FEBRUARY HOUSING MARKET UPDATE
March 1, 2023
Lowest February inventory since 2006
Consistent with typical seasonal behavior sales, new listings and inventory levels all trended up compared to last month. However, with 1,740 sales and 2,389 new listings, inventory levels improved only slightly over the last month and remained amongst the lowest February levels seen since 2006.

“While higher lending rates are impacting sales activity as expected, we are seeing a stronger pullback in new listings, keeping supply levels low and supporting some stronger-than-expected monthly price gains,” said CREB® Chief Economist Ann-Marie Lurie. “Prices are still below the May 2022 peak and it is still early in the year. However, if we do not see a shift in supply, we could see further upward pressure on prices over the near term.”

Both sales and new listings declined over last year’s record high for the month. While sales activity remained stronger than long-term trends and levels reported throughout the 2015 to 2020 period, new listings fell below long-term trends.

With a sales-to-new-listings ratio of 73 per cent and a months of supply of under two months, the market has struggled to move into balanced territory causing further upward pressure on home prices. The unadjusted benchmark price increased by nearly two per cent over January levels and last year’s prices.

Detached
Both sales and new listings reported significant year-over-year declines over last year’s record high. While the seasonal monthly gain did see inventories move up over the last two months, levels are still amongst the lowest seen in February, and the months of supply fell below two months.

Further tightening conditions did cause the unadjusted benchmark prices to rise over last month’s levels, but at a price of $635,900, it is still below the peak reported in May 2022. While supply continues to remain a challenge relative to demand for lower-priced homes, we are seeing conditions shift into balanced territory for homes priced above $700,000.

Semi-Detached
Like the detached sector despite the seasonal monthly gain, both sales and new listings fell from last year’s record high. While inventories are starting to rise over the levels seen in the past few months, they remain amongst the lowest levels reported for February. The relatively low inventory levels caused the months of supply to fall below two months in February, while it is still higher than last year’s ultra-low levels, conditions continue to favour the seller.

The unadjusted benchmark price reached $568,100 in February, nearly two per cent higher than last month and a three per cent gain over last February. Persistently tight market conditions contributed to the monthly unadjusted gain in the benchmark price. However, like detached properties prices remain below the May 2022 peak.

Row
Conditions remained exceptionally tight in February with only one month of supply and a sales-to-new listings ratio of 87 percent. While row sales have eased over record levels, they have remained relatively strong for February as demand shifts toward the affordable product in the market.

The persistently tight conditions caused further upward pressure on prices. In February, the unadjusted benchmark price reached $369,700, a monthly gain of over two per cent and a year-over-year gain of nine per cent. Unlike the other sectors, prices have reached a new high this month.

Apartment Condominium
Sales for apartment condominiums did not see the same pace of decline as other property types in February partly due to the level of new listings coming onto the market. Persistently strong sales compared to listings have caused February inventory levels to remain relatively low compared to levels seen over the past eight years and the months of supply once again dropped below two months.

The tight market condition contributed to the upward pressure on prices. In February, the unadjusted apartment benchmark price reached $286,000, nearly three per cent higher than last month and over 11 per cent higher than last February. While prices are still higher than the levels reported last year, they remain nearly seven per cent below the peak levels reported back in 2014.

2022 on track to be a record year for sales
Residential sales in the city slowed to 1,648 units, a year-over-year decline of 22 per cent, but 12 per cent above the 10-year average.

The pullback in sales over the past six months was not enough to erase gains from earlier in the year as year-to-date sales remain nearly 10 per cent above last year’s record high. The year-to-date sales growth has been driven by a surge in both apartment condominium and row sales.

“Easing sales have been driven mostly by declines in the detached sector of the market,” said CREB® Chief Economist Ann-Marie Lurie. “Higher lending rates are impacting purchasers buying power and limited supply choice in the lower price ranges of the detached market is likely causing many purchasers to place buying decisions on hold.”

A decline in sales was met with a pullback in new listings and inventories fell to the lowest level reported in November since 2005. The pullback in both sales and new listings kept the months of supply relatively tight at below two months. The tightest conditions are occurring in the lower-price ranges as supply growth has mostly been driven by gains in the upper-end of the market.

