Carolyn Knispel

Residential inventory continues to remain strong, as January closed out with 5,751 properties for sale on the MLS® System for the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). That’s an increase of 39.2% over this time last year, and 13.03% up over last month. Sales for January were down however, with 618 properties selling in the first month of 2016, down 13.32% month-over-month, and 7.21% lower year-over-year (YoY).

“Sales volumes are down, relative to the same time last year,” REALTORS® Association of Edmonton Chair Steve Sedgwick explains. “It is likely that home buyers are responding to current economic uncertainties. Although prices have dropped slightly, they remain stable. Growth in inventory may create more opportunities for potential buyers, and given the low interest rates, we remain optimistic about market growth as we head into the spring buying season.”

Prices in all categories saw a decline in the Edmonton CMA market as many lower priced properties sold in January. The all-residential price ended the month at $339,714, down 7.2% from December and 6.3% YoY. Single family house prices averaged $418,928, down 1.3% and 1.2% from the previous month and YoY, respectively. Condo properties sold for an average of $227,052, down 8.8% over last month and 10.3% YoY. And the increasingly popular duplex/rowhouse category, which held steady for much of 2015, took the biggest average selling price decrease, coming in at $326,885, down 12.7% from the previous month and down 13.6% from the same time last year.

January’s average days-on-market rose to 71, up from 62 in December and 58 in January 2015. The increase is mainly attributed to the increased days-on-market for condos, which sat at 85 for January, up from 62 from last month and 61 YoY.

“The increase in the average days on market just appears to reflect that buyers are taking time to consider their options before purchasing a new home,” Sedgwick said. “Clients are looking to their REALTOR® for advice and guidance as they navigate their own individual situations.”

MLS® System Activity (for all-residential sales in Edmonton CMA1)

1 Census Metropolitan Area (Edmonton and surrounding municipalities)
2 Single Family Dwelling
3 The total value of sales in a category divided by the number of properties sold 
4 The middle figure in a list of all sales prices
5 Residential includes SFD, condos and duplex/row houses. 
6 Includes residential, rural and commercial sales

Sales of residential property through the Edmonton Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in 2015 in the Edmonton CMA were down 9% from 2014 but up over 1% from 2013. This decrease was reflected across all property types except duplex and rowhouse sales which were up 6%. Single family homes were down 9% over last year and condos were down 13%. There were 17,298 residential sales reported in 2015 as compared to 18,991 in 2014.

Although sales were down, prices are up year over year, with single family homes finishing the year over 1% higher relative to last year at an average price of $437,569. For 2015, the average price of a condo was $252,954 (up 0.4% from 2014) and the average price of all residential properties was $372,511 (up 1.5% from 2014).

“2015 was a steady year for real estate in Edmonton. Edmonton and the surrounding areas experienced a decline in sales due to economic uncertainty, but we saw a slight increase in price that demonstrated that the market remained relatively stable. This began to cool in the fall months as inventory remained higher than normal.” said REALTORS® Association of Edmonton Chair Geneva Tetreault. “We continued to see home buyers take

advantage of low mortgage rates. An influx of listings at the beginning of the year, meant that buyers had a larger selection of homes and were able to take more time selecting properties than in previous years. We continue to see a tight market in the popular $400,000 price range for single family homes.”

The all-year sales-to-listing ratio was 54% (down 16% from 2014) with average days-on-market at 51 days (up from 47 last year). An increase of listings was highlighted by a year-end inventory of 5,088 properties, up dramatically from the end of 2014 where only 3,059 properties were available on the MLS® System.  

As is seasonally normal, December all residential prices dropped slightly by 0.9% from November. The price of a single family detached property dropped from $432,862 in November to $424,629 in December. Condo prices dropped 1.8% in December to $248,956 while duplex/row house prices increased by 10% from November to $374,217. 

