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Average price slips as fewer people moving to Alberta, realtors association says9 N; d# }4 w1 G S
Bill Mah, The Edmonton Journal
5 \9 L. x7 t8 ]5 K @Published: 1:31 am i5 _9 Q0 E3 [' S
EDMONTON - The buyer still reigns in Edmonton's housing market, where the number of homes for sale has skyrocketed by 268 per cent from a year ago. b. ^$ B" f) [0 P5 M
$ V2 w, ~. {" B1 k5 m9 jFigures released Thursday by the Realtors Association of Edmonton show there were 9,464 residential properties available in the city area -- up by a whopping 1,220 homes from February.& \# t: P0 {" Y$ b
$ G5 T' p+ }: ^2 h2 iThat's the third-largest inventory in Edmonton history. Only last September and October were there more homes for sale at month's end, 9,918 and 9,577 respectively.
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Association president Marc Perras said the inventory, about six month's worth, stems largely from fewer people moving to Alberta.7 L6 n Y. a& c% Y# M
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Net migration to Alberta last year was 27,048. That's down significantly from 74,523 who moved here in 2006, according to Statistics Canada data.) A# z! `6 | {, b$ J" q
3 X- E4 o8 D8 l6 z9 H0 R3 ?% w"We had an industry that ramped up, expecting that those numbers would keep up and now, as a result of that drop-off, we've seen inventory numbers come up fairly significantly," Perras said.6 {2 ^5 e; x- j. e
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He predicted home prices will increase by the year's end as inventory drops and called the current situation a "stable, normal" market.
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"Our sales volumes are similar to what we saw in 2004 and 2005 and our prices are essentially flat.
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3 ~) }7 |+ N6 w E" R; \, S"We saw quite a roller-coaster ride last year when prices jumped up significantly in the first six months and fell off significantly in the last six months."( S* d7 c8 i& C
; ?0 U1 A0 [1 @+ l( _/ I+ E% ZA single-family home sold in March for an average price of $387,632, down 2.7 per cent from March last year.
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But the average residential price -- including single-family homes, condos, duplexes, mobile homes and others -- was $343,760, 5.66 per cent higher than March 2007.
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There were 1,557 residential properties sold in March with new listings of 4,236 for a sales-to-listing ratio of 37 per cent. Homes spent 51 days on the market, down one day from last month.% W9 Z1 O' L2 J- f
$ u) V- L Z5 J8 NTotal MLS sales in March dropped 31 per cent from a record-setting pace in March 2007.
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Meanwhile, a house price survey released Thursday by Royal LePage Real Estate Services says Edmonton-area houses became more affordable in the first three months of 2008.
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The study looked at certain local markets examined and found the average price of a "standard two-storey home" fell 3.7 per cent to $363,707.' l3 a) x0 D$ i6 T b, z
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The price of detached bungalows fell 4.9 per cent to $330,000 from the same time last year. Standard condo prices also fell 7.7 per cent year-over-year to $235,000, said the LePage study.
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. ~8 I7 f# n ?& gKen Shearer, a Royal LePage broker and owner, said debate over energy royalties kept house prices lower.
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; \ V* ?/ E" C9 g) k; V"As a result of this debate, the market has receded from the wild pace it experienced last year as buyers are simply no longer interested in paying skyrocketing house prices," he said.
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, @% W" E7 m ~: ~! {# U1 gAccording to the report, prices varied by specific market in the Edmonton region. Here are some highlights:# d; j- C$ d0 m. v. Q. b
6 i7 b& D/ A4 W# H: YSherwood Park: Average prices for two-storey homes dropped by 7.1 per cent to $390,000, while detached bungalows and condos were unchanged from last year.
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0 B# t9 V0 o% O0 t( [/ SSpruce Grove: A two-storey home rose 6.9 per cent to $405,000 year-over-year.
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" @8 K6 p* J; E4 d' q* WRiverbend/Terwilligar: A two-storey property rose by 12.7 per cent to $410,950 over the same time last year. The average price of a detached bungalow rose by 2.6 per cent to $390,000, while condo prices dropped by 10.6 per cent to $235,000.7 m$ v* W9 v7 `8 K3 S5 K: `4 B
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Leduc: Average condo prices rose by 9.1 per cent to $240,000 year-over-year. Two-storey house prices dropped by 7.5 per cent ($310,000.)
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, Y1 Z6 s2 ~% `9 w% W& ZSt. Albert: The average price of a two-storey home fell by 12.8 per cent to $340,000 while detached bungalows dropped by 12.3 per cent and condos by 13.3 per cent., m5 T- w. V b2 I1 ]( D
Castle Downs: Average detached bungalows fell by 18.6 per cent to $285,000. Average two-storey homes went down 11.4 per cent to $350,000.- Q# F: [( |. w* N
3 x& v6 G4 b* d/ t- YClareview: Detached bungalows decreased by 8.8 per cent to $310,000, year-over-year. Condo prices fell by 16 per cent to $210,000 from the same time last year. |
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