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不止是有点暖,是高烧~3 e% {* F, c/ f& F$ J: n
0 I4 C, |, B2 d2 O6 [) nhttp://www.edmontonjournal.com/b ... ?cid=megadrop_story2 R" }, G& ~) a5 Y S1 v) }! m
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8 j# ?) L, h. ~ P$ lEdmonton sees 26% spike in luxury-home sales' z: L& r8 i `3 ^7 {( z0 N
High-end houses defy real estate cooling trend% l6 u9 ` ]) n& l& r* a: ?
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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.1 ]& e4 }: D K* u1 X& |
- ?0 A7 M; _6 p9 b( pSales 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. % r' e4 L! V& s; ~& q
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Fifty-five homes in the Edmonton area have sold for more than $1 million.
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! |; u! [( s1 G2 vThe urgency in Edmonton’s residential housing market — prompted by tighter lending policies and the threat of higher interest rates earlier in the year — has given way to more stable conditions heading into the fourth quarter of 2010, the report said.
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“Positive announcements in the oil and gas sector should spur renewed activity in residential real estate — as evidenced in the first few weeks of September. % D3 [$ x0 S! U; H% K3 \
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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.”* O: m( p* K& D$ M
7 i& ~+ Q: \* X# q( x7 B O% e! pYear-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.- D- D( y9 q# r6 a
7 E3 m3 a- n# [. n7 ]; w" NThe sales-to-listing ratio is now 47 per cent, down from 59 per cent in 2009, but up from 42 per cent in 2008.8 G' O8 C7 D' Z- g9 Q& K
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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.
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Inventory levels are up marginally over last year, but down from peak levels reached in 2007 and 2008, ReMax said.& X4 F, o2 @1 `/ B2 @: N y
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“As a result, the housing market has been characterized as balanced, slightly favouring the buyer,” the report said.
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First-time buyers in Edmonton remain most active, driving sales of single-family homes between $250,000 and $350,000. Condos represent 34 per cent of residential sales.4 }% o2 F6 M' C% _ C
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An influx of new units recently has pushed up supply, putting downward pressure on condo prices, according to the report. Tighter lending rules, requiring a 20-per-cent down payment, “is proving to be detrimental to investment activity.”
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; ]/ C; J8 ?1 U% v- d( CThe report, which covered trends and developments in 19 major centres from January to August, found year-to-date sales ahead of 2009 levels in 11 markets.
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$ `# x# p! z2 V5 d' Y* SPrices 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.5 P6 |& A7 s- f# z p) R/ e
5 A: D; l' D, b; U/ d' F& j“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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“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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