Tuesday, December 18, 2012

A slight change in direction

For the past few years, I have posted the regional MLS statistics here, and a number of people have enjoyed picking up the numbers to see where the market is going. Starting now, I will be posting those numbers on the brokerage blog instead of here. It's a more convenient spot there and you'll be able to view lots of other blog posts by other agents in out company. As always, you comments are sincerely appreciated. You can see the posts at royallepagegrandvalley.com

Thursday, November 01, 2012

October 2012 Monthly Regional MLS Statistics

Here are the statistics for October, 2012:
K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 301,795$ 307,768$286,939$284,515
Percentage Change-1.7%+0.8%
Properties Sold480478248217
New Listings/Sales Ratio54.8%54.2%45.7%44.9%
Properties For Sale Now23782360946N/A

September 2012 Regional MLS Statistics

Here are the statistics for September, 2012:

K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 307,768$ 291,415$294,184$284,323
Percentage Change+5.6%+3.4%
Properties Sold448504222248
New Listings/Sales Ratio50.8%54.3%46.2%44.6%
Properties For Sale Now26312431N/AN/A

Thursday, September 27, 2012

August 2012 Regional Monthly MLS Statistics

Here are the statistics for August, 2012:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 303,679$ 293,303$282,527$281,080
Percentage Change+6.9%+0.5%
Properties Sold500518198235
New Listings/Sales Ratio48.3%64.5%49.6%47.9%
Properties For Sale Now26442369N/AN/A

July Regional MLS Statistics

Here are the statistics for July, 2012:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 303,955$ 302,076$290,743$278,652
Percentage Change+0.6%+4.3%
Properties Sold537520271264
New Listings/Sales Ratio61.8%56.5%48.9%52.7%
Properties For Sale Now27882391N/AN/A

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

June 2012 MLS Statistics


Here are the statistics for June, 2012:


















K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 329,204$ 327,945$294,617$287,549
Percentage Change+0.4%+2.4%
Properties Sold603679322268
New Listings/Sales Ratio57.5%60.9%51.4%45.4%
Properties For Sale Now271724599461003

May 2012 Regional MLS Statistics


Here are the statistics for May, 2012:


















K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 336,437$ 341,191$312,595$294,401
Percentage Change-1.4%+6.1%
Properties Sold658673290311
New Listings/Sales Ratio52.8%62.5%44.3%50.9%
Properties For Sale Now22612478994





Friday, May 18, 2012

April 2012 MLS Statistics

Here are the statistics for April, 2012:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 315,688$ 310,267$294,668$287,578
Percentage Change+1.7%+2.4%
Properties Sold668611290279
New Listings/Sales Ratio61.3%60.1%55.5%58.3%
Properties For Sale Now22882289785874

Thursday, April 12, 2012

March 2012 Regional MLS Stats

Here are the statistics for March, 2012:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 310,764$ 298,900$302,867$289,003
Percentage Change+4.0%+4.7%
Properties Sold668611290279
New Listings/Sales Ratio63.4%61.7%57.3%47.8%
Properties For Sale Now15431393724874

Monday, March 05, 2012

February 2012 MLS Statistics

Here are the numbers for the month of February, 2012 for both regional associations. Numbers are quite consistent. It's a very steady market as we enter our busy time of year.



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 308,560$ 288,302$287,293$278,793
Percentage Change+7.0%+3.0%
Properties Sold478498219199
New Listings/Sales Ratio50.4%62.2%47.7%39.1%
Properties For Sale Now20031959704793

Thursday, February 02, 2012

January 2012 Regional Monthly MLS Statistics

Here are the numbers for the month of January, 2012 for both regional associations:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 318,424$ 279,957$275,058$264,336
Percentage Change+13.7%+1.2%
Properties Sold316371166185
New Listings/Sales Ratio30.7%39.4%35.5%39.3%
Properties For Sale Now17541852681671

Friday, January 06, 2012

2011 Annual MLS Statistics for Waterloo Region

It has been a "stable" year for Waterloo Region real estate sales. Here is the K-W Record's take on it:Real Estate Holds its Own for 2011

Here are the numbers for the year of, 2011 for both regional associations:



K-W This YearK-W Last YearCambridge This YearCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 301,000$ 289,294$285,418$279,014
Percentage Change+4.0%2.2%
Properties Sold6248638928902653
New Listings/Sales Ratio59.7%62.3%49.4%50.4%
Properties For Sale Now14311439657N/A

