 鲜花( 150)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
不止是有点暖,是高烧~% T: {5 t7 M1 O: a
/ M: H0 ~& z% p/ x6 @! g! K' {. ]http://www.edmontonjournal.com/b ... ?cid=megadrop_story2 l4 u x& z4 e- e; J9 a7 r6 {
# Y" K9 f! f7 p g7 H
) a* k3 s6 V1 M X- A REdmonton sees 26% spike in luxury-home sales7 c7 _% u. f$ \' C/ n
High-end houses defy real estate cooling trend
1 h$ ^) a5 `/ W7 }5 h# z/ C' v1 V4 H, w
9 ~, k5 q: s6 N5 ~
EDMONTON — While homebuying activity is cooling in Edmonton, luxury-home sales are picking up, says a new national report by ReMax.
" l& Z b4 c, U; m- J9 l- { F- v* h
“One area of the market that has outperformed all others is the upper end,” said the ReMax Market Trends Report Fall 2010 released Tuesday.6 Y1 x! @9 e' E- a' Q6 m) B
+ z" @) C7 ?7 a, D
Sales of homes priced more than $700,000 are up 26 per cent over 2009, with 240 upscale properties changing hands as of August, compared to 190 units for the same period last year, it said.
4 P0 o, R+ K. Q
3 N7 f9 B9 a1 i6 j: cFifty-five homes in the Edmonton area have sold for more than $1 million.2 p" Y2 R3 _! F4 f8 Y' ?. P
3 E2 f: A; ^- i! V2 _
The urgency in Edmonton’s residential housing market — prompted by tighter lending policies and the threat of higher interest rates earlier in the year — has given way to more stable conditions heading into the fourth quarter of 2010, the report said.
" B( e$ J( g# n% B$ p
( a# |* o5 Z+ v( G! R" R8 q“Positive announcements in the oil and gas sector should spur renewed activity in residential real estate — as evidenced in the first few weeks of September. ) e! l2 u) O7 h# {, }, Y& ~( b" J
2 [3 E1 A6 d+ a% _' p“Despite recent hikes, interest rates remain attractive with a five-year closed hovering at four per cent. The outlook for the remainder of the year is stable, with no real fluctuations in either sales or price.”7 t) P( F$ D: g; n. B
# ~7 r% V( J* r8 R2 b" g5 l& @
Year-to-date sales have slipped 14 per cent to 11,773 units, compared to 13,694 during the same period a year earlier, the report said.6 j8 ~1 j) a1 |9 K' i/ U
3 y' t4 C% x( \0 l9 O
The sales-to-listing ratio is now 47 per cent, down from 59 per cent in 2009, but up from 42 per cent in 2008.
& L/ X% |3 ^; g1 t/ w/ j- i% i# L3 v! e% b& S
Average price is holding steady, up about four cent to $332,789 in 2010, about $12,500, or 3.9 per cent, higher than a year ago when the residential average was $320,289, the report said.
# `4 V* \: x/ a+ j6 Z7 y8 S6 N1 b+ c) J/ \: h
Inventory levels are up marginally over last year, but down from peak levels reached in 2007 and 2008, ReMax said.
7 w( v: P2 d( z6 N% V Z. T; X6 e& B: z& H) Y8 c
“As a result, the housing market has been characterized as balanced, slightly favouring the buyer,” the report said.
! |* j/ d! u# b U, R$ I
4 O: W8 Q/ L5 ~5 F3 HFirst-time buyers in Edmonton remain most active, driving sales of single-family homes between $250,000 and $350,000. Condos represent 34 per cent of residential sales.
4 F, ?5 r/ W* n0 H: _! g4 m; m' L1 H2 j0 ?/ I
An influx of new units recently has pushed up supply, putting downward pressure on condo prices, according to the report. Tighter lending rules, requiring a 20-per-cent down payment, “is proving to be detrimental to investment activity.”9 i) T) u. H. C2 c, F
* U' Q! F% S2 | h1 @. ?0 |The report, which covered trends and developments in 19 major centres from January to August, found year-to-date sales ahead of 2009 levels in 11 markets.
& t1 h9 Z% G+ \+ K2 S
~7 s- B7 e, _5 a9 B# ~9 x: [Prices were up year-over-year in all cities, with five experiencing double-digit gains in 2010: Vancouver, St. John’s, Sudbury, Winnipeg and the Greater Toronto Area.2 m1 L% [: j; x" E+ |! r
4 H" J+ ?' o: m
“We cleaned up in the first quarter of 2010 because housing activity during the same period one year earlier was dismal,” said Elton Ash, regional executive vice-president of ReMax, Western Canada.6 {; E& I. _5 T, ^% \8 }9 N
! G' o. q0 _. ?: \) A: Z3 f
“We’re now comparing the second half of the year to 2009 and falling short of expectations. Looking at the big picture however, the market remains healthy.” |
|