The average sale price for all residential property types in Waterloo region continues to fall. The newly formed Waterloo Region Association of Realtors (WRAR) says the average price across all property types in July was $752,301.
This represents a 4.9 per cent decrease compared to June 2022, and a 1.2 per cent decrease from prices seen in July 2021.
“In the wake of July’s interest rate hike, home sales in Waterloo region continued to slow,” says Megan Bell, president of WRAR, in a media release. “We’re seeing a clear shift in the market and what people can afford to purchase or are willing to pay. On the bright side for buyers, it’s not the extreme sellers’ market it was.”
In July, the average sale price for all residential properties in Waterloo Region was $752,301. This represents a 1.2 per cent decrease compared to July 2021 and a 4.9 per cent decrease compared to June 2022, according to WRAR.
The average price of a detached home was $842,241, representing a decrease of 7.0 per cent compared to June 2022 and a 6.0 per cent decrease from July 2021.
A townhouse’s average price is $642,750, representing a decrease of 3.3 per cent compared to June 2022, but a 3.6 per cent increase from July 2021.
The average sale price for an apartment-style condominium was $521,731. This represents an increase of 4.1 per cent compared to June 2022 and an increase of 20.4 per cent from July 2021.
The average sale price for a semi was $661,087. A decrease of 5.4 per cent compared to June 2022, but an increase of 1 per cent compared to July 2021.
Average sale price in July across Waterloo Region. (WRAR)
Real estate sales in Waterloo region also saw a major decline in some property types.
Leading the way was semi-detached homes with a drop of 41 per cent in sales and only 36 sold, followed by a 39.3 per cent drop in condominium units with 65 sold. Townhouse sales dropped 32.9 per cent with 112 sold. Detached home sales dropped 30.4 per cent with 337 sales.
In total, 550 residential homes were sold through the Multiple Listing Service System of the WRAW.
LOCAL REALTOR ASSOCIATIONS MERGE
WRAR is an amalgamation of the Cambridge Association of Realtors (CAOR) and the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of Realtors (KWAR). The groups announced their amalgamation on Wednesday.
The amalgamation of the two means housing prices from Cambridge will now be included in the average monthly sales and prices of properties. Prior, KWAR only included the sales and prices of homes in Kitchener and Waterloo.
Bill Duce, who has served as KWAR’s Executive Officer since 2008, is the Chief Executive Officer of the new regional association.
“Bringing these two associations together just makes sense,” says Duce in a media release. “As one board, we can better serve the needs of our Realtor members and stakeholders and give a voice to the region’s real estate market.”
The board of directors of WRAR appointed Megan Bell as president, Christal Moura as president-elect, and Val Brooks as immediate past president as officers of the new entity.
HALIFAX – A village of tiny homes is set to open next month in a Halifax suburb, the latest project by the provincial government to address homelessness.
Located in Lower Sackville, N.S., the tiny home community will house up to 34 people when the first 26 units open Nov. 4.
Another 35 people are scheduled to move in when construction on another 29 units should be complete in December, under a partnership between the province, the Halifax Regional Municipality, United Way Halifax, The Shaw Group and Dexter Construction.
The province invested $9.4 million to build the village and will contribute $935,000 annually for operating costs.
Residents have been chosen from a list of people experiencing homelessness maintained by the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia.
They will pay rent that is tied to their income for a unit that is fully furnished with a private bathroom, shower and a kitchen equipped with a cooktop, small fridge and microwave.
The Atlantic Community Shelters Society will also provide support to residents, ranging from counselling and mental health supports to employment and educational services.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.
Housing affordability is a key issue in the provincial election campaign in British Columbia, particularly in major centres.
Here are some statistics about housing in B.C. from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2024 Rental Market Report, issued in January, and the B.C. Real Estate Association’s August 2024 report.
Average residential home price in B.C.: $938,500
Average price in greater Vancouver (2024 year to date): $1,304,438
Average price in greater Victoria (2024 year to date): $979,103
Average price in the Okanagan (2024 year to date): $748,015
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Vancouver: $2,181
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Victoria: $1,839
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Canada: $1,359
Rental vacancy rate in Vancouver: 0.9 per cent
How much more do new renters in Vancouver pay compared with renters who have occupied their home for at least a year: 27 per cent
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Voters along the south coast of British Columbia who have not cast their ballots yet will have to contend with heavy rain and high winds from an incoming atmospheric river weather system on election day.
Environment Canada says the weather system will bring prolonged heavy rain to Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Whistler and Vancouver Island starting Friday.
The agency says strong winds with gusts up to 80 kilometres an hour will also develop on Saturday — the day thousands are expected to go to the polls across B.C. — in parts of Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver.
Wednesday was the last day for advance voting, which started on Oct. 10.
More than 180,000 voters cast their votes Wednesday — the most ever on an advance voting day in B.C., beating the record set just days earlier on Oct. 10 of more than 170,000 votes.
Environment Canada says voters in the area of the atmospheric river can expect around 70 millimetres of precipitation generally and up to 100 millimetres along the coastal mountains, while parts of Vancouver Island could see as much as 200 millimetres of rainfall for the weekend.
An atmospheric river system in November 2021 created severe flooding and landslides that at one point severed most rail links between Vancouver’s port and the rest of Canada while inundating communities in the Fraser Valley and B.C. Interior.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
