It is hard to believe that Ottawa has had lockdowns in April of last year and this year! This of course is going to have an impact on real estate sales. We are an essential service and I have had very few clients suspend their search due to the lockdown measures. The market is red hot of course but prices seem to be all over the place depending on the strategy the sellers are using. It is like wheel of fortune out there. You can list low and win a big number on offer day. If you list over actual retail value than your house may not get offers and you will be in a weird limbo that some sellers find themselves in. Finding the sweet spot price wise while not going over or too far under is what you need to do. Think of your Realtor as Bob Barker guiding you to the right price so you can play in the showcase showdown. Pricing has never been more important. Price too high and you could actually get far less for your property. It is not a great pricing system right now in the Ottawa real estate market and I hope it gets corrected. I long for the days of having standard prices where a list price actually means something. Until that happens we need to spin the wheel and play the game.
Stats for this month, which show year over year comparisons with 2020 are very skewed due to the State of Emergency declared in April 2020. April 2021 started off strong, however ended up tapering off due to the stricter lockdown order announcement that came mid-month.
We have had 166 per cent more residential sales this April versus this time last year and the average price for a residential property has seen an increase to $743,204, a 42 per cent increase from April 2020. Condos, also seeing an increase of 154 per cent in sales and average sale prices up 30 per cent at $427,145 compared to this time last year.
To show a true comparison 2,402 residential properties were sold in April, we can look at the 5 year average for April The five-year average for total unit sales in April is 1,830. That represents a sizable increase in sales.
It has been so interesting observing market trends over the past few weeks. There are some homes going way more than what they should be selling for while other ones are not getting offers on their pre-arrange offer date. I think many sellers are starting to list at the higher end of the market but that is not necessarily the right strategy. Buyers are conditioned to pay much more than asking and if they see a price at the high end of the market they assume they would have to pay way more to secure it. Often times those houses end up selling for less than they should be. The showing experience is also becoming more and more important. The well staged and presented homes are the ones going for the crazy prices. These are the ones that are capturing buyers hearts and getting them emotionally committed to the houses and subsequent bids.
We have had 47 per cent more residential sales this March versus this time last year and the average price for a residential property has skyrocketed up to $758,802, a 35 per cent increase from March 2020. This trend is also continuing with condos, seeing an increase of 65 per cent in sales and average sale prices up 18 per cent at $437,041 compared to this time last year.
The pandemic has brought us a once in a lifetime type of real estate market. The challenge I see moving forward is the supply issue could be here with us for the foreseeable future. Our city is growing and everyone wants to have home ownership. Why would you not when you see the type of equity homeowners are building. I do think things will get a bit easier in the next few months for buyers. In the past week I have seen more townhomes come to market than at any other time in the last year. I think townhome owners are seeing the relatively small gap between what their houses would sell for and getting into a larger single home.
As always feel free to reach out to me, or any member of our team if you would like to know what your home is worth or if you are interested in recent neighbourhood activity.
The market has continued its red hot pace and is favored towards the seller. This seems to be how I am starting these write-ups over the past 13 months! Hard to believe considering we are one year into a pandemic. We have less than one months inventory available to buyers out there. To put it in perspective it is like going to the grocery store a year ago and seeing toilet paper being put on the shelves. How long did that last? If stores were setup for bidding wars I am sure they would sell those rolls for more. Not comparing toilet paper to housing, well kinda. The principals are the same. As a shopper I was legit frustrated last year because of the scarcity of the inventory. My buyers out there are feeling the same. A few have decided to rent! Eventually things will get back to a more normal market. I predict that to start taking shape by summer. It will be favored to the sellers but prices will plateau. Interest rates may see a slight uptick and that should help cool this market a bit. It will still be hot for the rest of the year but not less than one months inventory hot.
The average sale price of a residential property up 27.2 per cent to $717,914 and the average sale price of a condo up 16.6 per cent to $407,971, compared to February 2020. These numbers are unheard of over the past 50 years. The competition for properties remains fierce!
February’s sales included 1,028 in the residential-property class, up 24 per cent from a year ago, and 362 in the condominium-property category, an increase of 19 per cent from February 2020. The five-year average for total unit sales in February is 1,101.
Residential homes are experiencing the quickest turnarounds noticeable in the sharp decline of Days on Market (DOM) from 30 days in February 2020 to 14 days last month. Houses are getting snapped up quickly.
If you ever want to know what your home could sell for, or what the property down the street just sold for, please feel free to reach out to our team.
