Year: 2018

Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 2,032 residential properties in April through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® System, compared with 1,788 in April 2017, an increase of 13.6 per cent. The five-year average for April sales is 1,704. April’s sales included 416 in the condominium property class and 1,616 in the residential property class.

The average sale price of a residential-class property sold in April in the Ottawa area was $455,212, an increase of 4.2 per cent over April 2017. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $269,294, an increase of 0.3 per cent from April 2017.*

“Full employment and reasonable house prices in proportion to incomes are fueling our market. Ottawa is not only a beautiful and dynamic capital but also one of the more affordable cities in Canada,” observes Ralph Shaw, Ottawa Real Estate Board President. “While prices and conditions do vary by area, the overall residential marketplace shows solid and steady performance on investment for homeowners, and offers a variety of property class options and price points for those looking to enter the market,” he advises.

“While sales were strong this month, certain areas in Ottawa continue to experience limited supply with both condo and residential inventory down 23.7% from the same month last year. With our low inventory, potential sellers are reluctant to put their home on the market if they are uncertain of their ability to acquire another property.”

“April’s colder than usual temperatures may have been one of the reasons potential sellers delayed listing their properties. However, there are other factors at play which are contributing to the lack of supply. Of course, the new mortgage stress test is affecting some homeowners who may no longer qualify to upsize their homes,” Shaw points out.

“Further compounding the issue within Ottawa proper is a restricted supply of serviceable land, and thus fewer new build opportunities. We need both the new build and resale inventory to be robust enough to meet demand on a consistent basis,” he explains.

“Moreover,” Shaw elaborates, “life adjustment sellers such as Boomers, lack suitable purchasing options due to urban engineering. Many of them do not want to live in downtown condominiums, preferring smaller homes with an attached garage and a decent sized yard where they can still host family BBQs and entertain. Our city council would benefit from the input of Ottawa’s long-serving REALTORS® who truly understand the variety of needs of local home buyers and sellers,” Shaw concludes.

In addition to residential and condominium sales, OREB Members assisted clients with renting 770 properties since the beginning of the year.

* The Board cautions that the average sale price can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The calculation of the average sale price is based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold. Price and conditions will vary from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

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Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,660 residential properties in March through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® System, compared with 1,478 in March 2017, an increase of 12.3 per cent. The five-year average for March sales is 1,339. March’s sales included 358 in the condominium property class and 1,302 in the residential property class.

“Inventory continues to fall below normal average, but we are still seeing more sales than last year because listings are not staying on the market,” states Ralph Shaw, President of the Ottawa Real Estate Board. “Properties that are priced well are selling quickly with days on market dropping to an average of 43 days from an average of 54 days on market in March 2017.”

The average sale price of a residential-class property sold in March in the Ottawa area was $447,561, an increase of 8 per cent over March 2017. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $275,592, an increase of 0.7 per cent from March 2017. The Board cautions that the average sale price can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The calculation of the average sale price is based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold. Price and conditions will vary from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

“The most active price point in the residential market continues to be the $300,000 to $449,999 range, accounting for 46 per cent of the market. In addition, the $500,000 to $750,000 market is a price point that is showing robust growth representing 21 per cent of the residential homes sold in March,” Shaw acknowledges.

“In the condominium market, between $175,000 and $274,999 is the most buoyant price point, accounting for 51 per cent of the market. We continue to believe it is due to low interest rates and the lack of supply of rental inventory pushing renters into the market,” he adds.

“Overall, as a result of the stable pricing in the condominium market and reasonable increases of 8 per cent in the residential market, Ottawa continues to be a healthy and vibrant real estate market,” Shaw concludes.

In addition to residential and condominium sales, OREB Members assisted clients with renting 551 properties since the beginning of the year.

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Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 979 residential properties in February through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® System, compared with 1,002 in February 2017, a decrease of 2.3 per cent. The five-year average for February sales is 922. February’s sales included 250 in the condominium property class and 729 in the residential property class.

“There is no doubt our sales numbers would have been much higher if we had more properties available for sale. Buyer demand is there, but our inventory in both residential-class and condos continues to decline. This is creating a supply side issue in the Ottawa real estate market,” concludes Ottawa Real Estate Board President, Ralph Shaw. “If this trend continues, the market will move to favour sellers, and buyers will find themselves competing for a limited number of listings.”

“Compounding the supply issue is the fact that after a record year last year, new construction is hindered getting to market because builders just cannot find enough land as a result of the urban boundary and land prices going up,” Shaw points out. “Given this environment, it’s a good opportunity for Sellers to get their property on the market,” he advises.

The average sale price of a residential-class property sold in February in the Ottawa area was $429,600, an increase of 2.7 per cent over February 2017. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $273,174, an increase of 5.6 per cent from February 2017. The Board cautions that the average sale price can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The calculation of the average sale price is based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold. Price and conditions will vary from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

“The most active price point in the residential market continues to be the $300,000 to $449,999 range, accounting for 47 per cent of the market. While the most active price point in the condo market, between $150,000 and $249,999, accounts for 56 per cent of the market,” Shaw notes.

