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不止是有点暖,是高烧~( ~- G$ e$ d( Q. c D3 L1 J
# }0 ]* B( o. o& Chttp://www.edmontonjournal.com/b ... ?cid=megadrop_story& C+ b x d! N$ U
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$ b/ ^/ \4 e% o [, H3 }Edmonton sees 26% spike in luxury-home sales
# M3 W. Q; x$ X, I High-end houses defy real estate cooling trend/ D5 y; u; p( o3 @9 }0 `: U6 p/ {
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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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/ J# x0 z3 [5 V' ~' y“One area of the market that has outperformed all others is the upper end,” said the ReMax Market Trends Report Fall 2010 released Tuesday.% D- C7 K6 |; z8 b8 ~
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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.
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Fifty-five homes in the Edmonton area have sold for more than $1 million.
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The urgency in Edmonton’s residential housing market — prompted by tighter lending policies and the threat of higher interest rates earlier in the year — has given way to more stable conditions heading into the fourth quarter of 2010, the report said.# Y$ m% U/ A7 c! J. O2 M
+ s% b3 G% k! J1 x“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. ) o: }7 D+ f, a. u
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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.”: b- V' |7 X9 x6 x, E
$ f: j' d; ^3 k% F' zYear-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.5 ^2 f, I: {9 n
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The sales-to-listing ratio is now 47 per cent, down from 59 per cent in 2009, but up from 42 per cent in 2008.0 z/ U8 c# w5 D7 }0 H: k0 [
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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 $320,289, the report said. R$ n# M4 t) y
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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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( }& `0 v- G" s2 ~5 [8 |“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 $350,000. Condos represent 34 per cent of residential sales.
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+ c3 T3 x# w0 v# L; r. zAn influx of new units recently has pushed up supply, putting downward pressure on condo prices, according to the report. Tighter lending rules, requiring a 20-per-cent down payment, “is proving to be detrimental to investment activity.”
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$ M# y- f. e6 @6 ~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./ Z& D( ^# n$ l6 p# s" E) }5 _- w2 \
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Prices 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.. e7 v: c- [ K. R
: C/ Q: n: q! _1 {! |“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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4 P+ x0 ^- |& b% D4 I“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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