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EDMONTON — Prices for single-family homes in the Edmonton region dropped while condo prices rallied in December, according to figures released today by the Realtors Association of Edmonton.: Z9 w' O9 s. k$ O4 P9 d1 x. {% Q
, N# d0 P# |2 r. N% A, }“That’s a 180-degree twist from what we saw in the month of November,” said outgoing association president Marc Perras.
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The average price for a single family home dropped by three per cent to $351,870 after remaining flat for two months. That’s $30,000 less than the average price of a single family dwelling at the start of 2008.
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& o/ k8 {. W1 [5 E% K1 PCondominium prices — which fell more than eight per cent in the previous two months — edged up 1.2 per cent over November.+ P$ a( a! m8 [- o( S6 @+ U9 z# V
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Over the year, condo prices dropped 7.5 per cent from $253,270 to $234,286." R- p V1 j A' W6 p3 V
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At the end of December, there were 6,316 homes in inventory. The sales to listing ratio was 46 per cent and average days on market was 65, up two from November.
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Residential sales plunged by 29.1 per cent in December to 608. Perras blamed cold weather and global economic uncertainty.
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3 j- w+ `3 Y) T& e, W9 ~“Who wants to tour homes when both your toes and your portfolio are frozen?” Perras said.
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Neither Perras, nor incoming president Charlie Ponde would release a resale market forecast for 2009 until a news conference scheduled for Thursday./ B" C) `/ L) v
, b$ B- x- b8 lBut one real estate company predicted Tuesday that after months of sluggish sales and slipping prices, Edmonton’s housing will return to “a normal state” in 2009.0 I5 k6 C' H! [
4 c- Q& X& R' ]: E, s# yThe year will bring stable average house prices and gradually increasing sales, according to the Royal LePage 2009 Market Survey Forecast.5 a8 `& O6 v: o2 m
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“The combination of healthy employment levels, historically low interest rates and good affordability — something the city has not seen in a while — will all bolster Edmonton’s housing resale market in 2009,” said the survey.
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/ T; f& Q4 O. w: ?1 a! RThe report predicts the average local house price to hold steady at $333,000 this year. The number of homes sold is expected to increase by three per cent to 17,825 units, it said.% K+ G9 U( }& u5 H4 V" w
The company added that a glut of homes that burdened the market shrank in 2008 and will get smaller in 2009, putting Edmonton in a balanced market.
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“Nationally, Canadian average house prices are forecast to dip by three per cent from last year to $295,000, while transactions are projected to fall to 416,000 (–3.5 per cent) unit sales in 2009,” the report said.! V1 k, T; W T) ^+ O
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Meanwhile, the Realtors Association of Edmonton will release a recap of the housing market this morning and a forecast of 2009 on Thursday. |
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