Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 627 residential properties in January through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system, compared with 587 in January 2014, an increase of 6.8 per cent. The five-year average for January sales is 633.
“The cold weather proved not to be a deterrent for buyers in January,” says President of the Ottawa Real Estate Board, David Oikle. “Residential and Condo sales combined, contributed to an increase in sales this month, and we are right on par with the January average. Residential two-storey and bungalow properties had the highest concentration of buyers. In addition to residential and condominium sales, OREB members assisted clients with renting 183 units this month.”
January’s sales included 114 in the condominium property class, and 513 in the residential property class. The condominium property class includes any property, regardless of style (i.e. detached, semi-detached, apartment, townhouse, etc.), which is registered as a condominium, as well as properties which are co-operatives, life leases and timeshares. The residential property class includes all other residential properties.
“This month has been a busy month for our Members,” says Oikle. “The number of residential and condo properties listed in January (2,018) more than doubled the amount of newly listed properties from December – a normal occurrence at the beginning of the year, in advance of the usual busy spring market.”
The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in January in the Ottawa area was $348,617, an increase of 0.5 per cent over January 2014. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $250,406, a decrease of 5.8 per cent over January 2014. The average sale price of a residential-class property was $370,442, an increase of 0.5 per cent over January 2014. While average sale price information can be useful in establishing trends over time, it should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value, because the average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.
“The possibility of interest rates approaching record lows will provide even more opportunity for homebuyers,” explains Oikle. “The Ottawa resale market remains steady, and we look forward to a productive year ahead.”