Calgary Home Prices Begin to Inch Up in the First Quarter of 2017

Low inventory and increased confidence in the local economy contribute to slight uptick

CALGARY, April 18, 2017 /CNW/ - According to the Royal LePage House Price Survey¹ released today, the aggregate² price of a home in Calgary rose for the first time in a year, increasing 0.6 per cent year-over-year to $461,635 in the first quarter of 2017.

When broken out by housing type, the median price of a two-storey home remained relatively flat, increasing 0.1 per cent year-over-year to $500,190 in the first quarter of 2017. During the same period, the median price of a bungalow experienced a moderate increase of 2.4 per cent to $479,543, while the median price of a condominium dipped 0.4 per cent year-over-year to $301,794.

"While home price appreciation remains relatively flat, there is a cautious optimism in our real estate market right now," said Corinne Lyall, broker and owner, Royal LePage Benchmark. "This is projected to be a recovery year; oil prices have stabilized, and people are starting to feel more confident in the economy. This newfound confidence has led to a rising volume of sales and resulting lack of inventory, making it increasingly clear that people are becoming more comfortable with the real estate market in Calgary."

"Despite the economic challenges Calgary experienced in recent years, it has always been a place where people continue to be optimistic," added Lyall. "We've developed resiliency; a lot of exciting, new businesses have opened up because of the challenges to the oil and gas market, giving rise to more housing demand in the region. That's the entrepreneurial spirit of Calgary."

Nationally, Canada's residential real estate market saw substantial price growth in the first quarter of 2017, increasing 12.6 per cent year-over-year to $574,103. The price of a two-storey home rose 13.9 per cent year-over-year to $681,728, and the price of a bungalow increased 11.0 per cent to $490,018. During the same period, the price of a condominium increased 8.9 per cent to $372,638.  

While the majority of housing markets in Canada posted modest gains, price appreciation across much of Ontario significantly outpaced the rest of the country. Meanwhile, the pace of year-over-year home price appreciation in Greater Vancouver was noticeably lower than the historic highs witnessed in 2016.

"For the first time in several years, real estate markets in Vancouver and Toronto are headed in opposite directions," said Phil Soper, President and CEO, Royal LePage. "The Vancouver market stalled, as confused consumers took to the sidelines after a series of uncoordinated moves by all three levels of government. With its housing shortage becoming more acute, Toronto easily stepped forward to assume the title of Canada's most overheated real estate market."

Significant home price appreciation, caused by market dynamics similar to those that have driven housing activity in the Greater Toronto Area, is being seen across the entire "Golden Horseshoe" region of south-central Ontario, and as far away as Windsor and London in southwestern Ontario. In fact, the torrid pace of home price appreciation in much of Ontario contributed almost half of the national aggregate home price increase in the first quarter, with the rest of Canada appreciating by a healthy, but much lower, 6.4 per cent year-over-year when excluding all Ontario-based regions.

"The overall Canadian market is healthier in 2017 than it has been in years, yet the downside risks are greater too," concluded Soper. "Our economy, which has recovered nicely from the 2014 oil crisis, is sadly dependent on moves by an unpredictable U.S. federal government and can be swayed by unforeseen global events, such as fallout from Europe's restructuring. Still, housing activity is strong and prices are rising at a healthy mid-single-digit rate across the land. The trend in Alberta, Quebec and Atlantic Canada is particularly encouraging. Our concerns with the state of Canadian real estate begin and end in Toronto and Vancouver."

About the Royal LePage House Price Survey
The Royal LePage House Price Survey provides information on the three most common types of housing in Canada, in 53 of the nation's largest real estate markets. Housing values in the House Price Survey are based on the Royal LePage National House Price Composite, produced quarterly through the use of company data in addition to data and analytics from its sister company, Brookfield RPS, the trusted source for residential real estate intelligence and analytics in Canada. Commentary on housing and forecast values are provided by Royal LePage residential real estate experts, based on their opinions and market knowledge.

About Royal LePage
Serving Canadians since 1913, Royal LePage is the country's leading provider of services to real estate brokerages, with a network of over 17,000 real estate professionals in more than 600 locations nationwide. Royal LePage is the only Canadian real estate company to have its own charitable foundation, the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, dedicated to supporting women's and children's shelters and educational programs aimed at ending domestic violence. Royal LePage is a Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. company, a TSX-listed corporation trading under the symbolTSX:BRE.

For more information visit:www.royallepage.ca.

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¹ Powered by Brookfield RPS
² Aggregate prices are calculated via a weighted average of the median values of homes for reported property types in the regions surveyed

SOURCE Royal LePage Real Estate Services

Eddie Tabakman, Kaiser Lachance Communications, 647-680-8316, [email protected]