The highest number of listings combined with the lowest number of sales in January in 5 years makes for a strong buyer's market.

Edmonton Listings vs Sales - January 2016
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Median Sale Price 2010 to 2014 | Create Infographics

Save Time and Money

Did you know hiring your own Realtor to represent you when searching for a home can actually save you a lot of time and money? Some buyers mistakenly believe by trying to 'go-it-alone', they'll save themselves money.

This just simply isn't the case.

In fact, by 'going-it-alone', buyers can actually cause themselves a lot of stress and grief, hurt their negotiating power, and waste a lot of unnecessary time searching for homes on their own.

So, before even stepping foot in the door of the first home, find a Realtor you trust. As a Realtor and Buyer's Agent, I work with clients through the entire process, and meet with them first for an initial 1-hour, one-on-one consultation. This meeting allows me to get to know your needs, explain many of the important things you need to know about the process of buying a home, answer questions you may have and set up proper automated searches for you, so you're among the first to know about the homes that matter to you.

The consultation is a friendly, no pressure chat at a coffee shop of your choice. There's never any obligation. If you choose to hire me to help you, then we can get started right away. If not, then at the very least you'll walk away with a lot of valuable information about buying a home.

Call/text me at 780-964-7335 or email me at jason@MyRealHome.com to arrange to get together. I've helped hundreds of happy clients find their perfect home, and would be thrilled to help you as well. I look forward to speaking to you.

Edmonton, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain REALTOR® - Trustworthy, Honest and Experienced

Are you in the market to buy or sell a home in Edmonton, Spruce Grove or Stony Plain? If you are, you’ll find it’s vital to hire a Realtor who is reputable and knowledgeable. A Realtor who can streamline the entire process for you, saving you valuable time and money.

My name is Jason Hafso, and I’m available to help you with all of your real estate needs. Buying or selling a property can be as simple as 1-2-3, but it’s important to be equipped with the correct tools and resources. Hiring me to help you with your sale or purchase will ensure you have skilled, experienced help and access to current, accurate information. Give me a call, text me (780-964-7335) or send me an email (jason@MyRealHome.com) today to learn how easy it can be.

An investment of a lifetime

(NC)—Owning your own home is an exciting proposition and an achievable goal for most Canadians. The number one reason many become homeowners is pride of homeownership and the stability and security that comes with it.

Buying a home can also be a solid investment and provide tax benefits.

In Canada, you are not taxed on any investment gains made on the sale of your primary residence. So, for example, if you buy your home for $200,000 and sell it 5 years later for $250,000, you do not have to pay income tax on the $50,000 you earned from the sale.

Another advantage is each time you make a mortgage payment, you are putting a portion towards the principal balance of your mortgage, which builds equity in your home. This is a better use of your money than giving rent to a landlord and is a good long-term investment.

Owning a home also means that you can make your own decisions on decorating, home improvements, location, etc. In a recent survey conducted by Genworth Canada, 91 per cent of first-time homebuyers said that homeownership may mean more work but the effort is well worth it.

When it makes financial sense, buying a home is often a wise, secure and emotionally satisfying move to make.

For more information on buying a home visit Genworth.ca

www.newscanada.com

Housing sales and prices stable at the end of the first quarter - REALTORS®

Edmonton, April 2, 2012: At the end of the first quarter, the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton reports that the average residential price in the Edmonton area is up 2.2% when compared to a year ago. The all-residential average1 price, at $335,187 compared to $328,094 in March of last year. Single family detached (SFD) and condominium average prices were stable year-over-year with SFD prices up 0.2% and condos down 0.7%. 

“Other markets, such as Toronto, are reporting feverish real estate activity involving multiple offers and unconditional offers but our market is calm, orderly and slowly evolving,” said REALTORS® Association of Edmonton President Doug Singleton. “Listing activity is up when compared to last year but sales and inventory are down which could indicate that market activity will pick up markedly as the summer progresses.”

On the Multiple Listing Service® System, sales and listings by REALTORS® in March were up, with 3,271 residential listings (up 23.5% from February) and sales of 1,533 (up 24.5% from the previous month). As a result, the inventory of residential properties available for sale was up 14.6% at 6,851 properties. At the current sales level, there are four and half months of inventory available. In total, there are 10,640 properties of all types (commercial, rural and residential) on the Edmonton and Area Multiple Listing Service®.