Even in the midst of a stay-at-home order and a continuation of December’s lockdown, members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 964 residential properties in January through the Board’s MLS System, compared with 778 in January 2020, an increase of 24 per cent. January’s sales included 674 in the residential-property class, up 21 percent from a year ago, and 290 in the condominium-property category, an increase of 31 per cent from January 2020. The five-year average for total unit sales in January is 786.
Sellers were waiting until after the holidays to list their properties, causing listing activity to be up at the beginning of the month. This gave way to a restricted supply once the stay-at-home order came into effect mid-month. This of course has put strain on buyers. There is so much pent-up demand.
Inventory is up from December, it is still down substantially from last year at this time with 43% fewer properties on the market. This inventory shortage coupled with strong demand triggered a brisk pace to the market. We would have certainly seen higher sales numbers if there were more properties available because the demand is definitely there.
January’s average sale price for a condominium-class property was $380,336, an increase of 13 per cent from last year, while the average sale price of a residential-class property was $677,197, an increase of 31 per cent from a year ago. Compared to December, the average price for residential-class properties has increased by 12 per cent, and the average price for condominium-class units is 7 per cent higher.
If you are curious to know what’s happening in your Ottawa neighborhood let us know. We are always happy to help.
This is the time of year that we usually see a pretty big slowdown in our real estate market. The recent statistics from the Ottawa real estate board suggest that will not be the case this year. The demand is still extremely high for Ottawa real estate. There are so many buyers who are still out there waiting for the right property to become available. These buyers are starting to see more options.
New listings were up by 400 when compared with November of last year. This is 3-4 months of more inventory when compared with last year. A continuation of this trend may lead to a more balanced market in the 2nd quarter of next year. The prices will stabilize as a result. It has been an amazing run in that department. Prices are up over 20% in the residential class segment with Ottawa prices averaging $602,892 in 2020. Ottawa condos are up 19%. The trajectory of this market is a direct result of the severely depleted housing inventory we experienced in the first half of the year.
There has been an influx in the condo market listings as of late. We have 25% more listing in that segment available right now when compared with November of last year. This is leading to more time on the market for condo sellers. This is an interesting trend to watch.
If you have any questions about what’s happening in your neighborhood feel free to reach out!
It has been a very interesting fall market so far. The number of new listings coming to market continues to increase each month. Interestingly the demand is so high that our market is absorbing these new listings quite nicely. However, each month I am feeling the showing activity and offer activity on listings drop. If this increase in listings continues it could start pushing us back to more balanced conditions by late first quarter next year. It will be interesting to watch.
There were 1,937 residential listings and 708 condo units added to the housing stock in October, this is a 48% and 70% respective increase in new listings over last year at this time. I think we need to watch that 70% number on the condo side. The new listings are not absorbing as quickly as the residential class property.
Ottawa realtors sold 2,146 residential properties in October through the MLS System, compared with 1,604 in October 2019, a year over year increase of 34 per cent. October’s sales included 1,665 in the residential property class, up 38 per cent from a year ago, and 481 in the condominium property category, an increase of 22 per cent from October 2019. The five-year average for October unit sales is 1,515. This is a big October by Ottawa standards, especially considering we are in the middle of a pandemic!
The Ottawa market is expected to hold steady even going into what are historically slower winter months. If you want to know what’s happening in your neighbourhood, please get in touch.
September has shown us that the market trajectory is continuing upwards. There continues to be an increase in new listings and demand is remaining strong. September saw 400 more new listings than in August. These new listings were easily absorbed in our market. As I mentioned last month, if these new listings continue it may push Ottawa back to a more balanced market. I am already seeing some properties receive less offers than just two months ago. It will be an interesting few months coming up. With COVID cases rising will it finally be enough to slow down this market? That is yet to be determined. For now Ottawa remains very much in a sellers market.
Ottawa Realtors sold 2,329 residential properties in September through the MLS System, compared with 1,547 in September 2019, a year over year increase of 51 per cent. September’s sales included 1,759 in the residential-property class, up 58 per cent from a year ago, and 570 in the condominium-property category, an increase of 31 per cent from September 2019. The five-year average for September unit sales is 1,602.
Average prices in September have hit an all-time high, with the most movement at the higher end of the market which is driving the average price upwards in this section of the market. If you would like to know what is happening in your area, please get in touch.
With the summer coming to a close it will be interesting to see if our real estate market will continue its red hot pace. August brought some much-needed housing inventory. In fact, we had the most August listings since 2015. This is good news for buyers! It also led to a record-breaking month for sales.
