Written by Alan Kelly, Bōde’s Chief Economist
The real estate market in Edmonton continues to see higher than normal sales, and prices increasing again as we approach the Spring market. It’s a great time for those thinking of selling, especially if you are considering downsizing or moving to a different market.
When you are thinking of buying or selling your home in Edmonton, it is important to understand what is happening in the housing market. Obviously, there are many important factors to consider (what kind of home you have, what community etc.), so it’s important to look specifically at what the market is doing in your local area.
Bōde makes buying and selling your home a streamlined process offering significant time and cost savings along the way.
We are also here to make sure you have the information you need to make the decisions that are right for YOU!
What’s happening in the Edmonton real estate market as of March 2022?
Let’s start with a Macroeconomics view
To understand what’s happening in the real estate market you have to look at supply and demand.
The best proxies for supply and demand are:
Supply
- New supply: New Listings (i.e. the number of homes recently listed for sale)
- Total supply: Inventory (i.e. the total number of homes listed for sale)
Demand
- Sales (i.e. the number of homes recently sold)
Supply & Demand
- Months of Supply (i.e. the number of months it would take to sell all current inventory at the current rate of sale)
These metrics are the best indicators of the health of the real estate market. Let’s look at what they show us.
Edmonton continues to see demand outpace new supply in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak.
New listings in February were up 16% while sales were up 51% vs. the previous 4 years. Sales continue the very strong trend they’ve been on since July 2020.
The total number of homes for sale is down 29% compared to the average of the previous 4 years.
The combination of low supply and more demand has kept ‘months of supply’ low at 2.1 months which is down 65% vs the previous 4 years.
Fewer months of supply make conditions more favourable for sellers, while higher months of supply is more favourable for buyers.
Overall, Edmonton prices have been generally increasing since February 2019. They declined in the second half of 2021 but have returned to increasing again in recent months. They’re now back at 2018 levels.
What does this mean for sellers?
Right now supply is low relative to previous years, and demand is high which means it is a good time to sell your home. Sellers who price their home well will be able to sell quickly. However, your specific property value will be determined by market forces both within your community and against similar active listings. To find out what supply and demand look like for your specific community, click here.
What does this mean for buyers?
There are currently fewer homes for sale than there have been in previous years. This means active buyers need to move fast to beat other buyers to available listings. One way you can move faster is by booking viewings directly through Bōde, so you don’t have to wait for a realtor to schedule your viewings or write your offer.
Market conditions vary substantially by property type, community and price range
Above, we’ve looked at the overall market for Edmonton, but different segments are performing very differently. Let’s look at a few examples.
Sales for detached homes were up 91% in February vs. previous years, while new listings were up 9%.
Detached homes have generally been the best performing property type since the start of the COVID pandemic as buyers look for more space.
Detached prices have been increasing for most of the past 2 years, and they have returned to increasing again. They’re currently comparable to 2015 levels.
Apartments:
New listings of apartments were up 26% in February compared the average of the previous 4 years, while sales were up 75%.
Apartment prices have been on a steady downward trend since 2015, while early 2021 saw a small recovery in prices, they have continued their downward trend in recent months.
New listings of attached homes were up 29% while sales were up 129% in February (compared to the previous 4 years).
However, prices for attached homes have remained relatively flat in recent years.
In general, you’re in a better position if you’re selling a detached or attached home right now compared to an apartment, due to less supply and greater demand.
However, what really matters is what’s happening in your specific local property market. There are some communities and price bands where detached homes are performing better/worse, and the same goes for apartments.
It’s critical to understand the dynamics in your local property market
To understand your local property market you need to look at your local data. Head over to Bōde’s new and improved Market Data dashboard, the only place where you can see all the data yourself, including being able to filter on community, property type, and price range to see exactly what’s happening where you live.
You can also see the sold price of any home that has sold in the last 11 years using Bode’s Sold Data page.
If you’re thinking about selling, take a look at how Bōde helps sellers sell for 1.3% higher prices while paying 50% less commission.
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