Market stability is reflected in the sales-to-listing ratio which is unchanged from month-to-month. The average days-on-market dropped in March by one day from 54 to 53 and residential properties are selling at about the same pace as this time last year on a year-to-date basis (46%).

In March, the average price of a single family detached home was $380,083, up 1.3% from the previous month. The average price of a condominium in March was $231,629, down 1.4% from the February price (last month the price of condos advanced over 8% in a month). Duplex and rowhouse properties sold on average for $319,020; a 4.1% improvement from the previous month.

“April is the start of the real estate season when people who want to buy and sell real estate are most active,” said Singleton. “There is speculation that mortgage rates will start to rise which makes it more difficult for first time buyers. However, there is lots of choice in our market with new properties coming available daily. Whatever your housing situation you can trust the advice of your local REALTOR® who is here when life happens.”

Activity (for all residential sales on Edmonton MLS® System)

	March 2012	M/M % change	Y/Y % change
SFD2 average selling price - month	$380,083	1.30%	0.20%
SFD median3 selling price	$360,000	1.80%	1.40%
Condominium average selling price	$231,629	-1.40%	-0.70%
Condominium median selling price	$220,000	-2.20%	0.00%
All-residential4 average selling price	$335,187	1.60%	2.20%
All-residential median selling price	$320,500	1.10%	3.10%
# residential listings this month	3,271	23.50%	12.70%
# residential sales this month	1,533	24.50%	-4.70%
# residential inventory at month end	6,851	14.50%	-0.50%
# Total5 MLS® System sales this month	1,717	23.70%	92.70%
$ Value residential sales this month	$513 Million	26.50%	-2.60%
$ Value of total MLS® System sales – month	$592 Million	24.70%	0.20%
$ Value of total MLS® System sales - YTD	$1.47 Billion	74.50%	15.10%

3 Single Family Dwelling
4 The middle figure in a list of all sales prices
5 Includes residential, rural and commercial sales

2 Residential includes SFD, condos and duplex/row houses

* Average prices indicate market trends only. They do not reflect actual changes for a particular property, which may vary from house to house and area to area. Prior period figures have been adjusted to include late reported sales and cancellations and therefore reflect a more accurate view of the period than previously reported at month end.

This information provided courtesy of the Realtors Association of Edmonton.
The REALTORS® Association of Edmonton (Edmonton Real Estate Board), founded in 1927, is a professional association of over 3,200 Brokers and Associates in the greater Edmonton area. The Association administers the Multiple Listing Service®, provides professional education to its members and enforces a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Business Practice.
The Association also advertises property listings and publishes consumer information on the Internet at REALTOR.ca (formerly mls.ca), as well as in the Real Estate Weekly. The REALTORS® Association supports charities involving shelter and homelessness through the REALTORS® Community Foundation.

February Housing Prices Rise with Sales - REALTORS®

Edmonton, March 2, 2012: The REALTORS® Association of Edmonton reports that housing prices were up in all housing categories in February in the Edmonton area. The all-residential average1 price, at $329,911, was up 3.7% from January and up 5.7% when compared to the same month last year.

“Average prices in February were higher than the year-long average price for last year,” said REALTORS® Association of Edmonton President Doug Singleton. “Buyers seem to have confidence and REALTOR® offices are reporting solid traffic. This is lifting prices up and they are already higher than at the same time in the past two years.”

In February, the average price of a single family detached (SFD) home was $375,268, up 3.1% from the previous month. The average price of a condominium in February was $234,973, up 8.5% from the January price. This is higher than all months except May of last year. Duplex and rowhouse properties sold on average for $306,491; a 1.4% improvement from the previous month.

Year-over-year prices were also up in all categories. Single family properties were up 4.8%; condos were up 1.7% and duplex/rowhouses were up 0.2% from the same month last year.

Sales and listings by REALTORS® on the Multiple Listing Service® System in February were both up from January and the sales-to-listing ratio recovered from 36% in January to 46% in February. This indicates that less than half of the residential properties listed were sold and provides fresh property options for buyers who may have been looking for several months. Sellers should be pleased to see that the average days-on-market in February was 54; down from 65 in January.

