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Love It or List It Vancouver’s Todd Talbot draws heavily on his own homebuying experiences during his Calgary Home and Garden Show presentation on “right sizing.” According to Talbot, right-sizing requires homeowners to do an honest audit of what is important to them when it comes to their living space. Courtesy Reformation PR

Feb. 07, 2018 | CREBNow

Housing market deja vu in January

As expected, Calgary sales activity similar to last year

The new year opened predictably, with monthly figures close to the Januarys of the past three years.

With new mortgage rules and rates officially in effect, sales activity in January remained comparable to last year, as rising sales for attached properties were not enough to offset declines in both the apartment and detached sector.

Overall January sales totaled 958 units, nearly two per cent above last year and 11 per cent below long-term averages.

"2018 was kicked off with higher rates and the official implementation of the new mortgage requirements.

While it is too early to see the impact of these changes, so far, January levels are consistent with what we saw last year," said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie

"The recovery will be bumpy, and we will continue to monitor the impact of the lending changes relative to the overall economic climate."

"The recovery will be bumpy, and we will continue to monitor the impact of the lending changes relative to the overall economic climate." - Ann-Marie Lurie, CREB® chief economist

Stable sales were met with rising new listings, causing further gains in inventory levels and impacting prices. Citywide, unadjusted prices totaled $432,300, 0.21 per cent below last month and 0.25 per cent below last year's figures. Prices eased across all product types compared to last month, but price declines were more pronounced in the apartment and attached sectors.

In the detached sector, new listings rose, with declining sales activity for product priced over $500,000.

However, product priced between $300,000 and $399,999 saw an increase in activity. This will be an adjustment to the new reality buyers and sellers face, as pockets of the market will experience a mismatch between supply and demand.

"Sellers needs to be aware of the competing supply in the market. This can influence the timing of their decision, along with setting realistic expectations regarding time on the market and selling price," said 2018 CREB® president Tom Westcott. "For buyers, getting pre-approved for a mortgage is essential, along with getting advice from a REALTOR® to get into a home they will be happy with."

REGIONAL MARKET FACTS

Airdrie

New listings in Airdrie rose over last year's levels relative to improvements in sales activity, causing minimal changes to the months of supply. However, persistently elevated levels of supply relative to demand continue to weigh on prices.

Detached prices totalled $371,800 in January, 0.27 per cent below last month's price and nearly one per cent lower than last January.

Cochrane

Sales, new listings and inventory levels all remained comparable to activity last January. This also resulted in minimal changes in pricing compared to the end of last year.

As of January, the detached price totalled $407,400, 0.54 per cent above last month, but 3.62 per cent below levels recorded in January 2017.

Okotoks

Sales activity in January improved over last year, but it was met with a similar gain in new listings, keeping inventory levels slightly higher than levels recorded last year.

Overall, this one-month rise in months of supply was not enough to offset previous improvements, preventing any impact on prices. Detached home prices totalled $430,100 in January, one per cent higher than last month and nearly one per cent higher than the same time last year.