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不止是有点暖,是高烧~% \# b F. _' v/ N4 J; D* B, {1 l
3 @3 Y) s; n% |; X5 ~- chttp://www.edmontonjournal.com/b ... ?cid=megadrop_story/ P; I! U" ]9 u
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Edmonton sees 26% spike in luxury-home sales
+ K1 k- ] |- {, l9 K @& W High-end houses defy real estate cooling trend8 Q2 u& l+ A% Q1 V5 [
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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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/ c6 W& {+ q5 K“One area of the market that has outperformed all others is the upper end,” said the ReMax Market Trends Report Fall 2010 released Tuesday.
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9 @. K" I5 W2 P. P$ q1 [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. # B: v x' U1 e, \6 P6 N0 t
- W3 \ W9 d* e: k, |/ c, |Fifty-five homes in the Edmonton area have sold for more than $1 million." p$ Y) F' J' U) |) c( s: v
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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.5 c' o" d* |. U' t! @
$ x0 X; ?8 S% u“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.
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) Y& [/ }2 ]* r! s6 m3 j8 l“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.”
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2 f' U% p7 I) e% |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.
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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.
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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.* A' G; R( R0 V* v5 Y0 I
/ @- k2 B* H6 ~# m8 FInventory levels are up marginally over last year, but down from peak levels reached in 2007 and 2008, ReMax said.
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4 z& T3 O8 ~: p8 d* c“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 $350,000. Condos represent 34 per cent of residential sales. M# P! W' m/ u8 ]5 V' m4 P
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An influx of new units recently has pushed up supply, putting downward pressure on condo prices, according to the report. Tighter lending rules, requiring a 20-per-cent down payment, “is proving to be detrimental to investment activity.”
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The report, which covered trends and developments in 19 major centres from January to August, found year-to-date sales ahead of 2009 levels in 11 markets.
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7 ^$ N$ y' y/ u. k6 g, B& m. PPrices 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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“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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