Prices for all housing types show gains despite increased supply
HALIFAX, Jan. 9, 2014 /CNW/ - The Royal LePage House Price Survey and
Market Survey Forecast released today showed steady year-over-year
price increases across all housing types surveyed in Halifax.
Standard two-storey homes saw the largest gain during the quarter, with
the average price increasing 4.8 per cent year-over-year to $329,633.
At the same time condominiums increased by 2.9 per cent to $214,500 and
detached bungalows increased 2.4 per cent to $300,000.
"This year was characterized by consistent year-over-year growth in
prices for Halifax real estate, and this continued in the fourth
quarter," said Matt Honsberger, Broker of Record at Royal LePage
Atlantic. "At the same time, the number of homes trading hands this
quarter was down approximately 25 per cent from the same period last
year, which has caused a swelling of inventory in all housing
categories. If this trend continues into 2014 we may see prices come
down, especially for properties that have been on the market for an
extended period."
Honsberger stated that the increase in inventory can be attributed to
first-time homebuyers, who have been more cautious about jumping into
the real estate market because of higher prices and the challenge of
getting financing after the introduction of new mortgage rules.
Royal LePage forecasts 1.1 per cent price appreciation in the Halifax
housing market in 2014, and they expect unit sales to increase by 2.9
per cent.
"Jobs will be the most important influence on the city's real estate in
the coming year. If the employment situation remains stable we expect
that real estate prices will too," concluded Honsberger.
Nationally, the average price of a home in Canada increased between 1.2
per cent and 3.8 per cent in the fourth quarter.
The survey showed year-over-year average price increases in the fourth
quarter of 2013 of 3.6 per cent to $418,282 for standard two-storey
homes and 3.8 per cent to $380,710 for detached bungalows, while the
average price of a standard condominium rose 1.2 per cent to $246,530.
Prices are expected to maintain healthy momentum into 2014, with Royal
LePage projecting a 3.7 per cent increase nationally from 2013 and a
shift to a seller's market in the first portion of the year in a number
of regions.
"A few short months ago, the country's housing market emerged from a
year-long correctional cycle of dramatically slowed sales volumes.
Later 2013 was marked by a transition to buoyant sales volumes and
above average price growth," said Phil Soper, president and chief
executive of Royal LePage. "In the absence of some calamitous event or
material increase in mortgage financing costs, we expect this positive
momentum to characterize 2014. In fact, we expect a market tipped
decidedly in favour of sellers for the first half of the year, after
which we project a shift to a more balanced market."
"We predict continued upward pressure on home prices as we move towards
the all-important spring market. In addition to normal demand, housing
prices in Canada this year will be influenced by buyers who put off
purchase plans in the very soft spring of 2013," continued Soper. "Talk
of a 'soft landing' for Canada's real estate market in the new year is
misguided. We expect no landing, no slowdown, and no correction in the
near-term. Conditions are ripe for as strong a market as we saw in the
post-recessionary rebound of the last decade."
About the Royal LePage House Price Survey
The Royal LePage House Price Survey is the largest, most comprehensive
study of its kind in Canada, with information on seven types of housing
in over 250 neighbourhoods from coast to coast. This release references
an abbreviated version of the survey which highlights house price
trends for the three most common types of housing in Canada in 90
communities across the country. A complete database of past and present
surveys is available on the Royal LePage website at www.royallepage.ca. Current figures will be updated following the complete tabulation of
the data for the fourth quarter of 2013. A printable version of the
fourth quarter 2013 survey will be available online on February 6,
2014. Housing values in the Royal LePage House Price Survey are Royal
LePage opinions of fair market value in each location, based on local
data and market knowledge provided by Royal LePage residential real
estate experts.
About Royal LePage
Serving Canadians since 1913, Royal LePage is the country's leading
provider of services to real estate brokerages, with a network of
nearly 15,000 real estate professionals in over 600 locations
nationwide. Royal LePage is the only Canadian real estate company to
have its own charitable foundation, the Royal LePage Shelter
Foundation, dedicated to supporting women's and children's shelters and
educational programs aimed at ending domestic violence. Royal LePage is
a Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. company, a TSX-listed
corporation trading under the symbol TSX:BRE.
For more information, visit www.royallepage.ca.
SOURCE Royal LePage Real Estate Services