Despite the lower supply levels, prices have trended down from the peak reached in May of this year. Even with the adjustments that have occurred, November benchmark prices continue to remain nearly nine per cent higher than levels reported last year.

Detached
Detached sales slowed across every price range this month, contributing to the year-over-year decline of nearly 34 per cent and the year-to-date decline of five per cent. On a year-to-date basis, sales have eased for homes priced under $500,000 as the level of new listings in this price range has dropped by over 36 per cent limiting the options for purchasers looking for affordable product.

Meanwhile, new listings and supply selection did improve for higher-priced properties creating more balanced conditions in the upper-end of the market. This has different implications on price pressure in the market.

The benchmark price in November slowed to $619,700, down from the high in May of $648,500. While prices have eased over the past several months, they continue to remain nearly 11 per cent higher than levels reported last year.

Semi-Detached
The pullback in sales this month was enough to cause the year-to-date sales to ease by nearly one per cent compared to last year. Despite the recent declines, year-to-date sales remain 37 per cent above long-term averages for the city.

Easing sales this month were also met with a pullback in new listings, causing further declines in inventory levels and ensuring market conditions remained relatively tight with a month of supply of two months and a sales-to-new-listings ratio of 100 per cent.

Unlike the detached sector, the tight conditions prevented any further retraction in prices this month. In November, the benchmark price reached $562,800, slightly higher than last month and nearly 10 per cent higher than last year’s levels.

Row
Further declines in new listings likely contributed to the slower sales activity this month as the sales-to-new-listings ratio remained high at 99 per cent. Inventory levels fell to 383 units, making it the lowest level of November inventory recorded since the 2013. This low level of inventory ensured that the months of supply remained below two months.

Despite the persistently tight market conditions, prices trended down this month reaching $358,700. While prices have eased from the June high, they are nearly 14 per cent higher than prices reported last November. The strongest price growth was reported in the North East, North and South East districts where prices have risen by over 18 per cent.

Apartment Condominium
Despite a pullback in new listings this month, apartment condominium sales continued to rise, and inventories fell to the lowest November levels seen since 2013. This caused further tightening in market conditions as the sales-to-new-listings ratio pushed above 100 per cent and a months of supply dropped to two months.

Recent tightening in the market has put a pause on price adjustments for apartment condominiums. In November, prices remained relatively stable at $277,000 compared to last month. While prices have reported a year-over-year gain of nearly 10 per cent, prices are still below their previous highs set back in 2014.

Sales remain stronger than pre-covid levels
City of Calgary, Nov. 1, 2022 – October sales eased compared to last year’s levels, mostly due to slower activity in the detached sector.

However, with 1,857 sales this month, levels are still stronger than long-term trends and activity reported prior to the pandemic. Year-to-date sales have reached 26,823 and with only two months to go, 2022 will likely post a record year in terms of sales.

“Calgary hasn’t seen the same degree of pullback in housing sales like other parts of Canada, thanks to persistently strong demand for our higher density product,” said CREB® Chief Economist Ann-Marie Lurie. “While our city is not immune to the impact that inflation and higher rates are having, strong employment growth, positive migration flows and a stronger commodity market are helping offset some of that impact.”

New listings also trended down this month causing the sales-to-new-listings ratio to rise to 85 per cent and inventories to trend down. Much of the inventory decline has been driven by product priced below $500,000.

While conditions are not a tight as what was seen earlier in the year, with only two months of supply, conditions remain tighter than historical levels. We are also seeing divergent trends in the market with conditions continuing to favour the seller in the lower-price ranges and shifting to more balanced conditions in the upper-price ranges.

As of October, prices have eased by four per cent relative to the highs reached in May. This is considered a relatively small adjustment when considering price movements in other large cities. It is also important to note that the October benchmark price is still nearly 10 per cent higher than levels reported last year.

Detached
Sales growth in the over $700,000 price range this month were not enough to offset the declines in the lower-price ranges, causing detached sales to ease by over 29 per cent compared to last year. Limited supply growth in the lower-price ranges continue to keep conditions exceptionally tight for lower-priced detached homes.

