RE/MAX Edmonton Real Estate News

The Edmonton Real Estate Board has released their sales statistics for May, and while not totally unpredictable, they shows an interesting mix of trends. Though previous months coming into spring have all been strongly affected by inventory, this major factor has started to stabilize in the face of rising list prices.

Though the city currently has nearly 30% more residential properties listed, the market has begun to show signs of plateauing in this trend– which showed a 2% decrease in new listings this May compared to the same time last year.  Now, well into June, this slight decline is expected to continue into the later summer months.

Days on market is a key factor in this slowing trend. With previously skyrocketing inventory, sales were forced to slow, causing an even greater surplus. Now with a saturated market, economy dictated that inventory would eventually begin decreasing.

“As expected, the average days on market is up four days year-over-year and one day over last month at 45. We can expect this number to continue to grow due to slower sales and higher inventory.” describes REALTORS® Association of Edmonton President Geneva Tetrault.

The EREB latest market report details that the May average for days on market was 43 for single family homes, 49 for condominiums, and 45 for row and duplex housing.

However, historically summer is generally the busiest time for real estate, and sales trends are starting to reflect the seasonal change coming into June. May 2015 reported 1,784 residential sales, showing a 12% increase from April 2015. Due to market inventory, year over year trends are still showing decreases in reported sales from the same time last year. Overall residential sales are down 10% when compared with May of  2014, with the exception of duplex and row housing which has increased 4% – likely influenced by Edmonton’s booming infill initiative. Tetrault comments,

“Last month we were down 13% year-over-year in all residential sales. This month we are down less than 10%. We expect this trend of increased sales to continue as confidence in the stability of the market grows.”

Tetrault goes on to explain current sales figures,

“We are still seeing multiple offers in popular price brackets. The fact that we haven’t seen a decline in prices is giving buyers more assurance. They are venturing back into the market with the feeling that prices won’t plummet any time soon.”

Sale prices showed a steady incline well into May, with the overall residential average at $381,111, a 2% increase from the same time last year. Single family dwellings showed a 3% increase whilst condominiums were up 2% year over year. Conversely to inventory sales figures, duplex and row housing showed a slight decline in pricing, down around 2% from May 2014

Tetrault concludes,

“People are continuing to take advantage of low interest rates and a greater selection in the marketplace. We are moving into our busiest season for real estate. Your local REALTOR® can help you find what you are looking for in the neighbourhood that best suits your needs.”

If you are interested in buying or selling an Edmonton property, CLICK HERE to connect with an experienced agent.

It is a common expectation for real estate sales to boom in the spring and summer and to then see buyers and sellers retreat for the autumn and winter months. Though certain years have proven to this to be occasionally true, September sales figures show the Edmonton region remaining very strong as it enters the fall season. According to REALTORS® Association of Edmonton president Greg Steele:

“There is a false idea out there that people only buy houses in the spring and summer. People buy and sell their houses when the time is right for them. Consulting with your local REALTOR® is the best way to see if the time is right for you.”

Expectations should remain high as we move towards the winter sales season. There is no reason to believe the economy within the industry will weaken anytime soon, based on recent statistics provided by the EREB. Averages appear to have remained the same, or even increased in some circumstances. Days on market have remained stable (at 49 days on average) carrying over from August to September, while prices, listings, and sales are all up when compared with September of last year.

For pricing details, click the following sales chart to expand:

Changes in the price of various residence styles showed negligible differences, with single family dwellings dropping a mere 0.4%, while duplex and row houses increased 0.3%. Sales of single family dwellings increased from August to September showing almost a 5% increase in total number sold.

Out of 2291 residences listed over the month, 1568 of those were reported sold. Steele commented that “we normally see a decrease in sales and average price when fall arrives. The strong market we saw in August continued on into September with surprisingly little to no changes in prices.”

Into our fall season interested buyers are continuing to snap up houses as quickly as they are listed while sellers continue to list their homes in record numbers. Click Here to view recent listings in your neighbourhood, or find an agent to help sell your home this October. 

There’s a chill in the air in Edmonton, and it may be safe to say summer is over. On that (slightly sour) note let’s take a look at residential real estate sales over the summer months in Edmonton.

Fresh from all-time highs in spring, prices dipped a little over the summer months beginning in mid to late June, providing some relief to potential home buyers. Single-Family dwellings saw a slight decrease in average price, with July costs around $426,716. That shows just a  2% drop from June sales, with total residential sales showing an average price drop of around 2.6%.

Total Sales Statistics-Residential.

Interestingly, the changes in Condominum prices were quite negligible differences, seemingly unaffected by market influences.

Condominium Sales Statistics

Though prices are showing a temporary lull, there is still an overall trend of increased sales figures. REALTORS® Association President Greg Steele weighs in on the changes:

“Like the shortening summer days and the appearance of fall fashions, real estate prices begin to soften at this time of year. Despite the seasonal slide, prices in the Edmonton area are still up when compared to the same month last year. The local market continues to be very active and REALTORS® report having a busy month.”  

 

Single-Family Dwelling Statistics.

Steele has quite accurately described the seeming dip in the trend, whereas housing prices have the appearance of dropping, they are  statistically still showing an increase from the same time last year. Overall residential prices were up 3.3% from 2013, with the single-family dwelling up almost 4%. The most marked year-over-year upsurge appeared in condo prices, which are gaining increasing popularity in the city as a more viable residence option, showing an increase of about 4.6% from last summer.

Along with a sale price increases, total overall transactions are skyrocketing as buyers become more eager to invest in Edmonton’s booming real estate market. July saw the sale of 2,013 residences (639 of them condominium units); a 9.7 % increase from the 1,835 residences sold in July of 2013.

Steele also addressed this influx of transactions:

“The demand for real estate remains strong and in line with other market fundamentals. Fortunately, year-to-date listings are also up compared to last year and there is adequate supply with over 5,600 residential properties in inventory.”

Homes in June on average were selling in about 41 days, and in about 46 days for July.

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