Monday, October 22, 2007

Market Driven by Single Homes in September

October 4, 2007
Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,116 residential units in September through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,084 in September 2006, an increase of 3 per cent. There were 1,312 sales in August 2007. “The big story in September was single-family homes, whose sales increased by four per cent over last year at this time,” said Board President Diane Hatfield. “Meanwhile, condo sales numbers held steady right where they
were last year, but condos are still a hot commodity – those sold in September spent an average of just 31 days on the market,” she added.

The average price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in September in the Ottawa area was $272,500, an increase of 6.4 per cent over September 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 2,300 sales representatives and brokers 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.