 鲜花( 150)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
不止是有点暖,是高烧~" m! p4 z- G$ I) _+ i J4 k! b: B
. ~! X$ J5 |" Q3 phttp://www.edmontonjournal.com/b ... ?cid=megadrop_story9 t$ f7 p9 X- m$ n4 ~3 U- `
& @/ K( x2 e( X
* I/ {8 M7 a7 ]" W% q0 REdmonton sees 26% spike in luxury-home sales( m _( q- b/ D% r& i& k
High-end houses defy real estate cooling trend+ v& c( Z B$ Q" j. e
% t- _" m8 Q8 ]9 x& }2 t1 L
( ]2 t9 R$ p0 e/ |, E
EDMONTON — While homebuying activity is cooling in Edmonton, luxury-home sales are picking up, says a new national report by ReMax.7 {, f% B3 o* p
0 s D% \: |8 j0 {, ~% s1 P# {/ x& [
“One area of the market that has outperformed all others is the upper end,” said the ReMax Market Trends Report Fall 2010 released Tuesday.
# t$ @0 @ v2 U: N k+ v* x# r! _* m/ K( d0 ]
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.
9 _! q7 k2 H: M: ^! N7 N @4 A- f7 \0 U O3 V6 O7 _! g
Fifty-five homes in the Edmonton area have sold for more than $1 million.
' J H3 n- r# N1 T
$ V! \9 x, U! J) O0 jThe 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.
1 H4 w3 y) b% O! ]2 `9 _
. l7 B4 L! y- e: ]& X/ {5 A; J“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: k/ Q6 a, x3 m3 ^( G) O- g$ V
“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.”
( M U3 Y9 d: {# C. `$ _/ B& R7 @4 E" ~4 ]) `3 c* m
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.
8 a, i3 { K# Z9 y3 n- e! U" {- U8 j! S. o0 _
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.' |5 `* K. a. x1 k1 ]7 N
$ y& h0 Y2 ^0 G+ m' T) _$ f6 ~
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 $320,289, the report said.' i! x' t9 w) G$ m
- D ?/ F" e- Q# W }
Inventory levels are up marginally over last year, but down from peak levels reached in 2007 and 2008, ReMax said.% ~5 K4 N( b2 p- k! `1 ]
0 v# E7 o+ u+ {“As a result, the housing market has been characterized as balanced, slightly favouring the buyer,” the report said.9 G1 l) l9 G# V' t1 l
0 Q: i! P4 G+ Y' ~, r! j6 G; m7 l: dFirst-time buyers in Edmonton remain most active, driving sales of single-family homes between $250,000 and $350,000. Condos represent 34 per cent of residential sales.& t. F' `3 H, H: j: X
1 }( B& Q5 Q7 t) N M8 b7 OAn influx of new units recently has pushed up supply, putting downward pressure on condo prices, according to the report. Tighter lending rules, requiring a 20-per-cent down payment, “is proving to be detrimental to investment activity.”
" t' W+ |7 i* T a! e" V/ I$ E, F/ ]; \% P& ?' H
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.6 j$ g$ R+ J" h0 Y u% H0 f! c& D
- F' l8 h: q+ s T+ WPrices 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.0 }1 z2 z5 {' Y2 x2 M% J2 z- b
8 ^7 q5 l, _0 [( E8 @2 |7 ^
“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.
$ U6 m' e q N C% a+ l
$ k g: ~1 }" F4 o0 s“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.” |
|