Halifax Home Prices See Steady Growth in First Quarter of 2018
Stable economy and increased consumer confidence attract Peak Millennials to region
HALIFAX, April 13, 2018 /CNW/ - The aggregate price of a home in Halifax saw steady growth in the first quarter of 2018, rising 2.1 per cent year-over-year to $311,841, according to the Royal LePage House Price Survey1 released today.
When broken out by housing type, the median price of a two-storey home rose 2.5 per cent year-over-year to $328,961, while the median price of a bungalow decreased 3.3 per cent to $251,033. During the same period, the median price of a condominium posted double-digit gains, increasing 14.4 per cent to $359,679 year-over-year.
"The Halifax housing market started the year off with a notable reduction in inventory, which has placed upward pressure on home prices," said Marc Doucet, broker of record, Royal LePage Atlantic. "Over the last year, we've noticed a trend of buyers interested in higher-end units across housing types. This is the biggest factor contributing to the significant price gains in the condominium segment, which has had several new high-end developments come on the market downtown. Overall, we are seeing high consumer confidence resulting in a lot of opportunity for growth.
"Due to Halifax's affordability relative to major cities across the country, we have a shift in demographics entering the Halifax market," continued Doucet. "We have seen a number of international students choosing to stay in Halifax after their studies resulting in a further increase of Peak Millennials who are driving local housing demand."
Nationally, Canada's residential real estate market saw slowing year-over-year increases in the first three months of 2018. On a quarter-over-quarter basis for the same period, home prices in many markets across the country remained relatively flat, with approximately half of the markets studied by Royal LePage posting slight declines.
"We are experiencing a broad-based, residential housing correction in Canada, triggered by federal and provincial intervention," said Phil Soper, president and CEO, Royal LePage. "Strong house price gains in the first half of 2017 mask some of the recent market shifts when comparing year-over-year home value trends."
"The combination of declining affordability and government intervention has for the most part neutralized very high home price appreciation levels in the greater Vancouver and Toronto regions, relative to the extreme heights witnessed in recent periods," continued Soper. "However, the demand for housing is so strong that the rate of home price appreciation is expected to pick up again in the second half of 2018."
The Royal LePage National House Price Composite, compiled from proprietary property data in 63 of the nation's largest real estate markets, showed that the price of a home in Canada increased 6.2 per cent year-over-year to $605,512 in the first quarter of 2018. When broken out by housing type, the median price of a two-storey home rose 5.7 per cent year-over-year to $715,726, and the median price of a bungalow climbed 4.5 per cent to $501,985. Condominiums continued to witness the highest price appreciation rates among housing types studied, rising 10.3 per cent to $418,245.
"While we have recently seen both overshooting and corrections in Canada's largest markets, on a national basis we believe the Canadian housing market is amidst a long-term expansionary cycle supported by strong economic fundamentals," said Soper. "Canada's stature is rising on a global scale. Our cities continue to be ranked among the most desired places to live in the world. Our economy is strong, our unemployment levels are the lowest they've been in four decades and we have one of the fastest-growing populations among advanced economies. These factors combined are incredibly supportive of long-term housing demand and valuations."
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 63 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, RPS Real Property Solutions, 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 almost 18,000 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.
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SOURCE Royal LePage Real Estate Services
Catherine Snider, Kaiser Lachance Communications, 647-725-2520 ext. 212, [email protected]
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