1 Census Metropolitan Area (Edmonton and surrounding municipalities)
2 Single Family Dwelling
3 The total value of sales in a category divided by the number of properties sold 
4 The middle figure in a list of all sales prices
5 Residential includes SFD, condos and duplex/row houses. 
6 Includes residential, rural and commercial sales

Edmonton’s housing market saw strong sales numbers in November. November’s all residential reported sales were down only 2.9% year-over-year (YoY), a notable improvement compared to October 2015 numbers which saw a 15% drop compared to October 2014. The average residential sales price in November for the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) dipped slightly by 3.1% YoY, however average year-to-date prices in November 2015 remain strong year-to-date (YTD) and are up 1.5% compared to November 2014 YTD.

“The warm fall weather we saw in November, coupled with healthy inventory numbers, were key factors in keeping buyers active in the market,” explains Geneva Tetreault, Chair of the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton. “During a time of year where we generally see the market slow down, consumers demonstrated confidence in the Edmonton and Area market.”

Average days on market for single family homes stayed virtually stagnant at 56 days, the same as October and up only one day (55) from November 2014. Condominiums averaged 62 days on market while duplex/rowhouses took an average of 57 days to sell, an increase YoY of 7 and 10 days respectively.

A single family home in the Edmonton CMA sold for an average of $432,862; down 1.4% from October and down 2.62% YoY. Duplex/rowhouses also dropped to an average of $339,454 – down 5.5% from the previous month and down 3.5% from November 2014. However, the average price for condominiums ($253,618) was up 3.8% over last month. All residential properties average price sat at $369,559, down a modest 0.59% from October. 

All residential active inventory remains strong with 6,043 residential properties available in the Edmonton CMA at the end of November, down from October by 9% but still up over last November by 55%.  

“While we continue to see strong inventory numbers, there are noticeably fewer listings coming onto the market in the fall, compared to our peak in the spring when we had more than 7,300 residential properties available,” said Tetreault. “We expect to see the average price to continue to adjust itself due to the slower winter sales season and higher inventory levels, as we approach 2016.”

1 Census Metropolitan Area (Edmonton and surrounding municipalities)
2 Single Family Dwelling
3 The total value of sales in a category divided by the number of properties sold 
4 The middle figure in a list of all sales prices
5 Residential includes SFD, condos and duplex/row houses. 
6 Includes residential, rural and commercial sales

The outlook for Edmonton’s housing market remains stable. The average residential price in October for the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) is up 1.72% year-over-year (YoY) despite reported sales being down 15%. Single family sales are down 14%, with prices up 3% YoY. Condo sales are down 17% YoY and prices are down almost 6% from October of 2014.  

“The average recorded selling price of single family homes in October was bolstered by the sale of two properties well over the $3.5 million mark. Even without these sales we are continuing to see strong prices in this category,” explains Geneva Tetreault, Chair of the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton. “We will likely continue to see average days on market grow as the inventory remains higher than last year and single family sales are down almost 15%.”

Average days on market for all residential properties was 57 this month, up almost 8% over last month and up from last year when average days on market was 51. Single family average days on market was up to 56. Condominiums were averaging 61 days on market compared to 57 in September, and duplex/rowhouses took an average of 49 days to sell in October, down from 51 days the previous month.   

A single family home in the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) sold for an average of $438,935; up 1.57% from September. The average price for condominiums ($244,225) fell 3.45% over last month.

Duplex/rowhouses also dropped to an average of $359,130 – down 1.39% from the previous month but up 1.76% from 2014. All residential properties average price sat at $371,756, up 0.78% from September. 

“It is common to see a dip in both sales and prices at this time of year, but condos have definitely been the most affected. The influx of inventory, both new and resale, has given buyers a bigger selection and more time to make their choice.” Tetreault continues, “There are buyers out there looking to take advantage of low interest rates and the great selection of inventory of all types of property. Sellers need to be competitive in a market with healthy inventory.”

All residential active inventory remains robust with 6,641 residential properties available in the Edmonton CMA at the end of October, down from September by 6.57% but still up over last October by 48.47%.

1 Census Metropolitan Area (Edmonton and surrounding municipalities)
2 Single Family Dwelling
3 The total value of sales in a category divided by the number of properties sold 
4 The middle figure in a list of all sales prices
5 Residential includes SFD, condos and duplex/row houses. 
6 Includes residential, rural and commercial sales