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August 28, 2007 + V4 z, ^( Q" h7 @/ w( {3 `/ p
" M) ~& W* ?6 C4 \% xBuyer's marketHome sellers forced to slash prices 5 y" J2 X+ [: B( e# J" c9 K
By FRANK LANDRY, CITY HALL BUREAU
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Home sellers are slashing their asking prices by tens of thousands of dollars as Edmonton's once sizzling housing market continues to cool, says a city real estate agent.
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And new figures from the Edmonton Real Estate Board show the vast majority of sellers are now getting less than they're asking for - a stark contrast to the bidding wars of a year ago that routinely forced buyers to pay more than the list price. 1 j8 Z# o2 Y( L8 s) d I
2 ?! {" f, y9 H+ W"There's tons of stuff on the market. There's twice as much inventory in residential real estate today as there was a year ago at this time," Re/Max agent Abe Hering told Sun Media yesterday. 7 `/ G; Q9 ?8 _
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"If your supply mushrooms tremendously, inevitably the only product that will get consumed is the one that's best priced."
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As a result, Hering said he routinely advises clients who've had their homes on the market for awhile to drop their asking price by 10% in order to remain competitive. On an average $417,000 single-detached home, that works out to more than $40,000. : S1 y/ f* v8 E2 |& l
: e6 n( V- X$ d, \"There's no sense reducing any product by 5% because it just doesn't work. We're seeing reductions of 10% and more," he said. # G$ A$ E) a7 C
+ h' y9 @% b E3 s9 gJon Hall, with the Edmonton Real Estate Board, said 85% of single family homes that sold over the past 30 days went for less than the asking price. On average, the final figure was nearly $12,000 less than the seller was seeking.
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Condos didn't fair much better, with 79% going for less than the asking price.
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"What most realtors seem to be saying is that the sellers haven't adjusted their mindset to the new reality - that we have over 8,000 listings and that buyers have choice," Hall said.
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. {8 T) Z4 [9 G6 u* w/ y3 x' w& AHe said many sellers are knowingly asking for more than their home can fetch. / U1 Y9 Y5 S% s* t* {
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"And quite frankly, the realtors are getting a bit frustrated," Hall said. 2 @9 {7 b) K9 K, z, t! j
6 q4 X8 O7 Y) k4 p, a6 f4 d"The client sets the price. If the seller says, 'I want it listed $20,000 above the market price,' they've got to do it. Ten days or two weeks later, the realtor's coming back and saying, 'I told you so,' and dropping the price."
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$ ]: y1 V' `1 W7 W0 X qThere are several theories as to why there are so many homes on the market.
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Carolyn Pratt, president of the Realtors Association of Edmonton, said some investors are trying to dump property.
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Other people are moving into larger or smaller homes, while trying to capitalize on the market. Some sellers like to list during the summer months, she said.
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Pratt said she's also heard some homeowners cashing out and moving back to their home provinces, like Saskatchewan, where homes are cheaper. ; x8 S: B8 J; {
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Keith Mackie, fleet director for Budget Rent-a-Car, sees it every day. He said demand for moving trucks going to Saskatchewan from Alberta and B.C. has recently increased three-fold.
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"It seems like a lot of people are going home," said Mackie. "There's no doubt about it, it's a significant number." 1 ?6 C4 l; n# S
3 `6 V- k. E/ q2 [Hall said many sellers with homes on the market in Edmonton today won't sell.
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0 P2 z! j, T# L! E+ m"It would be fair to say a lot of listings will melt. They'll just disappear," Hall said. "They'll just be withdrawn after a typical 60- or 90-day listing period."
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0 J( i t3 d! y# j# zThe Edmonton Real Estate Board recently reported there was virtually no increase in the selling price of single family residence in July. That month, condo prices went up 2.5%, while townhomes increased 1%. The figures for August are expected to be released early next month. |
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