current market statistics

CALGARY REGIONAL HOUSING MARKET STATISTICS – October 2014

Condominium sector boosts Calgary resale housing activity
Screen shot 2014-11-03 at 3.07.56 PMPrice growth eases as supply improves
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Continued double-digit gains in the condominium apartment sector helped to fuel a 10 per cent increase in Calgary’s residential resale housing market in October. Overall sales for the month totaled 2,147 units, compared with 1,948 during the same period last year.
“Two consecutive years of relatively strong employment and population growth, combined with rising wages and low lending rates, have supported demand growth in our housing sector,” said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie.
With a 14 per cent gain, the city’s condominium apartment sector recorded the largest year-over-year growth. It represents the sixth consecutive month that sales in this category have increased by double digits – due, in large part, to better selection of relatively affordable product. More than half of this year’s new listings have been priced below $300,000.
“Tight rental market conditions combined with low mortgage rates have supported demand growth for condominium product in Calgary,” said CREB® president Bill Kirk, noting apartment sales have also set a year-to-date record, totaling 4,202 units. “Much of this demand is coming from both first-time homebuyers and investors.”
While sales improved, year-to-date condominium apartment listings also increased by nearly 30 per cent to 6,528 units. The pace of growth has exceeded sales growth causing a rise in inventory levels.
“Rising listings relative to sales activity has caused apartment inventories to improve,” said Kirk. “This has pushed this sector into more balanced territory, reducing some upward pricing pressures and giving buyers more options.”
Meanwhile, year-over-year condominium townhouse sales growth eased to eight per cent in October compared to the same period last year. Year-to-date sales, however, are still up 19 per cent to 3,303 units. New listings have similarly kept pace, creating access to more inventory for buyers.
Much like the condominium sectors, October sales in the singlefamily market experienced healthy gains, growing by 9.7 per cent to 1,462 units compared to same period last year. Meanwhile, new listings totaled 1,871 units. Year-to-date single-family sales and new listings have totaled 15,301 and 21,890 units respectively.
As of October, only 18 per cent of new single-family listings were priced below $400,000 and only 387 remained in inventory by the end of the month.
“While buyers can still find single-family product priced under this threshold in Calgary, the selection has consistently declined over the past four years,” said Kirk. “As our market moves into more balanced conditions, there has been a notable shift in the composition of the market. Not only do condominiums represent a larger share of total activity, but product availability by price range and property type has shifted.”
Single-family, apartment and townhouse benchmark prices totaled a respective $513,500, $299,800, and $337,800 in October. While all sectors saw unadjusted monthly prices level off and growth ease, year-over-year increases remained above nine per cent across all categories due to gains achieved this past spring.
“All citywide resale segments have recorded a moderate easing of supply constraints, which should help stabilize prices as we approach the end of the calendar year,” said Lurie. “Nonetheless, consumers should be aware that market conditions can vary significantly depending on the location and property type.”

CALGARY REGIONAL HOUSING MARKET STATISTICS – November 2013

SALES GROWTH BOOSTED BY RISE IN NEW LISTINGS…
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Click here on the following link to view the full CALGARY REGIONAL HOUSING MARKET STATISTICS for November 2013
Fifth consecutive month of double-digit trend:
City residential sales totaled 1,730 units in November, a 19 per cent increase in sales volume over the previous year. Following another month of strong activity, year-to-date sales totaled 22,322 units, 11 per cent higher than long-term trends. CREB® President Becky Walters said it appears that several factors are motivating buyers.
“Many first-time homebuyers appear to be moving now to get ahead of any further increases in home prices, rent hikes, or an increase in lending rates,” she said. “And current owners are taking advantage of the recent price gains to upgrade to a home that better fits their lifestyle.” There were 1,823 new listings in the city in November. While this is an 12 per cent increase over levels recorded at the same time in 2012, listings remain below long-term trends and total inventory levels is lower than normal for this time of year.
“Tight market conditions have resulted in higher-than-expected price gains in all sectors of the Calgary market,” said Ann-Marie Lurie, Chief Economist. “However, these increases need to be
put into context.”
Citywide, only the price of single-family homes has fully recovered and started to push above unadjusted levels recorded in 2007. Meanwhile, condominium apartment and townhouse prices remain below peak, Lurie said.
Single-family benchmark prices totaled $470,600 in November, 8.5 per cent higher than one year ago. Meanwhile, condominium apartment and townhouse unadjusted benchmark prices totaled a respective $279,600 and $305,700 in November, 6 per cent below 2007 peak pricing.
Year-to-date, single-family sales totalled 15,533 units, eight per cent higher than the previous year. The higher-than-expected rise in sales activity is due to stronger activity in the second half of the year. Tightness in the condominium apartment market eased in November, as the year-over-year growth in November new listings of 23 per cent outpaced the sales growth of 20 per cent. While overall inventory levels remain 26 per cent lower than levels recorded in 2012, this is an improvement over the declines recorded throughout recent months. Year-to-date sales activity totaled 3,787 units, a 15 per cent increase over the previous year.
Condominium townhouse sales totaled 3,002 units after 11 months, a 21 per cent increase over the previous year. While this sector remains the smallest out of the Calgary housing types, it has recorded the largest gains in sales. “Overall, sales growth in surrounding communities outpaced the city,” said Walters. “They offer the family friendly attractions of small towns, and they’re more affordable.”
Lurie noted the vibrant employment market has encouraged a large number of net migrants into the city over the past two years. Click here to read more! (Or click on the following link to view the full CALGARY REGIONAL HOUSING MARKET STATISTICS for November 2013)