Friday, May 11, 2007

Affordable homes, hot condo market warm up chilly April

Ottawa, May 8, 2007: Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,554 homes in April through the Board's Multiple Listing Service® system, compared with 1,305 in March 2007. There were 1,439 sales in April 2006.
“Condo sales continue to lead the way in the Ottawa resale housing market,” said Board President Diane Hatfield. “Sales in that sector are up by more than 12 per cent over last April, proving that they are still a very popular choice with Ottawa homebuyers.”
“Also, it is noteworthy that more home purchases made in April were priced below the average than above it, showing that consumers have plenty of affordable housing choices in the Ottawa area,” Hatfield added.
The average price of the homes sold in April through the MLS® system in the Ottawa area was $276,440, an increase of 5.9 per cent over April 2006. The Board cautions that average 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 price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.
The Ottawa Real Estate Board is an industry association of 2,280 REALTORS® in the Ottawa area. Members of the Board are also members of the Canadian Real Estate Association and thus are entitled to use the term REALTOR®.
The MLS® system is a member based service, paid for by the REALTOR® members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board. The MLS® mark symbolizes the cooperation among REALTORS® to effect the purchase and sale of real estate through real estate services provided by REALTORS®. MLS® commercial and residential listings are available for viewing on the Board's internet site at www.OttawaRealEstate.org and on the national websites of The Canadian Real Estate Association at www.mls.ca and www.ICX.ca. Information about listings and open houses is also available in the Board's weekly newspaper, Ottawa Real Estate Guide, available free at 700 locations across the Ottawa area.