In October, inventory levels for detached homes were under 2,000 units, nearly 35 per cent lower than typical levels reported for the month. Moreover, over 42 per cent of the inventory falls in the upper-price ranges of the market. This is likely creating a situation where pricing trends will vary depending on price range.

Overall, detached prices did trend down relative to last month and peak levels in May but remain nearly 12 per cent higher than levels reported last October. The strongest year-over-year price gains have occurred in the North and South East districts.

Semi-Detached
While sales remain lower than last year’s levels in October, recent pullbacks have not offset gains from earlier in the year and year-to-date sales improved by nearly three per cent. A pullback in new listings relative to sales caused the sales-to-new-listings ratio to push above 80 per cent this month and inventories to ease, leaving the months of supply just over two months.

The benchmark price, while easing slightly compared to last month, remained over nine per cent higher than last year’s levels. Year-over-year price gains have varied from a low of nearly eight per cent in the City Centre to a high of 16 per cent in the North district.

Row
Row sales continue to rise relative to last year supporting a year-to-date gain of nearly 42 per cent. At the same time, new listings this month eased ensuring that the sales-to-new-listings ratio remain exceptionally tight at 106 per cent. Falling inventories and improving sales have ensured this market continues to favour the seller with less than two months of supply. This has also prevented the same adjustment in price.

As of October, the benchmark price was $361,200, less than one per cent lower than the peak achieved in June of this year. Overall, prices remained nearly 15 per cent higher than last year’s levels. The strongest price gains occurred in the South East, North East and North districts.

Apartment Condominium
Apartment sales continue to rise over levels reported last year contributing to the year-to-date increase of over 56 per cent. Improving sales were also met with gains in new listings, but as the growth in sales outpaced the new listings activity, inventory levels continue to trend down. As of October, the months of supply remained just below three months, the lowest level recorded in October since 2013.

In October, the benchmark price was $277,800, similar to last month and nearly 11 per cent higher than last year’s levels. Some of the strongest price gains have occurred in areas outside of the City Centre. Despite persistent price growth, overall prices remain nine per cent below previous highs set back in 2014.

Demand shifting to more affordable options
Strong sales for condominium apartment and row properties was not enough to offset declines reported for other property types. This caused city sales to ease by nearly 12 per cent compared to last year.

However, with 1,901 sales in September, activity is still far stronger than levels achieved prior to the pandemic and is well above long-term trends for September. Despite recent pullbacks in sales, and thanks to strong levels earlier in the year, year-to-date sales remain 15 per cent higher than last year’s levels.

“While demand is easing, especially for higher priced detached and semi-detached product, purchasers are still active in the affordable segments of the market, cushioning much of the impact on sales,” said CREB® Chief Economist Ann-Marie Lurie. “At the same time, we are seeing new listings ease, preventing the market from becoming oversupplied and supporting more balanced conditions.”

In September, new listings declined by ten per cent. With a sales-to-new-listings ratio of 72 per cent, it was enough to prevent any gain in inventory levels, which declined over last month and were nearly 21 per cent lower than last year’s levels. The adjustments in both sales and supply levels have caused the months of supply to remain relatively low at less than three months.

The shift to more balanced conditions is causing some adjustments to home prices. While prices have slid from the highs seen in May, as of September, benchmark prices remain 11 per cent higher than last year and six per cent higher than levels reported at the beginning of the year.

Detached
For the sixth consecutive month, sales activity has slowed in the detached market and is now offsetting the gains recorded in the first quarter. The recent decline in sales has been mostly driven by a reduction in the under $500,000 segment of the market, as a significant reduction in supply for those price ranges have left little options for potential purchasers.

At the same time, detached sales continue to improve for homes priced between $600,000 – $999,9999. This higher price range group has reported the largest growth in new listings and overall supply levels.

While the overall detached market is far more balanced than it was earlier this year, for homes priced below $500,000 conditions remain relatively tight. This is likely causing divergent trends in pricing activity based on price range.

