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不止是有点暖,是高烧~, q8 O' z7 p: l! z% K
/ ]& l; p3 g. V `3 M, b/ thttp://www.edmontonjournal.com/b ... ?cid=megadrop_story! E$ u+ e6 R' p+ n8 A+ R$ a
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Edmonton sees 26% spike in luxury-home sales' D ^& t. `, v# J: x
High-end houses defy real estate cooling trend6 }9 n5 S6 M/ x. x) u, ?3 g
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EDMONTON — While homebuying activity is cooling in Edmonton, luxury-home sales are picking up, says a new national report by ReMax.
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“One area of the market that has outperformed all others is the upper end,” said the ReMax Market Trends Report Fall 2010 released Tuesday.3 K5 r3 d& [- P: Y2 ^, v; G/ o
( w( ]- v# ~) b& D! GSales 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.
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Fifty-five homes in the Edmonton area have sold for more than $1 million./ H2 V8 l- `% w
z4 Y/ S. I& M- Z# XThe urgency in Edmonton’s residential housing market — prompted by tighter lending policies and the threat of higher interest rates earlier in the year — has given way to more stable conditions heading into the fourth quarter of 2010, the report said./ U; q4 c: Z' L# j+ E* I
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“Positive announcements in the oil and gas sector should spur renewed activity in residential real estate — as evidenced in the first few weeks of September.
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“Despite recent hikes, interest rates remain attractive with a five-year closed hovering at four per cent. The outlook for the remainder of the year is stable, with no real fluctuations in either sales or price.”/ Y2 v( K( |/ i7 [
' G- o Y o$ B3 T. B/ v4 XYear-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.
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* I" K6 X2 `1 x( EThe sales-to-listing ratio is now 47 per cent, down from 59 per cent in 2009, but up from 42 per cent in 2008.
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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 $320,289, the report said.+ W& P8 Z0 }5 C3 R5 D
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Inventory levels are up marginally over last year, but down from peak levels reached in 2007 and 2008, ReMax said.7 Y j( h$ i. [0 C3 j
0 I, Z4 g$ m0 h) `# k“As a result, the housing market has been characterized as balanced, slightly favouring the buyer,” the report said.8 f8 Z1 I0 |7 p6 U B& j
7 u/ ^; G6 O# lFirst-time buyers in Edmonton remain most active, driving sales of single-family homes between $250,000 and $350,000. Condos represent 34 per cent of residential sales.
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An influx of new units recently has pushed up supply, putting downward pressure on condo prices, according to the report. Tighter lending rules, requiring a 20-per-cent down payment, “is proving to be detrimental to investment activity.”
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The report, which covered trends and developments in 19 major centres from January to August, found year-to-date sales ahead of 2009 levels in 11 markets.% @: Y0 c4 y& o$ H
: I8 A I7 W0 M) @$ [4 aPrices 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.
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7 y+ w3 |2 J/ F“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.# x+ }0 _# j4 ^2 S4 M8 j# M) f
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“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.” |
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