Persistent Sellers' market conditions drive up prices

Detached

Conditions in the detached home sector continued to tighten in November, with a sales-to-new-listings ratio that pushed up to 118 per cent and the months of supply dropping to 1.2 months. These are levels not seen since the spring.

More than half of sales occurred in the $400,000 – $600,000 price range, but the largest sales gains occurred for properties price above $600,000. This is, in part, related to more supply choice in the upper end of the market compared with the lower end. On a year-to-date basis, homes priced above $600,000 now reflect nearly 31 per cent of all sales, far higher than the 23 per cent recorded last year.

Benchmark prices rose to $542,600, a new monthly record and nearly 11 per cent higher than last year’s levels. Year-over-year price gains have occurred in every district, with the strongest growth occurring in the West, where gains exceeded 13 per cent. The City Centre remains the only district where prices remain below 2014 highs.

Ryan Kearns