Overall, detached prices eased by nearly one per cent over the last month with the largest monthly decline occurring in the City Centre district. Despite monthly adjustments, prices remain nearly 13 per cent higher than last year.

Semi-Detached
Further pullback in sales this month was not enough to offset gains from earlier in the year as year-to-date sales remained six per cent higher than last year’s levels. While new listings in this segment can vary month-to-month, year-to-date new listings have remained just slightly lower than levels achieved last year. This kept inventories at levels that are still far below long-term trends.

The recent pullback in sales was enough to cause the months of supply to push up relative to levels seen earlier in the year. However, with less than three months of supply, conditions remain relatively tight for this property type.

While conditions do remain tight, prices still trended down following higher than expected gains earlier this year. Overall, benchmark prices remain over 10 per cent higher than levels reported last year.

Row
Row sales activity improved over last year’s levels, contributing to the year-to-date record high pace of sales. Recent pullbacks in new listings and strong sales activity have caused inventory levels to remain low, keeping the months of supply below two months.

With conditions remaining tight, prices stay mostly unchanged compared to last month and are 15 per cent higher than prices reported in September 2021. The highest year-over-year price gains occurred in the North district.

Apartment Condominium
With a new September record, apartment condominium sales continue to rise relative to last year, contributing to year-to-date sales of 5,026, a 60 per cent gain over last year. While new listings also improved so far this year, it has not been enough to prevent some easing in inventory levels.

Unlike the other sectors, since 2016, inventories have generally been higher for apartment condominium. It is only the strong demand this year that has caused this market to shift from buyers’ market conditions reported throughout most of last year to one that is now relatively balanced.

Relatively balanced conditions prevented any significant shift in prices this month compared to last month and overall, apartment condominium prices remain over 10 per cent higher than last year’s levels. Despite recent gains, prices remain below the 2014 high.

Detached home sales decline as apartment condominium sales rise
City of Calgary, Aug. 2, 2022 – Significant slowdowns in the detached and semi-detached market were nearly offset by sales growth in the apartment and row sectors. This left July sales three per cent lower than levels recorded last year. While this is the second month where sales activity has slowed, total residential sales this month are still amongst the strongest levels recorded in our market.

“Rising lending rates are causing shifts within the market and, as a result, new listings for higher-priced product are on the rise relative to sales activity,” said CREB® Chief Economist Ann-Marie Lurie.

“Meanwhile, there continues to be a lack of supply for lower-priced detached and semi-detached product. This is driving consumers who are looking for affordable homes to purchase apartment- and row-style properties.”

Residential new listings in the city declined compared to what was seen in 2021, but when considering the dynamics between price ranges, we are seeing a different trend play out. Listings for homes priced below $500,000 fell by 18 per cent, while levels rose by 20 per cent for homes priced above $500,000. This has left conditions to remain relatively tight in the lower-end of the market while conditions are shifting toward more balanced levels in the upper-end of the market.

When considering the relationship between the supply and demand, the months of supply has continued to trend up from the exceptionally tight conditions seen earlier in the year. However, with just over two months of supply, the market remains far tighter than anything experienced throughout the recessionary period experienced prior to the pandemic.

As expected, the benchmark price did see some slippage relative to levels seen earlier in the year and rising lending rates have cooled much of the bidding war activity that was driving significant gains earlier in the year. However, prices currently remain over 12 per cent higher than last year’s levels, still outpacing forecasted price growth for the year.

“As we move forward, we do anticipate further rate gains will weigh on housing activity and prices, but not enough to completely offset the exceptionally strong gains recorded over the first half of the year,” said CREB® Chief Economist Ann-Marie Lurie.
Detached
In July, detached sales reached 1,136, which is 19 per cent lower than last year’s levels. Higher lending rates are driving more consumers to look for affordable product, however, the detached sector has struggled with supply levels for lower-priced homes. While we are seeing balanced conditions in the upper-end of the market, conditions remain exceptionally tight in the lower-end of the market.

The decline in sales was mostly driven by pullbacks in the lower-price ranges due to lack of availability. Nearly 80 per cent of the inventory available is priced over $500,000 and new listings for homes priced under $500,000 are half of the levels seen last year.

