April 08, 2014
An influx of housing inventory and pent-up demand fuel a strong start to the spring market
TORONTO, April 8, 2014 – Real estate brokers across the country saw inventory increase noticeably in the final month of the first quarter of 2014, following a remarkably drab winter for residential real estate activity. The spring market, which seemed on the verge of underperforming, turned a corner in the last weeks of the quarter.
According to the Royal LePage House Price Survey, released today, most regions showed healthy year-over-year price growth, with the average price of a home in Canada rising between 2.5 per cent and 5.4 per cent. In the first quarter, the average price of a two-storey home increased 5.4 per cent to $428,943, while detached bungalows rose 4.4 per cent year-over-year to $380,765. Standard condominiums posted slightly lower gains of 2.5 per cent to $252,174. Regionally speaking, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton saw the highest price increases, while parts of Atlantic Canada, with much of its inventory still under snow, posted the lowest gains overall.
“It appears that it took only the slightest hint of spring to bring home-sellers out of hibernation,” said Phil Soper, president and chief executive of Royal LePage. “We are finally seeing the arrival of housing inventory in seasonally appropriate quantities across the nation. When combined with pent-up demand following a particularly long and harsh winter, the stage is set for a robust 2014 spring market. This is particularly good news for buyers, as the home price spikes we have seen in a number of cities should be alleviated by this additional supply.”