Thursday, January 05, 2012

December 2011 Monthly Statistics

Here are the numbers for the month of December, 2011 for both regional associations:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 303,551$ 288,820$271,586$282,492
Percentage Change+5.1%-3.9%
Properties Sold325327159155
New Listings/Sales Ratio102.5%91.3%87.0%70.8%
Properties For Sale Now14311439657N/A

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

November Monthly Regional MLS Statistics

Here are the numbers for the month of November, 2011 for both regional associations:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 299,278$ 281,268$308,938$291,409
Percentage Change+6.4%+6.0%
Properties Sold453488243196
New Listings/Sales Ratio67.5%79.7%62.8%51.6%
Properties For Sale Now21062007882821

Friday, November 25, 2011

October 2011 MLS Statistics

Here are the numbers for the month of October for both regional associations:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 307,099$ 302,404$284,515$278,626
Percentage Change+1.6%+2.1%
Properties Sold479448217200
New Listings/Sales Ratio54.3%53.1%44.9%50.0%
Properties For Sale Now23082211950914

Friday, October 07, 2011

September 2011 MLS Statsitics

Here are the numbers for the month of September for both boards. It is a little bit odd in that Kitchener-Waterloo numbers are down slightly, but Cambridge is up from last year.
Here are the statistics for September, 2011:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 289,959$ 281,261$284,323$272,946
Percentage Change+3.1%+4.1%
Properties Sold491511248188
New Listings/Sales Ratio52.8%61.6%44.6%40.1%
Properties For Sale Now236121791009914

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

August 2011 MLS Statistics

The numbers indicate another strong summer month.
Here are the statistics for August, 2011:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 293,149$ 280,985$281,080$276,033
Percentage Change+4.3%+1.8%
Properties Sold507473235187
New Listings/Sales Ratio55.1%61.8%48.0%42.2%
Properties For Sale Now229821791308871

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

July 2011 MLS Statistics

Here are the statistics for July, 2011:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 302,974$ 283,861$278,652$287,549
Percentage Change+6.7%-3.2%
Properties Sold512504264237
New Listings/Sales Ratio63.6%61.2%52.6%66.9%
Properties For Sale Now230522801002911

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

June 2011 MLS Statistics

Here are the statistics for June, 2011:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 312,419$ 290,614$287,549$276,517
Percentage Change+7.5%+3.9%
Properties Sold677638268254
New Listings/Sales Ratio60.5%60.0%45.9%50.2%
Properties For Sale Now237422851003992

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

May 2011 MLS Statistics

Here are the statistics for May, 2011:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 309,912$ 301,496$294,401$285,059
Percentage Change+9.8%3.2%
Properties Sold670638311277
New Listings/Sales Ratio62.1%58.4%48.6%54.2%
Properties For Sale Now24042255994931

Thursday, April 07, 2011

March 2011 MLS Statistics

Here are the statistics for March, 2011:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 298,671$ 283,374$289,003$264,436
Percentage Change+5.4%9.2%
Properties Sold608719279299
New Listings/Sales Ratio61.1%65.1%47.7%52.8%
Properties For Sale Now12301058874849

Thursday, March 03, 2011

February 2011 MLS Statistics

Here are the statistics for February 2011:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 288,404$ 290,621$278,793$280,996
Percentage Change-0.8%-0.8%
Properties Sold491526199242
New Listings/Sales Ratio61.0%63.0%39.0%56.7%
Properties For Sale Now11711001793748

Thursday, February 03, 2011

January 2011 MLS Statistics

A good solid start to the year. Please remember these statistics are for the month of January so they can be a bit mileading. The statistics say that average sale price is down, but given the short time period, it really is saying that there were more lower end houses selling.
Here's the article from the Waterloo Regional Record.

Here are the statistics for January 2011:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 279,037$ 290,352$264,336$278,527
Percentage Change-3.9%-5.1%
Properties Sold359400185140
New Listings/Sales Ratio38.2%47.1%39.3%33.9%
Properties For Sale Now17991566671695

Sunday, January 09, 2011

2010 Annual Statistics

Another year of real estate statistics in the books. The year started like gangbusters but by June/July the market softened and continued the rest of the year with lower monthly sales. After the 08-09 recession, the year was really a mirror image of the previous year with year end numbers ending around the same.

Interest rates continue at their bottom rates with no real reason to feel that they will be increasing in the foreseeable future. This, in itself has created an economic concern in Canada with economists showing that Canadians are taking on more debt. This would largely be due to the fact that we can afford it, at the present interest rates. But it sure indicates a concern for the future when the interest rates increase.