There were 5,976 residential properties in the local MLS® System at the end of January. Although the inventory was up from last month, it is lower than a year ago when there were 6,389 properties available for sale on the MLS® System.

“Nationally the housing still appears to be soft,” said Singleton. “But the local market is much more robust. Consult your local REALTOR® for the most comprehensive local market information. REALTORS® are here when life happens.”

Activity (for all residential sales on Edmonton MLS® System)

	February 2012	M/M % Change	Y/Y % change
SFD2 average selling price - month	$375,268	3.10%	4.80%
SFD median3 selling price	$353,500	0.40%	1.90%
Condominium average selling price	$234,973	8.50%	1.70%
Condominium median selling price	$225,000	9.80%	4.90%
All-residential1 average selling price	$329,911	3.70%	5.70%
All-residential median selling price	$317,000	1.60%	3.90%
# residential listings this month	2,649	8.50%	2.00%
# residential sales this month	1,231	39.70%	6.60%
# residential inventory at month end	5,976	12.70%	-6.50%
# Total4 MLS® System sales this month	1,388	38.30%	55.80%
$ Value residential sales this month	$406 Million	44.90%	12.60%
$ Value of total MLS® System sales – month	$474 Million	41.70%	16.90%
$ Value of total MLS® System sales - YTD	$842 Million	N/A	22.70%

1 Residential includes SFD, condos and duplex/row houses.
2 Single Family Dwelling
3 The middle figure in a list of all sales prices
4 Includes residential, rural and commercial sales

* Average prices indicate market trends only. They do not reflect actual changes for a particular property, which may vary from house to house and area to area. Prior period figures have been adjusted to include late reported sales and cancellations and therefore reflect a more accurate view of the period than previously reported at month end.

This information provided courtesy of the Realtors Association of Edmonton.
The REALTORS® Association of Edmonton (Edmonton Real Estate Board), founded in 1927, is a professional association of over 3,200 Brokers and Associates in the greater Edmonton area. The Association administers the Multiple Listing Service®, provides professional education to its members and enforces a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Business Practice.
The Association also advertises property listings and publishes consumer information on the Internet at REALTOR.ca (formerly mls.ca), as well as in the Real Estate Weekly. The REALTORS® Association supports charities involving shelter and homelessness through the REALTORS® Community Foundation. 

Analysts expect Ottawa to tighten mortgage rules

There’s a chance that the federal government could make it tougher for people to purchase a home, by tightening lending rules for mortgages. Possible changes could include raising the minimum down payment from 5% or reducing the maximum amortization from 30 years (it was changed from 35 to 30 years not that long ago). This change could come this spring, possibly by late March.

Would stricter lending rules affect the real estate market? Only time will tell. It could keep some first-time buyers out of the market completely. Or it could shift more interest toward the condo market here in Edmonton, which may be a good thing, as the condo market has taken a bit of a beating.

Read the Edmonton Journal story:
Analysts expect Ottawa to tighten mortgage rules

Edmonton Population on the Rise

Edmonton’s population grew by 11.2% to 812,201 from 2006 to 2011, according to the 2011 Census of Population report released today by Statistics Canada.

The growth rate is even faster than the 9.6% recorded between 2001 and 2006 and maintains the city’s position as the fifth-largest city in Canada.

Read the complete article:

Edmonton Population on the Rise :: City of Edmonton

Think house prices are bad in Edmonton?

This Vancouver article covers stories of families in Vancouver trying to make it with the high cost of housing there, and then typically moving to more affordable cities such as Edmonton.

Here in Edmonton, anyone willing to work for a living can buy a house. We see our move to Edmonton as a permanent exit from the Lower Mainland, with little expectation that we will ever be able to afford to move back. Not a problem though — the sun always shines in Edmonton.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/business/Young+families+pull+stakes+better+life/6060161/story.html#ixzz1knZjqAbv

Our Edmonton Economy Is On A Roll

According to a report put out by CIBC, Edmonton is the second-best city in Canada, in terms of economic momentum.

"If you look at Edmonton, the labour market is doing much better, population is rising, investment is rising, the real estate market is doing fine," said Benjamin Tal, deputy chief economist with CIBC World Markets and author of the report. "Edmonton is still up there."

Read the complete Edmonton Journal story here.

Could a 30-year fixed mortgage happen in Canada?

