Beleaguered sector takes brunt of economic downturn

Apartment-style condominiums were the hardest hit within Calgary's resale residential housing market in 2015, with price drops and inventory gains that outpaced both attached and detached products

On an annual basis, the apartment benchmark price slide by 0.4 per cent to $292,818 by the end of November, according to CREB®. In comparison, year-to-date benchmark prices in the detached and attached sectors during the same period actually increased by 1.7 and 2.1 per cent, respectively.

Yet more telling is how apartment prices reacted during the year, as it dropped by four per cent from $298,700 in January to $287,000 in November. During this period, benchmark prices in the detached and attached sectors declined by a more modest 1.5 and one per cent, respectively.

As city plans next phase, new study reveals light-rail transit has positive effect on property prices

Light-rail transit could boost the value of your home. At least that's the general finding of a new study from the University of Calgary.

According to new research obtained exclusively by CREB®Now and completed by Economics master's degree student Laura Dick, LRT line development has had a modestly positive effect on the price of housing located close to stations along new lines in Calgary.

"Properties within zero to 500 metres of a station saw, on average, an increase in sales price of about 1.5 per cent compared to properties that are 2,000 metres or more away from a station," said Dick, whose recently completed work is still to be published in an academic journal.

First quarter activity reflects economic uncertainty

Elevated inventory levels and low sales for three consecutive months caused unadjusted benchmark prices to ease by 0.44 per cent in March, relative to the previous month, for a total of $454,300. Based on first quarter statistics, conditions are consistent with buyers' market conditions.

Typical home prices have declined by 0.59 per cent in the first quarter of 2015, compared to the fourth quarter of 2014. The sales to new listings ratio also dropped to 41 per cent and months of supply averaged 4.03 for the quarter. This is a significant change from one year ago when the market was facing inventory shortages and price gains.

There were 1,936 residential units sold in Calgary in July representing a 21.3 per cent increase over 2011, a testament to the fact the city continues to buck national housing sale trends.

"Recent mortgage rule changes prompted much discussion of a national housing correction," said Ann-Marie Lurie, CREB® economist.

A new report on Calgary's luxury offerings is providing additional support for the argument the city's housing market is growing at a more steady and sustainable rate than other markets across the country.

Although multiple sources have singled out the housing markets in Toronto and Vancouver as proof of a greater Canada-wide trend, Calgary has yet to see the sort of rapid price fluctuations and sales declines evident in those cities.

Report tags Uptown 17th Avenue with highest retail rents in Calgary

Colliers International has dubbed Calgary's Uptown 17th Avenue the city's most expensive street to rent on.

The commercial real estate company took a look at top retail corridors around the world including New York's Fifth Avenue, Hong Kong's Queen's Road Central, London's Old Bond Street and the Champs-Elysées in Paris in a Global Retail Streets survey.