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Average price slips as fewer people moving to Alberta, realtors association says
6 d9 P1 ^' ^: F2 `9 }Bill Mah, The Edmonton Journal# u- J. L8 T+ f$ b" V
Published: 1:31 am
) b/ r4 X) D( L) K) ^! `, ?EDMONTON - The buyer still reigns in Edmonton's housing market, where the number of homes for sale has skyrocketed by 268 per cent from a year ago.
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Figures released Thursday by the Realtors Association of Edmonton show there were 9,464 residential properties available in the city area -- up by a whopping 1,220 homes from February.
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; q7 I: e5 p% u5 T3 JThat's the third-largest inventory in Edmonton history. Only last September and October were there more homes for sale at month's end, 9,918 and 9,577 respectively. H+ f7 F/ y# E' j
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Association president Marc Perras said the inventory, about six month's worth, stems largely from fewer people moving to Alberta.% J, }4 k3 q% `
5 R( J% M9 v$ LNet migration to Alberta last year was 27,048. That's down significantly from 74,523 who moved here in 2006, according to Statistics Canada data.8 K( G6 H, \ ]0 e1 m+ x- `! p
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"We had an industry that ramped up, expecting that those numbers would keep up and now, as a result of that drop-off, we've seen inventory numbers come up fairly significantly," Perras said.1 s% a8 i, U4 s% H, E) y
) D F6 f2 @2 N* n1 h7 N* vHe predicted home prices will increase by the year's end as inventory drops and called the current situation a "stable, normal" market.
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. t- u$ F9 y+ }"Our sales volumes are similar to what we saw in 2004 and 2005 and our prices are essentially flat.
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"We saw quite a roller-coaster ride last year when prices jumped up significantly in the first six months and fell off significantly in the last six months."
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A single-family home sold in March for an average price of $387,632, down 2.7 per cent from March last year.$ I( k d: q1 t- B+ M6 c
; z9 T& f5 Z5 N+ B5 IBut the average residential price -- including single-family homes, condos, duplexes, mobile homes and others -- was $343,760, 5.66 per cent higher than March 2007." ^0 Y* L' a) q: m0 }0 t W7 d
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There were 1,557 residential properties sold in March with new listings of 4,236 for a sales-to-listing ratio of 37 per cent. Homes spent 51 days on the market, down one day from last month.2 ~' a' k$ K9 b. e) G6 n( [( E
& ?3 v5 _6 I5 E0 T5 G* ZTotal MLS sales in March dropped 31 per cent from a record-setting pace in March 2007.
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! j0 I! V: b7 a; h3 Z5 XMeanwhile, a house price survey released Thursday by Royal LePage Real Estate Services says Edmonton-area houses became more affordable in the first three months of 2008.$ g# ^& M. E+ z
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The study looked at certain local markets examined and found the average price of a "standard two-storey home" fell 3.7 per cent to $363,707. ]: o; U4 n( f7 C- B/ X
1 R y G' G: cThe price of detached bungalows fell 4.9 per cent to $330,000 from the same time last year. Standard condo prices also fell 7.7 per cent year-over-year to $235,000, said the LePage study.: N* k4 \8 I: ^* y A
- [( F- F/ P6 Y% \9 WKen Shearer, a Royal LePage broker and owner, said debate over energy royalties kept house prices lower.8 ^3 Y* b2 `% r/ [
% l+ m9 y" A# I6 U9 j" l( k"As a result of this debate, the market has receded from the wild pace it experienced last year as buyers are simply no longer interested in paying skyrocketing house prices," he said.1 {. E/ V2 f' x
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According to the report, prices varied by specific market in the Edmonton region. Here are some highlights:
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Sherwood Park: Average prices for two-storey homes dropped by 7.1 per cent to $390,000, while detached bungalows and condos were unchanged from last year.
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Spruce Grove: A two-storey home rose 6.9 per cent to $405,000 year-over-year.9 V; C# g. D4 l
8 r* B4 A* W$ b# IRiverbend/Terwilligar: A two-storey property rose by 12.7 per cent to $410,950 over the same time last year. The average price of a detached bungalow rose by 2.6 per cent to $390,000, while condo prices dropped by 10.6 per cent to $235,000.
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5 s7 g9 J" @, lLeduc: Average condo prices rose by 9.1 per cent to $240,000 year-over-year. Two-storey house prices dropped by 7.5 per cent ($310,000.): e' F* z) J9 v
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St. Albert: The average price of a two-storey home fell by 12.8 per cent to $340,000 while detached bungalows dropped by 12.3 per cent and condos by 13.3 per cent.
% f S* K- o1 c+ a+ QCastle Downs: Average detached bungalows fell by 18.6 per cent to $285,000. Average two-storey homes went down 11.4 per cent to $350,000.4 K4 k8 s; V( L$ W8 i4 {4 g
$ A4 x+ ^ p& ?* `Clareview: Detached bungalows decreased by 8.8 per cent to $310,000, year-over-year. Condo prices fell by 16 per cent to $210,000 from the same time last year. |
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