Monday, December 5, 2011

Market Update: Ottawa resale housing market posts record sales in November

Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,020 residential properties in November through the Board's Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 940 in November 2010, an increase of 8.5 per cent. The five-year average for November sales is 881.



Of those 1,020 sales, 244 were in the condominium property class, while 776 were in the residential property class. The condominium property class includes any property, regardless of style (i.e. detached, semi-detached, apartment, stacked etc.), which is registered as a condominium, as well as properties, which are co-operatives, life leases and timeshares. The residential property class includes all other residential properties.



"Last month was the best November on record for resale home sales in Ottawa. The last time we saw sales numbers anywhere close to that number was in 2001. It speaks well for the stability of our market that even in the quieter months of the year, our market is still thriving," said Board Past President Joanne Tibbles. "The number of properties available for sale is higher than at this time last year, indicating that homeowners are confident that it's a good time to put their home on the market, and based on these great sales numbers, buyers are also confident, especially as interest rates remain stable," she added.



The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in November in the Ottawa area was $347,795, an increase of 7.3 per cent over November 2010. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $265,800, nearly unchanged from November 2010. The average sale price of a residential-class property was $373,577, an increase of 9.2 per cent over November 2010. The Board cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.





courtesty of the Ottawa Real Estate Board