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不止是有点暖,是高烧~/ \' s- t5 `% f
0 l: Z% M* b5 X, y2 yhttp://www.edmontonjournal.com/b ... ?cid=megadrop_story
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Edmonton sees 26% spike in luxury-home sales
' j- T& V4 f* z7 Q+ Y- _# @ High-end houses defy real estate cooling trend3 U" d0 L6 v; k; b; p
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' D6 ?( ]) i ~& ?6 bEDMONTON — While homebuying activity is cooling in Edmonton, luxury-home sales are picking up, says a new national report by ReMax.' h& M* z) y& N, m0 a
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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.
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; m+ g4 Z( T; j# e: hSales 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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1 }( J4 [6 A+ q% g% p* R8 m+ r" ^Fifty-five homes in the Edmonton area have sold for more than $1 million./ ~3 ^( l* @4 e8 N, H. H
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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.
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4 h B: W V2 T% {; L“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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: n Z' j7 y, O2 G“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.”
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4 c1 j- r( S% u4 z. W: z8 u+ }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.; h/ Q2 a! ]4 N
+ z7 W, e/ t. k" ]* \; sThe 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; p7 I; K* P; j B% \" n; |! G3 s% r( v6 [
- o! z# ]9 N: S/ }' F/ o# a* VAverage 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.
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Inventory levels are up marginally over last year, but down from peak levels reached in 2007 and 2008, ReMax said.
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! R9 m# t# f. Y' J' Q& _ m) x“As a result, the housing market has been characterized as balanced, slightly favouring the buyer,” the report said.
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7 l7 g9 \0 q9 C, g5 w% o2 N& J* oFirst-time buyers in Edmonton remain most active, driving sales of single-family homes between $250,000 and $350,000. Condos represent 34 per cent of residential sales.+ P4 j0 h' V: h5 \& }7 y
( ]$ V4 E4 L/ D! k4 a/ P9 E) |% B6 M! l4 eAn 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.”2 {. ? A4 z& f* K0 r& ]
3 p2 u! H, P EThe 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.
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& V: }3 ^* ~. A! C- cPrices 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.& o! @* y! v" z8 A, [! f1 }
8 B/ ~2 ?) ^9 b4 }8 d- O; ]“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.
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) H5 E2 S& j$ }3 u“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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