Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Further Evidence that Housing Market is Achieving Balance.

Edmonton July 5, 2007: Further evidence of the rebalancing of the Edmonton housing market was released by the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton this afternoon. Unlike many sales in the past year and a half, most homes sellers who sold their single family home in June accepted a lower price than they were asking for to complete the transaction.

There were 801 single family homes sold in the City of Edmonton through the Multiple Listing Service® in June 2007.

- 76.4% or 612 homes were sold for less than their list price
- 11.2% or 90 homes were sold for the exact price expected by the seller
- 12.3% or 99 homes were sold for more than the list price

The average sale price for homes sold below list were discounted by about $12,500.

Homes sold above list gained an average of $8,760 for the seller.

By comparison, in July 2006, just 66% of homes sold under the list price and 23.6% of homes sold were sold for more than the asking price. In September 2006, 65.8% of single family homes sold below the list price and 19% of homes sold for more than the list price.

Edmonton Real Estate Board

Housing Market Regains Balance from Spike in Listings

Edmonton, July 5, 2007: Residential inventory on the Multiple Listing Service® spiked to near record highs in June as the number of listings soared according to the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton. Total inventory at the end of June 2007 was 6,367 residential properties. Residential inventory at the end of July 1994 set a record at 7,747 properties available. June, September, October and November that year were also record months for number of listings.

Sales remained strong as buyers took advantage of a wider selection of homes available. At the midpoint for the year 13,282 residential properties have been sold through the MLS® valued at almost $4.5 billion. That is 1,712 more properties than the same time last year.

The average price* of a single family residence fell 2% in June to $417,265 erasing most of the gains made last month. Condo prices fell slightly to $265,172 on average. Duplex and rowhouses sold for an average price of $342,836 (down 1.3%).

“The Edmonton housing market has achieved some balance after 18 months of rapidly increasing prices and low inventory,” said Carolyn Pratt, President of the REALTORS® Association. “Our members have reported a number of price reductions and less multiple offer situations than we have faced in the recent past.”

“The fundamentals of the Edmonton market are still strong and should sustain steadily rising prices for all classes of property,” said Pratt. “Even if prices dip slightly in one or two months, homeowners will still have realized phenomenal growth in the value of their homes.” The market has shown remarkable price increases since the end of 2005. The average residential price in the Edmonton market area has risen 73.9% in the past 18 months.

Average prices in other major cities continue to top Edmonton prices. In May (the last month available) the average price for all types of residences was: $591,722 in Greater Vancouver, $429,298 in Calgary and $382,689 in Toronto. In Fort McMurray you can find a home for just $562,200 on average. The all-residential average price for Edmonton in May was $354,410 and $348,056 in June.

There were 4,982 residential properties listed on the Edmonton MLS® in June with 2,203 sales. The sales-to-listing ratio was 44%. Average days on market increased slightly from 22 to 25 days. Inventory increased dramatically from 4,485 residential properties available on June 1 to 6,367 available at the end of the month.

* Average prices indicate market trends only. They do not reflect actual prices, which may vary.

Edmonton Real Estate Board