Source: Edmonton Real Estate Board

Inventory Beginning to Stabilize While Prices Still Rise

With new listings down over 2% from last May, we are finally starting to see the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) inventory begin to stabilize. Even with a wealth of residential property on the market (almost 30% more than last year), we are continuing to see price increases for all residential properties.

“As expected, the average days on market is up four days year-over-year and one day over last month at 45. We can expect this number to continue to grow due to slower sales and higher inventory,” REALTORS® Association of Edmonton President Geneva Tetreault explains.
The average days on market for single family last month was 43, condominiums were 49 days, and duplex/rowhouse took an average of 45 days to sell.

Residential sales in Edmonton’s Census Metropolitan Area are beginning to pick up with 1,784 reported sales in May 2015. That is up 12% from 1,597 reported in April but still down almost 10% from May 2014. Again this month, reported sales are down in all categories except duplex/rowhouse (up 4% y/y) – a trend we have seen all year. Single family sales were 1,078 – down 11% over last May (1,213 reported). Condo sales were down 10% over May 2015 at 510. Sales were up in all categories over April 2015. Year-to-date, residential sales are down 13%.

“Last month we were down 13% year-over-year in all residential sales. This month we are down less than 10%. We expect this trend of increased sales to continue as confidence in the stability of the market grows,” Tetreault adds. “We are still seeing multiple offers in popular price brackets. The fact that we haven’t seen a decline in prices is giving buyers more assurance. They are venturing back into the market with the feeling that prices won’t plummet any time soon.”

Despite a decline in all residential sales, the average sale price was $381,111 up 2.5% from May last year. Single family dwellings sold for an average of $451,312 (up 3% from last May), condos for $256,143 (up 2% y/y) and duplex/rowhouses were the only price drop at $345,659 (down 2% y/y).

The end of month residential active inventory was 7,303 for the Edmonton CMA. May 2015 all residential new listings were down 2% from last year at 3,314.  That meant 5% less single family, 6% more condo, and 4% less duplex/rowhouse listings than in May last year.

“People are continuing to take advantage of low interest rates and a greater selection in the marketplace. We are moving into our busiest season for real estate. Your local REALTOR® can help you find what you are looking for in the neighbourhood that best suits your needs.”

1 Census Metropolitan Area (Edmonton and surrounding municipalities)
2 Single Family Dwelling
3 The total value of sales in a category divided by the number of properties sold
4 The middle figure in a list of all sales prices
5 Residential includes SFD, condos and duplex/row houses.
6 Includes residential, rural and commercial sales

Source: Edmonton Real Estate Board

Edmonton and Area Average Price Still Up

Despite a decline in all residential sales over those reported in March of 2014, last month saw continued growth of residential prices for the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area CMA of 3%. The average sales price of a single family home was $438,880 – up 1.5% y/y; condo was $249,841 – up 1.2% y/y; and duplex/rowhouse was $354,022 – up 6.9% y/y.

Sales are down in all categories except duplex/rowhouse which are up over 6%. Single family sales were 876 down 4.5% over last March (917 reported). 416 condos sold last month compared to 474 in March 2014. All residential sales for March were reported as 1,453, down 6.5% from 1,554 reported last year.

“The fact that our prices did not have the dramatic increases seen over the past few years in other cities like Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver means we have not experienced the same overvaluation.” REALTORS® Association of Edmonton President Geneva Tetreault explains, “That is why our prices are not taking the same hit even though our inventory is way up and sales are slightly down. A more accurate valuation should keep our average prices more stable.”

March 2014 had 14 million-dollar plus sales (30 YTD), March 2015 had 8 million dollar plus sales (19 YTD). “Last year we saw a dramatic increase in sales of homes priced over a million. Even though the number of those high price sales are down this year, our average price is up. That is a good sign that we are not seeing our average prices inflated,” says Tetreault. “The big story continues to be the increase in inventory. We ended 2014 with a fairly low inventory. The influx of new listings means that buyers now have the opportunity to be a little more choosey. Having a REALTOR® help you navigate the market is always a wise decision, particularly in a complex market like ours.” Residential listings are up over 31% from last March with 3,152 new listings coming on to the MLS® System in the Edmonton CMA. That left us with an ample inventory of 5,944 properties for sale.

Rural areas seem to be seeing the same trends with total rural sales down 8% from 156 reported in March 2014 to 143 reported this year. Rural listings are also up, but only by 12%, a much smaller margin than the Edmonton CMA. Over 699 million dollars in residential sales through the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton occurred in March 2015.

1 Census Metropolitan Area (Edmonton and surrounding municipalities)
2 Single Family Dwelling
3 The total value of sales in a category divided by the number of properties sold 
4 The middle figure in a list of all sales prices
5 Residential includes SFD, condos and duplex/row houses. 
6 Includes residential, rural and commercial sales