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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.+ A- h% M: `/ v3 ?% ~/ u- m1 }
- k3 m7 o1 Y$ J! i+ Z“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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* t# I) Z: F3 R# Q" _3 fCondominium prices — which fell more than eight per cent in the previous two months — edged up 1.2 per cent over November.
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( s: P; f+ A9 ~% ]Over the year, condo prices dropped 7.5 per cent from $253,270 to $234,286.; x% h6 Z' Y+ V: |
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At the end of December, there were 6,316 homes in inventory. The sales to listing ratio was 46 per cent and average days on market was 65, up two from November.
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4 i% b$ G) d; g, q0 C3 TResidential sales plunged by 29.1 per cent in December to 608. Perras blamed cold weather and global economic uncertainty.6 A$ q2 [- e+ G, i( \6 `6 U, c
y, D/ V7 i1 d: I! ]“Who wants to tour homes when both your toes and your portfolio are frozen?” Perras said.5 P1 H" t% R1 C6 [
+ K2 S* [) i8 ]! O2 Z9 z4 ], VNeither Perras, nor incoming president Charlie Ponde would release a resale market forecast for 2009 until a news conference scheduled for Thursday.9 n: v! {! e0 K
7 X# }% B* H; T% \) t) d( dBut 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 2009.3 ?4 Z3 m% o$ i4 v
: E, Q# L$ D$ _The year will bring stable average house prices and gradually increasing sales, according to the Royal LePage 2009 Market Survey Forecast.* w O$ B1 c/ g* g
) G/ [: G/ Z; s" }) Y- |/ D“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.& w) U, k0 A' W: E: d
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The report predicts the average local house price to hold steady at $333,000 this year. The number of homes sold is expected to increase by three per cent to 17,825 units, it said.3 K" n7 T- ~/ ]; I$ T: E
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.' | e: t1 ]& D: g* J% b
0 X; o. I7 L$ o“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.
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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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