“The reality is that condo sales are driving the number of properties sold at the moment. Due to demand, the condo market is experiencing some price recovery. Units in the lower price points of the condo market are likely moving rapidly because of the limited supply in the rental market which is yet another factor at play. The lack of availability is essentially forcing renters into condo ownership,” he explains.

“Ottawa is beginning to experience similar indicators that have ultimately led to challenging real estate markets in our larger metropolitan cities. It starts with supply shortages which eventually lead to affordability issues. The city in particular needs to have an intelligent vision about how to support and stimulate all aspects of the market from new construction through to the rental market availability,” Shaw elaborates.

“With this being a civic election year, we look forward to talking with our council and mayoral candidates about what measures need to be taken now to support affordability, before we develop the supply challenges of Toronto or Vancouver,” he cautions.

In addition to residential and condominium sales, OREB Members assisted clients with renting 348 properties since the beginning of the year.

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Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 712 residential properties in January through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® System, compared with 664 in January 2017, an increase of 7.2 per cent. The five-year average for January sales is 638.

“While January is typically the month we see the lowest number of listings come onto the market, the numbers for this month are very low,” Rick Eisert, 2017 President of the Ottawa Real Estate Board, observes. “The five-year average for new listings in January is 1,396 for residential and 500 for condominiums. January 2018’s listings were at 994 and 406 respectively.”

“We saw this trend throughout 2017, and the result is our resale market is being challenged by decreasing supply in both the residential and condo markets. Furthermore, as the supply continues to be reduced, it will tend to put an upward pressure on prices. This is simple supply and demand economics,” he adds.

The average sale price of a residential-class property sold in January in the Ottawa area was $427,487, an increase of 8.8 per cent over January 2017. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $263,744, a decrease of 8.6 per cent from January 2017. The Board cautions that the average sale price can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The calculation of the average sale price is based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold. Price and conditions will vary from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

January’s sales included 173 in the condominium property class and 539 in the residential property class.

“Sales in the residential property class this month were on par with January 2017 with a minor decrease of 1.1 per cent. Unit sales in the condo market, however, have seen an increase of 45 per cent from 119 units sold in January 2017 to 173 units in January 2018,” Eisert explains.

“The most active price point in the residential market is the $300,000 to $449,999 range, accounting for 47.5 per cent of the market. While the most active price point in the condo market, between $150,000 and $249,999, accounts for 55 per cent of the market,” states Eisert. “There is a marked increase in the number of condo units sold in the lower end of the market specifically. This is likely due to the attractive lower price point and the fact that the demand is there.”

“For homeowners thinking of selling, this is a good time to get your property on the market before spring,” Eisert advises. “Since inventory is currently low, sellers will certainly get attention because selection for buyers in some areas, in particular, is quite limited.”

In addition to residential and condominium sales, OREB Members assisted clients with renting 166 properties since the beginning of the year.

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Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 771 residential properties in December through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® System, compared with 711 in December 2016, an increase of 8.4 per cent. The five-year average for December sales is 687.

December’s sales included 205 in the condominium property class and 566 in the residential property class. The average sale price of a residential-class property sold in December was $434,098, an increase of 3.4 per cent over December 2016. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $255,335, a decrease of three per cent from December 2016.

“December saw an increase of 3.5 per cent in the number of units sold in residential sales and 25 per cent in condo sales. This could very well be attributed to the changes in the mortgage qualification rules implemented January 1, 2018,” speculates Ralph Shaw, 2018 President of the Ottawa Real Estate Board.

“2017 was another solid year for the Ottawa Real Estate market in both the number of transactions as well as the reasonable increase in prices, about seven per cent in residential and three per cent in the condo market,” Shaw acknowledges. “We continue to have a stable and balanced market. Although inventory tracked low all year and new listings were down each month, new home supply counteracted the impact somewhat.”

The total number of residential and condo units sold through the Board’s MLS® System throughout all of 2017 was 17,083, compared with 15,526 in 2016, an increase of ten per cent. Overall, residential sales volume was up 16 per cent.

“In 2017, the condo market rebounded with a 22 per cent increase in the number of units sold, which is quite significant. The relatively flat increase in prices suggests that we found the ideal price point in which to move the units,” Shaw concludes. “As for residential sales, there was a good availability of product under $500,000 considering almost 10,000 out of approximately 13,500 residential units sold fell in that range.”

2017’s average residential sale price was $425,063, an increase of 6.8 per cent over 2016, while the average condominium sale price was $269,903, an increase of 3.4 per cent over 2016. The Board cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.

When asked for a 2018 forecast regarding the new mortgage rules stress test, Shaw points out, “One factor that will soften the blow of the new mortgage rules is Ottawa’s average price point in the $400,000s, which means our market will certainly fare better than those in Toronto or Vancouver.”

“Nevertheless,” he cautions, “we will continue to monitor the impact of the stress test. It is unlikely that we will truly see the results of this poorly conceived piece of legislation until the end of the second quarter.”

In addition to residential and condominium sales in 2017, OREB Members have assisted clients with the sale of 419 commercial properties and 20 farms units, as well as with the rental of 2,977 properties.

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