An Edmonton Journal article asks a valid question, even if the title of the article is a bit misleading…

Turchansky: Do Canadians need 30-year mortgages?

We already have 30-year mortgages in Canada. What the article is actually asking (and what many of the commenters appear to have missed) is if Canada should have 30-year locked-in fixed-rate mortgages (i.e. a mortgage that remains XX% and monthly payments that never change throughout its entire 30 year term).

Edmonton financial adviser Shawn Allen of InvestorsFriend Inc. has been prodding financial writers to lobby financial institutions to offer Canadians an “affordable” 30-year locked-in mortgage, insured and with minimum penalties for refinancing.

Currently, it’s most common to take out a 25 or 30 year mortgage, but with a 5 year term. That means the interest rate (and payments) stay fixed for the next 5 years. But at the end of 5 years, it’s time to renew, and if interest rates have skyrocketed in that time, there could be a staggering increase in monthly payments. A 30-year fixed-rate mortgage may be an attractive option for anyone who plans to stay in a home long-term, and who wants the security of knowing their monthly payment will never go up, from the time they buy the home until it’s completely paid off. What are your thoughts?

Read the complete Edmonton Journal story here…

A Good Edmonton Real Estate Market for 2012?

According to BMO’s deputy chief economist, Edmonton may be one of the hottest real estate markets in Canada in 2012.

“Calgary (average price: $399,000) and Edmonton ($320,000) have seen stable prices in recent years even as Alberta easily recorded the strongest employment growth in the country in 2011," he says. If oil prices hold around $90 US a barrel or more in the coming year, "look for those two cities to lead the way for hottest housing markets in 2012," says Porter.

I guess time will tell.

Read the complete Edmonton Journal story...

Canadian real estate in the “middle of the pack” globally: Report

A report from Scotiabank Group says average house prices in Canada continue to rise, although Edmonton was the only city listed that prices actually fell from 2010 to 2011.

Of the major Canadian cities listed in the report, Edmonton was the only city to experience a real estate price drop between 2010 and 2011.

Read more: http://www.canada.com/business/Canadian+real+estate+middle+pack+globally+Report/5888983/story.html#ixzz1hC7fE8TL

Housing affordability improves slightly

RBC has put out a new report indicating low interest rates are keeping house prices in Canada affordable.

A new report finds low interest rates are keeping Canadian house prices within reach of homebuyers in many markets.

Read the full article...

Spring brings new signs of life in housing market

Looking to get into a bigger home, townhouse owner James VanderLinden decided last month was the time to make a move.

A buyer in a struggling economy, he bought a new home under asking price - paying $1.1-million in midtown Toronto - but hadn't yet sold his first place.

"I wanted to take advantage of the market," said Mr. VanderLinden, 34, who works in online advertising. "I knew also that selling my current house, I would probably not get as much money for it as I would if the market was up."

Read the complete story.

More fiction than fact in riches-to-rags tales of Alberta in crisis

You mean Alberta's (and Edmonton's) future might not be so dire as the media makes it out to be?

It was a catchy sound bite, but patently untrue.

Despite Alberta's fat budget surpluses and high personal incomes, most national wealth surveys showed Vancouver and Toronto were the richest cities in Canada, and that hasn't changed.

A recent study by Pitney Bowes Business Insight confirms that real-estate-rich Vancouver is still Canada's wealthiest city, followed by Toronto, Calgary, Victoria and Oshawa. Edmonton ranks ninth, just behind Kitchener.

Read the complete story...

Shop wisely and make offers, say real estate experts

A perspective of our real estate market in Western Canada and where it's expected to go, by a Vancouver-based real estate expert:

In today's gloomy environment, we must remember that urban real estate always has a use and thus always has an asset value.

People live in it, play in it, use it for business or grow their tomatoes on it.

We like all urban real estate in Western Canada from Edmonton to Vancouver and most everything in between.

Read the complete story.

O Canada: Want to buy a Vegas home, eh?

The drop in home prices has opened the door to more Canadians buying vacation homes and investment property in Las Vegas, and some builders and developers are trying to take advantage of it.

D.R. Horton and other builders in Las Vegas will attend a property show in Edmonton, Alberta, on April 25 that will include Las Vegas real estate from single-family homes to condominiums, such as Allure, and townhomes.

Read the complete story.