High inventory, stable prices for the 2018 real estate market

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December 2018: The Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) real estate market marked a year of stable average and median prices, decreasing sales, and increasing inventory.

New listings and active inventory are down compared to October 2018. Listings decreased 15.38% and inventory decreased 2.00% month over month. When compared to November 2017, both categories were up. New listings increased 9.97% and inventory increased 9.86% year over year.

Year-to-date average prices remained relatively stable throughout 2018. The residential average sale price was $369,607, a decrease of 1.28% compared to 2017. In the specific categories, average single family home prices decreased 0.85% to $434,028, condominium average prices decreased 4.9% to $236,008 and duplex/rowhouse average prices decreased 1.75% to $342,150.

Residential year-to-date unit sales were down 5.57%, to a total of 15,519 residential units sold, compared to 16,435 in 2017. Single family homes were down 4.36%, condominium unit sales were down 7.73% and duplex/rowhouse unit sales decreased 8.63%. Sales volume in 2018 was also down 6.78% to $5.73 billion compared to $6.15 billion in 2017.

“The real estate market in 2018 experienced record-high inventory levels, rising interest rates and the effect of the mortgage stress test, resulting in lower sales all property categories,” says REALTORS® Association of Edmonton Chair Michael Brodrick. “It was a challenging market for both buyers and sellers and it appears 2019 will be similar.”

Listings for December 2018 decreased 43.09% compared to November 2018, and decreased 3.85% compared to December 2017. End of month inventory decreased 9.69% month over month and increased 10.83% year over year.

Year-to-date days on market for residential units was 62, up 3 days from the average of 59 days on market in 2017. Year-to-date listings were also up, increasing 3.53% over 2017. The reported annual sales to listing ratio was 47%, indicating a buyers’ market.

In the month of December, sales decreased both month over month and year over year. In total, the average residential unit sales decreased 30.13% relative to November 2018, and decreased 19.65% compared to December 2017. Average prices were mostly stable, decreasing 0.02% to $360,450 month over month and increasing 1.03% year over year.