With a benchmark price of $643,600 in July, levels are still nearly 15 per cent higher than last year. However, we are seeing some monthly adjustments as prices trended down across all districts in July compared to last month.

Semi-Detached
For the third month in a row, semi-detached sales saw less sales than levels reported a year ago. While year-to-date sales remain over 11 per cent higher than last year’s levels, this is a significant shift from the 40 per cent growth recorded after the first quarter of the year. This pullback in sales was met with lower listings levels, but not enough to prevent some upward trend growth in inventory levels and the months of supply. The months of supply pushed up to 2.5 months in July, the first time it has pushed above two months since October of last year.

While conditions remain relatively tight in the lower-price ranges, the benchmark price did trend down relative to levels seen earlier in the year. However, like the detached market, prices remained significantly higher than levels reported last year.

Row
While levels cooled relative to the spring, row sales reached a new record high for July contributing to year-to-date sales growth of 54 per cent. Most of the gains were driven by product priced between $300,000 to $500,000, which also saw the biggest boost in new listings so far this year.

Both new listings and sales have trended down from levels seen earlier the year. However, the gap between sales and new listings narrowed over the past few months causing inventories to trend down compared to earlier in the year. This has ensured that the months of supply remained below two months. The persistently tight conditions prevented any significant adjustment in monthly prices in July.

Apartment Condominium
Like row properties, apartment condominium sales trended down from earlier in the year but maintained a record high level for July, contributing to a year-to-date gain of 66 per cent. Rising lending rates and available supply in the condominium sector helped support the year-over-year sales growth seen so far this year.

While trending down from earlier in the year, new listings in July remain 24 per cent higher than last year’s levels supporting a sales-to-new-listings ratio and a months of supply that reflect relatively balanced conditions. With conditions not as tight as earlier in the year, the pace of price growth has also slowed. In July, the benchmark price reached $278,800, slightly higher than last month and nearly 10 per cent higher than last year’s levels.

Market continues to favour the seller despite slowing sales
City of Calgary, June 1, 2022 – For the second month in a row, sales activity trended down after all-time record high sales in March. While activity in the market slowed down in May with 3,071 sales, levels are still slightly higher than last year’s record high and are far stronger than typical levels of activity recorded in May.

“It’s not a surprise to see sales ease from the exceptionally strong levels seen earlier in the year. Many buyers were eager to get into the market ahead of the rate gains that we are now seeing,” said CREB® Chief Economist Ann-Marie Lurie.

“While higher lending rates are weighing on sales activity, the market is still struggling with supply levels and rising prices which could also be contributing to slower sales, especially in the detached market. Nonetheless, if this shift continues, we could begin to see more balanced conditions in the market over the next several months, slowing the pace of price growth in the market.”

Slower sales were met with a decline in new listings, but a strong pullback in sales was enough to cause inventories to trend up relative to levels seen over the past few months. While inventory remains well below historical norms, the monthly gains did take off some of the pressure in the market. However, with just under two months of supply, the market continues to favour the seller.

Tight market conditions continue to contribute to further price gains in the market, but the pace of growth has eased relative to what occurred over the previous four months. Overall, the benchmark price reached $546,000 in May, over 14 per cent higher than last year’s levels.
Benchmark home prices reflect a typical home to ensure price movements better reflect market activity. Over time, the typical home evolves and the MLS® Home Price Index also evolves to ensure the data remains in line with modern housing trends. As of today, the benchmark price was recalculated based on a modern typical home. Details on the model adjustments can be found on the Canadian Real Estate Association’s website.
Detached
Higher lending rates, steep price gains and exceptionally tight conditions in the market are starting to weigh on consumers and contributing to the pullback in detached sales this month. Sales trended down in all locations except the most affordable North East and East markets in the city, which continue to record sales growth. Slower sales were met with a pullback in new listings which prevented any steep gains in inventory levels. With 2,552 units in inventory and 1,620 sales, the months of supply edged up over last month but continues to favour the seller.

