and increased demand at the lower price end of the market. The average price for a condominium rose 1.1% from March to $251,300 (up 2.8% Y/Y).

There were 1,983 adjusted all-residential sales (1,836 reported) in April 2014 compared to 1,689 sales in March. Listings also rose in all categories to fill the demand which is common for this time of year. There were 2,977 residential properties listed in April compared to 2,548 last month; an increase of 16.8%. The overall sales-to-listing ratio in April was 62% compared to 60% last year and average days-on-market was 42. End-of-month residential inventory was 4,910, up 11.3% from March.

“The Edmonton CMA is experiencing the highest job and population growth in Canada and that should continue for the foreseeable future,” said President Greg Steele. “Edmonton is a diverse city and housing options exist in all price ranges but competition at the lower-priced end of the market is increasing. Entry level buyers may have to be a little more patient or scale back their expectations to find the home they can afford.”

The most active region of Edmonton is North Central north of Yellowhead Trail between 66 Street and 142 Street where there were 167 sales in April;  an increase of 0.6% over March and 23.7% over last year. Fully 20% of all SFD sales were in North Central in April. Areas in the Southeast, Southwest, and South of the Anthony Henday each had sales of about 140 SFD properties in April. The only region of the city to see a decrease in the number of sales year-over-year was the Southeast (Millwoods).

The highest priced homes were located, as usual, in the Southwest region but they saw an 8.7% drop in April compared to March. Homes in the West and Anthony Henday regions also saw price drops month-over-month. Homes in the North, Central, and Southeast were all sold on average below the city–wide average while homes in the West and southern regions (except Southeast) were priced $50,000 or more above average. (Next month we will feature outlying communities.)

“New housing is being built all around Edmonton but the biggest region of new home construction is south of the Anthony Henday,” said President Greg Steele. “Because this housing is often sold directly by the builders and not listed on the MLS® System, our figures do not include many of these sales. Buyers should ask their REALTOR® to show them new home options in these areas as well.”

Source: Realtors Association of Edmonton

Edmonton, April 2, 2014: The REALTORS® Association of Edmonton reports that the housing market in the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)1 is poised for a very active spring sales period. Sales of all types of residential properties in the first quarter in the Edmonton CMA were up 5.8% as compared to the same period in 2013. Single family detached (SFD) sales were up 5.1% while condo sales rose a staggering 11.0% in the first quarter.

“We expect that sales will increase from month-to-month as we approach the second quarter,” said President Greg Steele. “But this year-over-year increase is an indicator of the high demand for housing in this market. Price rises will follow the demand and we can expect active competition for desirable properties.”

There were 3,679 all-residential sales from January to March 2014 compared to 3,478 sales in 2013. SFD sales rose from 2,099 to 2,206 while condo sales in the first quarter jumped from 996 to 1,106. Listings also rose to fill the demand. There were 6,324 residential properties listed so far this year compared to 6,086 last year; an increase of 3.9%. Listings of SFDs rose 5.5% Y/Y while condo listings dipped by half of one percent. The overall sales-to-listing ratio in the first quarter was 58% compared to 57% last year.

Despite the increase in Y/Y listings the available inventory at the end of March was down 6.9% at 4,413 residential properties as compared to March 2013. The turn-around time on sales reflected the busy marketplace with average days-on-market in March at 44 days; down from 51 in March 2013.

“Strong sales indicate consumer confidence in the Edmonton marketplace,” said Steele. “The high condo sales and low condo listings indicate the demand for lower priced properties and first time buyers are choosing condos as an option to lower-priced SFDs which are in high demand and short supply.” He pointed out that REALTOR® figures do not include the sale of many new homes and condos which are sold directly by builders and not through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®).

Overall, month-over-month average sale prices were stable. The all-residential price moved down less than half of one percent from $363,281 to $361,870. SFD average prices were also down fractionally from $433,205 to $432,458 and condos saw price increases of 3.6% from $238,376 to $247,005 on average. Duplex/row house prices were down from $338,024 in February to $331,038 in March.

REALTORS® have two days to report the sale of a property and end-of-month sales figures may not include sales in the month which were not yet reported. As a result the sales figures are adjusted to account for the late reported sales. There were 1,678 adjusted sales (1,554 reported) of residential properties in March compared to 1,224 (actual) sales in February. This is an increase in activity of 37%. Single family sales are adjusted to 990 (917 reported) and adjusted condo sales were 512 (474 reported).

Total residential sales volume for the first quarter of 2014 is $1,322,289,827. Total sales through the MLS® (including rural and commercials sales) were $1.7 billion so far this year compared to $1.6 billion in 2013.

Source: Realtors Association of Edmonton

If you are THINKING about buying a home or rental property… NOW is the time. I don’t need a crystal ball to know what’s brewing. Just take a look around and read the news articles.  If you don’t trust the columists/reporters just visit the Alberta Treasury Board and Finance website. A heading for their article is “ Alberta’s economy enters 2014 firing on all cylinder.” What does this all boil down to? Well, the components to create a perfect storm are aligning and the end result will be a new boom in Alberta!  Here are the components we are experiencing:

1)      The dollar is devalued… This means oil is produced in Alberta and paid with Canadian dollars. When sold in the higher U.S. dollars, this is a hike in profit for the oil producers.

2)      Job growth and full employment. Developers out east are viewing Alberta as favorable place to set up shop. We have projects that are delayed simply due to lack of qualified workers. So, not only will Alberta attract people from outside of province, but also out of country.

3)      Net migration into Alberta last year is 43,000 according to Robert Kalcic, Senior Economist with BMO Capital Market. This year that number will big higher.

4)      Low volume of homes sales. Many, we see now have multiple offers.

5)      Close to all time historic low interests

So, let’s add all of that up: low volume of homes, high demand = higher prices or higher rents…The Perfect Storm. So, if you missed the boat, or were too young during the last boom you may want to act now. Dorothy, hold onto your slippers we’re in for a ride!

Give me a call to discuss your financing options. Chita Rattanarasy. 780.932.2225.