Ottawa Realtors sold 2,017 residential properties in August through the MLS System, compared with 1,725 in August 2019, a year over year increase of 17 percent. August’s sales included 1,576 in the residential-property class, up 22 percent from a year ago, and 441 in the condominium-property category, an increase of 2 percent from August 2019. The five-year average for August unit sales is 1,668.
So far, the new listings coming to the market are easily absorbed by demand. If we have a few more months of this kind of inventory surge we may see some of this demand start to get satisfied. I am already seeing some listings with fewer offers and fewer showings. This is also due to some sellers deciding to price on the higher side of the market. Eventually, this additional inventory can help balance our market.
The most common question I am getting these days is what is causing such a spike in prices. The combination of record-low mortgage rates, migrating buyers cashing out in larger markets, and decreasing debt/equity thresholds are all playing a role. An interesting dynamic has emerged with people spending more time in their homes due to COVID-19 and starting to figure out that the space may not be meeting their requirements.
Prices are surging in Ottawa. Somewhat surprising given the current pandemic!! Employment levels are down by over 60,000 in Ottawa. So how is it that prices are going up? The biggest single factor is the shortage of listings. In July we were down 55% year over year. We are down in availability at a time where demand is up. That lead to a 19.4% gain in year over year prices. This is over a 2019 that people thought prices had peaked! Over 60% of homes were snatched up in bidding wars. That is up over 50% over last year. Essentially, if you want to buy this year you will be competing for it. This is great news for our seller clients but can be challenging for buyers. Homes in Ottawa are selling on average in 33 days.
What I am seeing on the ground is that Ottawa buyers are getting more comfortable paying 700k+ for their homes. As many of the people in this price point are also sellers. They are getting much more for their homes. Some townhouse sellers are now getting 500k+ and so the transition to an 800k “forever home” does not seem like as big of a stretch. Million-dollar listings and buyers are no big deal in Ottawa anymore. Our market is slowly starting to look closer to our neighbors down the 401. Right now buyers are looking for more space for home offices, bigger back yards, and all in all a better place to hunker down. Pools have been in high demand too. Interesting times for sure.
Are we in a bubble?
I wish I had a crystal ball and could see out into the future. It feels weird that prices are surging so much with the world where it is. Anyone else surprised to see the stock market doing so well? It is so hard to predict these things. All I can say is that the bubble question has been around since I started in real estate. Every year we would hear about prices coming down. Hard to see prices retreating in Ottawa without public service cuts. It is hard to see those cuts coming at a time like this. Only time will tell. For me, I believe that the next 6-9 months are still going to be very active. I have actually bet on the market a bit. Check out my recent blog post on buying my forever home during covid-19: https://chrisscott.ca/2020/08/07/buying-our-forever-home-during-covid-19-and-betting-on-the-market/
I love my current home. My wife and I love our neighbourhood and the neighbours on our street. We always thought we would be here long term. How is it then, that in a global pandemic, we impulsively purchased a new home. To be quite honest I am still not sure. It happened so fast 🙂 We were not even looking. My wife literally looked at 2 houses and we put offers on both of them. What really got us was the idea of having a pool, privacy, and main floor office. Not sure we would be moving if it wasn’t for Covid-19. Also, nice to have something positive to look forward amongst so much anxiety and uncertainty. Are other people having similar feelings? I have got calls from clients that said Covid-19 has them revisiting what they really want in their home. Pools have all of a sudden become more important!
This is what sold us:
Now we just have to wait till 2021 to move in!
Buying in Hot 2020 and Selling in Uncertain 2021
The catch with our purchase is that we cannot move till next year because of the seller’s plans. They are building a house and it was delayed. It will be the longest resale closing of my real estate career! The waiting game is going to be painful. The challenging part financially is that we have purchased in a really hot market and will be selling in an uncertain 2021. I am a pragmatic person. I know next year our market will not be as good as our current market. How could it be, we are in the hottest market in a generation. I do believe next year will still be a good market. Our current supply shortage and strong demand are enough to sustain a seller’s position for at least the next 6-8 months. I am betting on it with my own house. If I am wrong I have plugged in all my numbers very conservatively. Hope for the best and plan for the worst. If we end up somewhere in the middle I will be happy.
The Emotions of a Buyer
It has been a great exercise going through the buying process again. It has really reminded me of how exciting the process is for buyers and all the emotions they are going through. Anyone else have buyers remorse the day after their purchase?? I did! Thankfully it was a very fleeting emotion. Buying a home is stressful, exciting, and consumes much of a person’s thoughts in the moments leading up to purchase and throughout the process. I totally get that and will make sure our team’s services are always making the process as seamless as possible for our clients.