Persistently tight conditions did contribute to further price gains this month, but the pace of growth has eased compared to earlier in the year. Detached benchmark prices reached $648,500 in May, nearly 17 per cent higher than last year. Year-over-year gains have occurred across all districts with the gains ranging from a low of 10 per cent in the City Centre to over 22 per cent in the South East and North East.

Semi-Detached
Like the detached sector, sales slowed this month for semi-detached properties. However, sales still remain relatively strong and on a year-to-date basis are still higher than levels recorded last year. New listings also slowed, but at a slower pace than sales causing some modest monthly gains in inventory levels and some monthly gains in the months of supply. However, with less than two months of supply, this segment continues to favour the seller.

While prices continued to rise for semi-detached properties, the pace of growth has eased from earlier in the year. In May, the semi-detached benchmark price reached $584,700, nearly 15 per cent higher than the same time last year. Price gains have occurred across all districts with the strongest year-over-year gain occurring in the North district of the city.

Row
Like other property types, sales activity trended down from the March high. However, sales in May were still higher than last year’s levels and reflect a new record high for May. Row properties in the city are generally more affordable than both detached and semi-detached properties. Higher prices in other sectors and rate gains are likely driving more consumers toward row style properties.

While some monthly gains in inventories did help push up the months of supply, with 1.5 months of supply conditions continue to favour the seller. The persistently tight conditions placed further upward pressure on prices, however, the pace of growth is easing. As of May, the benchmark price reached $363,300, nearly 17 per cent higher than last year’s levels.

Apartment Condominium
Recent gains in sales and prices likely encouraged the boost in new listings this month for apartment condominiums. While sales did improve significantly compared to last year, the sales-to-new-listings ratio eased to 67 per cent and inventories edged up over relative to levels seen over the past five months. This rise was enough to push up the months of supply to over two months. While this segment of the market has been more sensitive to supply shifts, conditions still remain relatively tight supporting further price gains.

The benchmark price in May reached $275,300, over one per cent higher than last month and nearly nine per cent higher than last year. Prices trended up in every district helping support price recovery. Despite the growth, prices are still over 10 per cent below the highs set back in 2014.

Sellers’ market conditions continue in April
City of Calgary, May 2, 2022 – Following an all-time record high month of sales in March, activity slowed down in April. However, with 3,401 sales, it was still a gain of six per cent over last year and a record high for the month of April.

“Despite some of the monthly pullback, it is important to note that sales remain exceptionally strong and are likely being limited due to supply choice in the market,” said CREB® Chief Economist Ann-Marie Lurie. “While further rate increases will likely start to dampen demand later this year, more pullbacks in new listings this month are ensuring the market continues to favour the seller, resulting in further price gains.”

New listings trended down relative to last month and levels recorded last year. With the sales-to-new listings ratio remaining above 74 per cent, there was not much of a shift in overall inventory levels.

With 4,850 units in inventory, we are nowhere near record low inventory levels, however, levels are far lower than what was recorded in April since 2014. What has changed in the market is the composition of the inventory levels. When comparing inventories today to what was available in 2014, we can see that detached homes comprise of a smaller share of the inventory levels especially for properties priced below $500,000.

Overall, the Calgary market has seen the months of supply remain below two months since November of last year, placing significant upward pressure on prices. The benchmark price in April reached $526,700, which is nearly two per cent higher than last month and 17 per cent higher than last year.
Detached

For the first time since spring of 2020, year-over-year sales slowed down. While sales have dropped, it is important to note that with 1,815 sales, this is still far stronger than long term trends. A decline in sales occurred for homes priced under $600,000. This pullback in sales for lower priced homes was likely related to further supply declines driven from reductions in new listings in those price ranges. Inventories in the detached sector have not been this low for the month of April in nearly 15 years.

While the slightly slower sales compared to inventory levels did help push the months of supply back above one month, conditions continue to remain exceptionally tight with 1.3 months of supply. This continues to place upward pressure on prices, but at a slower pace than the last three months. The detached benchmark price rose to $628,900 in April, which is 19 per cent higher than last year.

