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Average price slips as fewer people moving to Alberta, realtors association says* b! T b) f- v% M+ O
Bill Mah, The Edmonton Journal+ X( m" ^4 |* j8 O& x3 s1 D% ?
Published: 1:31 am
+ X1 E( @9 j9 \" s+ FEDMONTON - 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.# r) v* `' n% Y7 o* ~9 ?8 U
" e( E8 j8 {. o% V/ j7 V- u/ TFigures 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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That'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.
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Association president Marc Perras said the inventory, about six month's worth, stems largely from fewer people moving to Alberta./ Q+ }' |/ \6 b# U! _6 W3 ~, a
- \2 T8 L3 \$ T0 E% SNet 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.. w& D5 E3 p: p! I" b7 Q
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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.
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He predicted home prices will increase by the year's end as inventory drops and called the current situation a "stable, normal" market.# M4 w' u& Z+ {- N- A- ~
( V2 T) ]+ t1 t1 \! C$ l"Our sales volumes are similar to what we saw in 2004 and 2005 and our prices are essentially flat.) C* f; ?# ]# m, i; G
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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."- f+ L ?6 B' {' U+ W0 q- q
; z2 m" Z% b! E' R$ |A single-family home sold in March for an average price of $387,632, down 2.7 per cent from March last year.
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But 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.
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) S4 Z T% }& l% B2 AThere 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.# h1 _' p+ h1 D1 r) s7 I: r
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Total MLS sales in March dropped 31 per cent from a record-setting pace in March 2007.& n: F; o3 S8 G+ ^0 N/ `' x
" r) m1 ]5 B6 y, AMeanwhile, 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.
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! s! p( N* [2 I4 e: u6 eThe 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.
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The 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 $235,000, said the LePage study.( N4 N7 |$ L9 N6 n% A
* A0 Z2 H3 Z% t, SKen Shearer, a Royal LePage broker and owner, said debate over energy royalties kept house prices lower.3 F" e6 _* O# B( G+ ~' m8 p
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"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.+ b& A/ R A* u9 a8 Q4 A D" H! i
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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 $390,000, while detached bungalows and condos were unchanged from last year.7 |3 U- u2 y2 y* j$ v
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Spruce Grove: A two-storey home rose 6.9 per cent to $405,000 year-over-year.
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Riverbend/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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Leduc: 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.)
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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.
/ o% Z2 e: K6 b8 _ ACastle 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.. V" R) v) u2 {1 V5 E% V
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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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