The year has shown increases in the 7 to 8 per cent range in average house prices. This seems to be mostly due to affordability issues and seeing buyers purchasing more expensive houses than the actual prices increasing. On a neighbourhood basis, prices seem to be increasing more in newer, expensive neighbourhoods than they are in older, smaller home neighbourhoods. I would suggest that this is another spin on the lower interest rates.

Another strange thing with the market is that are considerably less properties for sale/available in the K-W market than in Cambridge. It was also pointed out to me recently that the number of vacant homes for sale has increased significantly. I am not sure what all this means. But we do know for sure that a shortage of inventory means that prices will be going up. We'll have to see how this plays out.

Unemployment rates continue to decline according to government numbers.

It looks like are coming into another good year.

Here is the article this week in the Waterloo Region Record .

Here are the Region's annual numbers:


K-W This YearK-W Last YearCambridge This YearCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 289,338$261,379$282,492$258,415
Percentage Change+8.6%+7.7%
Properties Sold6388634726832672
New Listings/Sales Ratio62.2%64.6%52.1%52.7%

Friday, January 07, 2011

Proposed Rental Legislation in Waterloo

The City of Waterloo is proposing changes to fees charged to rental units for the city. With the large number of students renting to go to the two universities, legislation is already in place to protect students and tenants. But this is a huge step beyond that. Fees will be forced onto the students and tenants and it is bad news for everybody. Check out the media information. Mike Milovick and Eric Klimstra are leading agents in our Kitchener office and interviewed in the
CTV video
Here's the article that appeared in today's Record

December 2010 Monthly MLS Statistics

Here are the statistics for December 2010:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 289,425$ 264,882$282,492$262,099
Percentage Change+9.3%%+7.7%
Properties Sold326340155150
New Listings/Sales Ratio90.5%81.2%73.5%87.3%
Properties For Sale Now755689686696

Monday, December 13, 2010

November 2010 Monthly MLS Statistics

Here are the statistics for November 2010:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 282,624$ 283,858$291,408$272,832
Percentage Change-0.4%+6.8%
Properties Sold484543196224
New Listings/Sales Ratio78.7%82.0%58.2%59.1%
Properties For Sale Now19491710821814

Thursday, November 04, 2010

October 2010 MLS Statistics

The fall numbers continue to lag behind last year's fall numbers, but it's fairly stable out there. Prices continue to stabilize, and although it's not brisk, there is plenty of activity. Here is the article in today's Waterloo Region Record with some more detail.

Here are the statistics for October 2010:



K-W This MonthK-W Last YearCambridge This MonthCambridge Last Year
Avg. Sale Price$ 302,596$ 264,788$278,626$251,054
Percentage Change+14.3%+11.0%
Properties Sold444572200220
New Listings/Sales Ratio52.4%77.4%51.7%61.9%
Properties For Sale Now20951944914915

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Are We an Apple or an Orange?


If you read some of the news articles about the recent Competition Bureau agreement with the Canadian Real Estate Association, you could truly be confused. But here are some clear facts:

1. You MUST be a licenced Realtor to post a listing on the MLS system. As a Realtor, this seems pretty simple. We all pay a lot of money to join and maintain the system. Nobody is going to say a one-time user can have my services without some strings attached.

2. Listings can be posted by a licenced Realtor without any contract for service. If you read my blog regularly, you know that I think that this is alright. It is somewhere between making your own coffee at home and Starbucks. Some people will desire this level of service. From a selfish point of view, I know that the listing salesperson cannot contract outside of the law, and may be liable, should there be a legal issue in the transaction. This will add stress to our Errors and Omissions policy costs which, in my opinion, is already too high.

3. 85% to 90% of Sellers and Buyers use a Realtor to buy or sell their most valuable asset. There is true value in the services we provide. When this MLS issue hit the press a few years ago in the US, things changed a bit for those buying and selling privately, but those 85/90 numbers did not change.

4. Prudential Grand Valley Realty is a full service brokerage.We're not interested in doing someone a favour by putting their listing on MLS as a favour to "test" the market. You're either an apple or an orange. There's no in between.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

A Special Day Today


I was overwhelmingly inspired by my son today. That's something that seems to happen more often as my two sons have grown up to become their own person.

My oldest son, Craig, ran in his first ever 10km race today in Niagara Falls, ON. In his own words, he was a couch potato four months ago, and he made a plan, and set a goal back in the summer to run in the race today. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work, commitment and perseverance. In his first ever long distance race, he finished 33rd out of 445 runners at a time that averaged faster than an 8 minute mile.

I am proud of him not just for finishing the race in such good order, but mostly for his committing to a long term goal and attaining it. We all can learn from that! Congratulations, Craig!