Semi-Detached

A decline in new listings in April likely contributed to slower sales compared to last month. However, sales are still relatively strong and on a year-to-date basis and remain nearly 30 per cent higher than last year and nearly double the long-term average. As the slower pace of sales was met with a decline in new listings, there was little change in the inventory situation and this segment continues to favour the seller.

Tight market conditions caused further price gains in the semi-detached sector. In April, the benchmark price reached $487,900, nearly two per cent higher than last month and over 16 per cent higher than last April.

Row

While levels trended down from the previous month, new listings reached 781 units this month. This is a year-over-year gain of 24 per cent and the highest level ever seen in April. The improvements in new listings helped support stronger sales activity which rose over last year’s levels and set a new April high. This boost in new listings did cause inventories to trend up compared to earlier in the year, but it was not enough to pull the market out of the sellers’ market conditions.

With just over one months of supply, persistently tight market conditions continue to place upward pressure on prices. Thanks to gains across every district, row prices rose by over two per cent compared to last month and are nearly 17 per cent higher than last year.

Apartment Condominium

Like other property types, apartment condominium sales did ease relative to last month’s record highs. But with 642 sales this month, activity still improved by over 46 per cent compared to last year reaching a record high for April. This in part was possible thanks to the 893 new listings that came onto the market. While it was not enough to dramatically change the supply levels in the market, the months of supply did edge up to nearly two months.

Tighter market conditions continued to cause prices to trend up in April. The apartment benchmark price rose across all districts and currently sits eight per cent higher than levels recorded at this time last year. The strong price gains over the past three months have helped narrow the spread from the 2014 record high price.

Record high sales seen again in March
City of Calgary, April 1, 2022 – For the second month in a row, sales activity not only reached a monthly high but also hit new record highs for any given month. Gains occurred across every property type as they all hit new record highs.

An increase in new listings this month helped support the growth in sales activity. However, inventories have remained relatively low, ensuring the market continues to favour the seller.

“While supply levels have improved from levels seen over the past four months, inventory levels are still well below what we traditionally see in March, thanks to stronger than expected sales activity,” said CREB® Chief Economist Ann-Marie Lurie. “With just over one month of supply in the market, the persistently tight market conditions continue to place significant upward pressure on prices.”

With an unadjusted benchmark price of $518,600 this month, the monthly gain increased by another four per cent. After three consecutive gains, prices have risen by nearly $55,000 since December and currently sit nearly 18 per cent higher than last year’s levels.

Despite the strong start to the year, price gains and rising lending rates are expected to weigh on demand in the second half of this year. Nonetheless, persistently tight conditions will likely continue to impact the market over the next several months.
Detached

Sales continued to surge in March reaching record highs, thanks to a boost in new listings. Year-over-year sales growth occurred in every district of the city except the City Centre. The pullback in the City Centre is likely related to the significant drop in new listings, providing less choice for potential buyers.

The months of supply for detached homes has been below one month since December. The exceptionally tight conditions have had a significant impact on home prices. The benchmark price for detached properties rose to $620,500 in March, which is over $73,000 higher than December levels and 20 per cent higher than levels recorded last year. Gains in prices have also caused a significant shift in the distribution of homes, where over 57 per cent of the available supply is priced over $600,000.

Semi-Detached

Semi-detached sales posted another record month of sales and year-to-date sales are over 43 per cent higher than last year. Improvements in new listings helped support some of the growth in sales but did little to improve the inventory situation.

Inventory levels remain relatively low, causing the months of supply to remain nearly 70 per cent lower than long term trends for this time of year. Tight conditions caused prices to trend up again this month, for an unadjusted monthly gain of nearly four per cent. Prices trended up across all districts and are 16 per cent higher than last March. Year-over-year price gains have ranged from a low of nine per cent in the City Centre to a high of nearly 22 per cent in the North district.

Row

Row sales reached an all-time record high this month, contributing to year-to-date sales of 1,550 units, which is a 96 per cent increase over last year. An increase in new listings helped support the strong sales. However, inventory levels have been steadily declining compared to the previous year and are at the lowest March levels seen compared to the past seven years. Strong sales this month combined with the lower inventory levels saw the months of supply push below one month.

