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EDMONTON — Prices for single-family homes in the Edmonton region dropped while condo prices rallied in December, according to figures released today by the Realtors Association of Edmonton.; r; a( Q# H: ~5 {+ l9 Q3 k
g; M# K, \+ a0 o$ l“That’s a 180-degree twist from what we saw in the month of November,” said outgoing association president Marc Perras.6 g/ T) ]7 }) `6 P- L* J% Z" B
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The average price for a single family home dropped by three per cent to $351,870 after remaining flat for two months. That’s $30,000 less than the average price of a single family dwelling at the start of 2008.
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( ]! E' [) R8 G* W, pCondominium prices — which fell more than eight per cent in the previous two months — edged up 1.2 per cent over November.- q0 a5 z$ I5 h- \; S! F
9 t, i( B/ V0 z+ u$ \& COver the year, condo prices dropped 7.5 per cent from $253,270 to $234,286.. e6 u: a' o" T5 w
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At the end of December, there were 6,316 homes in inventory. The sales to listing ratio was 46 per cent and average days on market was 65, up two from November.9 M% y |5 M6 G J8 i) d
/ Y) v7 `2 T2 I( ~4 Y* MResidential sales plunged by 29.1 per cent in December to 608. Perras blamed cold weather and global economic uncertainty.: o+ @% K7 k" t! C4 k
% X8 t: v$ t! b. {4 _8 `“Who wants to tour homes when both your toes and your portfolio are frozen?” Perras said.
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Neither Perras, nor incoming president Charlie Ponde would release a resale market forecast for 2009 until a news conference scheduled for Thursday.
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But one real estate company predicted Tuesday that after months of sluggish sales and slipping prices, Edmonton’s housing will return to “a normal state” in 2009.6 y& R; E/ n; v) z1 |/ O% x( `
6 ~, L7 T# z$ _5 f3 ?The year will bring stable average house prices and gradually increasing sales, according to the Royal LePage 2009 Market Survey Forecast.' I# I9 B/ n' Q) u R5 [
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“The combination of healthy employment levels, historically low interest rates and good affordability — something the city has not seen in a while — will all bolster Edmonton’s housing resale market in 2009,” said the survey.% y% @% I# q( O' T! N9 R6 p
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The report predicts the average local house price to hold steady at $333,000 this year. The number of homes sold is expected to increase by three per cent to 17,825 units, it said.. Q1 i+ d4 Q1 N7 R
The company added that a glut of homes that burdened the market shrank in 2008 and will get smaller in 2009, putting Edmonton in a balanced market.- i6 i) I8 I8 q2 _: C2 i
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“Nationally, Canadian average house prices are forecast to dip by three per cent from last year to $295,000, while transactions are projected to fall to 416,000 (–3.5 per cent) unit sales in 2009,” the report said.
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Meanwhile, the Realtors Association of Edmonton will release a recap of the housing market this morning and a forecast of 2009 on Thursday. |
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