Halifax house prices show healthy year-over-year price increases

Prices forecast to increase by 3.4 per cent in 2012

HALIFAX, Jan. 12, 2012 /CNW/ - The Royal LePage House Price Survey and Market Survey Forecast released today showed strong year-over-year price appreciation across all three housing types surveyed in Halifax, while more modest price increases are expected to occur throughout the region in 2012.

The average price of standard condominiums in Halifax increased by 4.7 per cent to $201,000 over the fourth quarter of last year, while the average price for standard two-storey homes was up 4.5 per cent to $304,000. Detached bungalows witnessed the largest year-over-year average price gains, with an increase of 6.7 per cent to $273,000.

"Fourth quarter activity was very strong compared to previous years and we expect this trend to continue throughout 2012 as consumer confidence continues to rise," states Matt Honsberger, managing associate broker of Royal LePage Atlantic. "Resale activity was up from this time last year and was exceptionally high during November, making it one of the strongest months on record."

Honsberger also notes that inventory levels dropped slightly compared to figures from last year.

"Properties are moving quickly and are not sitting on the market for long periods of time. We anticipate this trend to continue throughout the year," stated Honsberger.

Royal LePage forecasts that average Halifax home prices will rise 3.4 per cent in 2012. Unit sales for this year are forecast to increase 4.8 per cent over 2011 levels.

Nationally, despite calls in some quarters for Canadian house prices to soften in 2011, the market proved resilient as demand created by low interest rates and a relatively stable national economy created upward pricing pressure for all housing types surveyed. Further, recent high profile reports forecasting significant house price declines in 2012 are not supportable. In the fourth quarter, standard two-storey homes rose 4.2 per cent year-over-year to $375,427, while detached bungalows increased 6.1 per cent to $344,392. Average prices for standard condominiums increased 3.6 per cent to $234,680.

"In the recovery period following the 2008-2009 recession, I found myself repeatedly speaking of 'irrational exuberance' in the Canadian housing market," said Phil Soper, president and chief executive of Royal LePage Real Estate Services. "Expectations were too high and the pace of expansion unsustainable. With this report, I find myself in exactly the opposite position. Widespread calls for a major real estate correction in 2012 simply can't be justified. The industry has significant momentum entering the year, and is buoyed by the stimulative effect of very low interest rates; we expect the market to continue to expand - albeit at a slower pace."

Royal LePage expects average price growth to continue through 2012 and predicts national average prices to increase by 2.8 per cent by the end of the year.

About the Royal LePage House Price Survey

The Royal LePage House Price Survey is the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind in Canada, with information on seven types of housing in over 250 neighbourhoods from coast to coast.  This release references an abbreviated version of the survey which highlights house price trends for the three most common types of housing in Canada in 90 communities across the country.  A complete database of past and present surveys is available on the Royal LePage Web site at www.royallepage.ca. Current figures will be updated following the complete tabulation of the data for the fourth quarter 2011. A printable version of the fourth quarter 2011 survey will be available online on February 10^th, 2011.

Housing values in the Royal LePage House Price Survey are Royal LePage opinions of fair market value in each location, based on local data and market knowledge provided by Royal LePage residential real estate experts. 

About Royal LePage

Serving Canadians since 1913, Royal LePage is the country's leading provider of services to real estate brokerages, with a network of 14,000 real estate professionals in over 600 locations nationwide. Royal LePage is the only Canadian real estate company to have its own charitable foundation, the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, dedicated to supporting women's & children's shelters and educational programs aimed at ending domestic violence. Royal LePage is a Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. company, a TSX-listed corporation trading under the symbolTSX:BRE.

For more information, visit www.royallepage.ca.

Teresa Cugliari
Fleishman-Hillard Canada
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[email protected]

Tammy Gilmer
Director, Global Communications & Public Relations
Royal LePage Real Estate Services
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