The persistently tight conditions have placed significant upward pressure on prices. In March, the benchmark price reached $335,400, which is over four per cent higher than last month and nearly 17 per cent higher than last year. While strong gains have occurred across all districts of the city, the North East, North West, South and East districts have not yet recorded full price recovery from their previous highs.

Apartment Condominium

Apartment sales continued to surge in March, contributing to the best start of the year on record. The sudden shift in demand could be related to less supply choice in lower price ranges for other property types, causing many to turn to the condominium market. The rise in sales has outpaced the growth in new listings, causing inventories to ease compared to last year and the months of supply to drop to the lowest recorded since 2007.

After several months of tight conditions, we are seeing upward pressure on prices. In March, the benchmark price rose to $265,900 – nearly three per cent higher than last month and six per cent higher than last year. The recent gain in price has helped support some price recovery in this sector, but prices remain over 11 per cent below previous highs.

Sales continue to surge as listings rise
City of Calgary, March 1, 2022 – Thanks to a surge in new listings, sales activity reached a record high for the month of February with 3,305 sales. The rise in new listings caused adjusted inventories to rise above last months levels. However, with only one month of supply, the market continues to favour the seller.

“Sales have been somewhat restricted by the lack of supply choice in the market. While sellers did respond with a record level of new listings this month, the demand has been so strong that the housing market continues to remain undersupplied causing further price gains,” said CREB® Chief Economist Ann-Marie Lurie.

The total residential benchmark price for the city rose by nearly six per cent over January levels and was over 16 per cent higher than levels recorded last February. Much of the growth has been driven by the detached segment of the market which has not seen conditions this tight in over 15 years.

This is the fourth consecutive month that the market has dealt with conditions that are far tighter than what the city experienced last spring. While the gains in new listings will help provide choice to purchasers and eventually support more balanced conditions, it will take some time to work through the demand in the market.
Detached

For the third consecutive month, the months of supply in the detached sector has remained below one month. The limited supply and persistently strong demand has placed significant upward pressure on prices. As of February, the benchmark price reached $596,400, which is nearly $50,000 higher than prices seen at the end of 2021 and over $90,000 higher than February 2021 prices. Price gains have occurred in every district of the city with year-over-year gains pushing above 20 per cent in the North, South and South East districts.

After the first two months of the year, sales growth has been the strongest in the $600,000 to $1,000,000 price range, as this is where there was the largest gain in new listings. Overall, conditions remain exceptionally tight across all price ranges, with less than one month of supply occurring for all homes priced under $1,000,000 over the first two months of the year.

Semi-Detached

The record number of new listings for February were met with record high February sales, doing little to ease the pressure in this segment of the market. The months of supply dropped to one month, something that has not happened in February since 2006.

The persistent and exceptionally tight conditions caused further upward pressure on prices. Thanks to gains across every district, the semi-detached unadjusted benchmark price reached $461,400 in February, which is nearly five per cent higher than last month and 16 per cent higher than levels recorded in February 2021.

Row

Lack of supply choice in competing property types drove many consumers to consider row style properties. However, following several months of strong sales relative to new listings, inventory levels have also trended down relative to what we traditionally see at this time of year. With 537 sales in February and 535 units in inventory, the months of supply dropped to one month for the first time since early 2007.

The persistent sellers’ market conditions caused steep monthly price gains across most districts of the city. The largest month gains occurred in the North East, North and West end of the city. Despite recent gains, prices remain shy of previous highs in all districts except the West.

Apartment Condominium

After falling behind other property types, the apartment condominium sector recorded a surge in sales this month, reaching record highs for February. New listings also improved but did little to cause any significant change to inventory levels. The months of supply dipped below two months and was the tightest seen in the apartment condo sector since 2007.

The recent tightness has supported some upward pressure in prices this month. However, price gains are significantly lower than the other property types and prices continue to remain over 14 per cent below previous highs. While this segment of the market has not experienced the same supply constraints as other property types, if conditions remain this tight, we could see more substantial shifts toward price recovery.