Members of the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton list and sell homes on the local Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) from dozens of towns and counties in the local area. REALTORS® are active in every community from Wetaskiwin to Westlock and from Wabamun to Cold Lake. This month we report on average prices in some of the larger centres as well as Edmonton; but first the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) numbers.
In May, the average price of a single-family detached (SFD) property in the CMA was up 2.2% to $438,279. The all-residential average price was $371,871; up 1.6% from April. Throughout the CMA, the average price for a condominium dipped 0.13% from April to $251,688.
There were 2,137 adjusted all-residential sales (1,979 reported) in May 2014 compared to 1,998 sales in April. There were 3,388 residential properties listed in May compared to 2,978 last month. The overall sales-to-listing ratio in May was 58% and average days-on-market was 41. End-of-month residential inventory was 5,634, up 14.7% from April.
“People who bought at the peak have not been able to realize their original purchase price until these prices surpassed the earlier peak,” said REALTORS® Association President Greg Steele. “Now people are confident in the market and feeling comfortable about making a move and those houses are being listed. There are homes for sale all throughout the Edmonton region and SFD prices vary from $221 thousand to $463 thousand on average.”
The most active regions are St. Albert and Sherwood Park with 103 and 102 sales respectively last month. Total sales in those communities represent about 14% of all SFD sales in the Edmonton MLS® System. Year-over-year sales in Beaumont (up 55%), Westlock (up 78%), and Fort Saskatchewan (up 24%) show the highest growth while areas in the northeast (St. Paul, Bonnyville, and Cold Lake) have declined because of a shortage of inventory and price escalation. SFD sales in the City of Edmonton are up just 2.4% Y/Y.
As you might expect, average housing prices tend to decrease as you move further away from the city. Average prices are lowest in Wetaskiwin and Westlock which are both about an hour’s drive from Edmonton. Closer in, St. Albert and Sherwood Park command the highest prices with Beaumont clambering to join that price club. All real estate is local and an average price increase may not reflect a change in value for an individual property.
“Generally housing prices are rising in the Edmonton area,” said President Steele. “There may be slightly different trends in some communities with occasional dips and bumps but there are local REALTORS® operating in each community who can advise buyers and sellers about pricing and marketing strategies that are right for that location.” See the attached chart for details of pricing and sales changes in 12 communities outside Edmonton.
Highlights of MLS® System activity (for all-residential sales in Edmonton CMA1)
| May 2014 | M/M % Change | Y/Y % Change | |
| SFD2 average3 selling price – month | $438,279 | 2.20% | 5.10% |
| SFD median4 selling price – month | $410,000 | 2.50% | 5.90% |
| Condominium average selling price | $251,688 | -0.10% | 6.70% |
| Condominium median selling price | $235,000 | 0.00% | 3.50% |
| All-residential5 average selling price | $371,871 | 1.60% | 4.60% |
| All-residential median selling price | $352,100 | 0.90% | 4.20% |
| # residential listings this month | 3,388 | 13.80% | 9.40% |
| # residential sales this month (reported) | 1,979 | 7.80% | 6.50% |
| # residential inventory at month end | 5,634 | 14.70% | -6.50% |
| # Total6 MLS® System sales this month | 2,677 | 10.10% | 4.60% |
| $ Total value MLS® System residential sales - month | $850 mil | 9.00% | 9.18% |
| $ Total value MLS® System sales – month | $1.013 bil | 11.90% | 12.24% |
| $ Total value MLS® System sales – YTD | $3.794 bil | 58.90% | 15.28% |
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
According to the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton the average price of a single family home (SFD) in the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)1 in April has dropped slightly from the high in March, even with the sale of 13 homes over a million dollars.
In April, the average SFD price was down more than $5,000 to $427,685; a decrease of 1.5% from March but up 5.9% from the same month a year ago. The all-residential average price was $365,045; up 0.4% from March and up 4.5% from a year ago. The higher SFD prices this year have put pressure on affordability and increased demand at the lower price end of the market. The average price for a condominium rose 1.1% from March to $251,300 (up 2.8% Y/Y).
There were 1,983 adjusted all-residential sales (1,836 reported) in April 2014 compared to 1,689 sales in March. Listings also rose in all categories to fill the demand which is common for this time of year. There were 2,977 residential properties listed in April compared to 2,548 last month; an increase of 16.8%. The overall sales-to-listing ratio in April was 62% compared to 60% last year and average days-on-market was 42. End-of-month residential inventory was 4,910, up 11.3% from March.
“The Edmonton CMA is experiencing the highest job and population growth in Canada and that should continue for the foreseeable future,” said President Greg Steele. “Edmonton is a diverse city and housing options exist in all price ranges but competition at the lower-priced end of the market is increasing. Entry level buyers may have to be a little more patient or scale back their expectations to find the home they can afford.”
The most active region of Edmonton is North Central north of Yellowhead Trail between 66 Street and 142 Street where there were 167 sales in April; an increase of 0.6% over March and 23.7% over last year. Fully 20% of all SFD sales were in North Central in April. Areas in the Southeast, Southwest, and South of the Anthony Henday each had sales of about 140 SFD properties in April. The only region of the city to see a decrease in the number of sales year-over-year was the Southeast (Millwoods).
The highest priced homes were located, as usual, in the Southwest region but they saw an 8.7% drop in April compared to March. Homes in the West and Anthony Henday regions also saw price drops month-over-month. Homes in the North, Central, and Southeast were all sold on average below the city–wide average while homes in the West and southern regions (except Southeast) were priced $50,000 or more above average. (Next month we will feature outlying communities.)
“New housing is being built all around Edmonton but the biggest region of new home construction is south of the Anthony Henday,” said President Greg Steele. “Because this housing is often sold directly by the builders and not listed on the MLS® System, our figures do not include many of these sales. Buyers should ask their REALTOR® to show them new home options in these areas as well.”
Highlights of MLS® System activity (for all-residential sales in Edmonton CMA1)
| April 2014 | M/M % Change | Y/Y % Change | |
| SFD2 average3 selling price – month | $427,685 | -1.50% | 5.90% |
| SFD median4 selling price – month | $400,000 | 0% | 5.30% |
| Condominium average selling price | $251,300 | 1.10% | 2.80% |
| Condominium median selling price | $235,000 | 2.20% | 2.20% |
| All-residential5 average selling price | $365,045 | 0.40% | 4.50% |
| All-residential median selling price | $349,000 | 2.20% | 4.20% |
| # residential listings this month | 2,977 | 16.80% | 10.50% |
| # residential sales this month (reported) | 1,836 | 8.70% | 12.60% |
| # residential inventory at month end | 4,910 | 11.30% | -7.30% |
| # Total6 MLS® System sales this month | 2,432 | 21.80% | 12.10% |
| $ Total value MLS® System residential sales - month | $780 mil | 21.40% | 17.40% |
| $ Total value MLS® System sales – month | $905 mil | 26.00% | 17.90% |
| $ Total value MLS® System sales – YTD | $2.7 bil. | 56.20% | 13.30% |
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