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不止是有点暖,是高烧~' P& S$ ?& f* ?) A0 a, h5 g
. g# O' W) ?8 K9 ? nhttp://www.edmontonjournal.com/b ... ?cid=megadrop_story
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, O6 u6 q" w; ~Edmonton sees 26% spike in luxury-home sales+ N" z2 @! p6 d
High-end houses defy real estate cooling trend
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; K4 ?! U; s' B9 s9 x' S' I# gEDMONTON — 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.# X1 d( h' B5 W! G; k0 `) J
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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 $1 million.7 B2 b2 k9 G6 a
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The urgency in Edmonton’s residential housing market — prompted by tighter lending policies and the threat of higher interest rates earlier in the year — has given way to more stable conditions heading into the fourth quarter of 2010, the report said.' a- ^8 G3 i1 l5 c2 N
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“Positive announcements in the oil and gas sector should spur renewed activity in residential real estate — as evidenced in the first few weeks of September. ( g, e/ g1 y3 x
. f4 t+ p0 L- i$ v4 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.”/ g/ i/ ?, E& g9 {( N
; u3 y) L' Y3 h/ P, LYear-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.) `9 D( A, U5 M) H( h( x
. A ?/ O, J4 b+ u9 a: [5 ] sThe sales-to-listing ratio is now 47 per cent, down from 59 per cent in 2009, but up from 42 per cent in 2008.6 J. I) l/ w" v! R/ z, j% E
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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.! t7 D( A- l( F% b# D0 a
5 w* Q; W8 \6 H% n) r9 PInventory levels are up marginally over last year, but down from peak levels reached in 2007 and 2008, ReMax said.
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- c, `' ^ O. C( }/ L0 Y( Z“As a result, the housing market has been characterized as balanced, slightly favouring the buyer,” the report said.
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3 Z# k# p& l+ @* c- p5 FFirst-time buyers in Edmonton remain most active, driving sales of single-family homes between $250,000 and $350,000. Condos represent 34 per cent of residential sales.+ t8 ~: B" H# s
) P& ~$ ]$ ^) UAn 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.”% O% f; S) `. }; n
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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.
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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.
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* x K( \4 k) W" ]“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." d) {+ i8 @& o8 B* S& d
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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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