Tag Archives: real-estate
Home sales fell almost 6% in December, latest CREA index shows
Nationally home sales in Canada fell in December compared with the previous month, recording a fall of 5.8%, the latest index shows. However, actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity stood 7.9% above December 2013 levels, according to the data from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). The number of newly listed homes rose 1.1% from November to December and the Home Price Index (HPI) rose 5.4% year on year in December while the national average sale price rose 3.8% on a year on year. The number of home sales processed through Canadian real estate Boards and Associations fell 5.8% in December 2014 compared to November and remained above year ago levels. December sales were down from the previous month in almost two thirds of all local housing markets, led by declines of about 25% in both Calgary and Edmonton. Activity also slipped by about 5% in the Greater Toronto Area. ‘Home sales activity remained above year ago levels in most local housing markets. Sales were also stronger in December than they were the previous month in about one third of all local markets in Canada,’ said CREA president Beth Crosbie. December sales were down from the previous month in a number of Canada’s largest and most active housing markets, indicating a broadly based cooling off for Canadian home sales as 2014 came to an end, according to CREA chief economist Gregory Klump. ‘Even so, sales remain above year-ago levels in many of the same markets. Given the uncertain outlook for oil prices, it’s no surprise consumer confidence in Alberta softened and moved some home buyers to the side lines,’ he explained. ‘With regards to slower activity in Calgary and Edmonton, sales in these two markets had been running strong all year before they returned to levels that are entirely average for the month of December,’ he added. The number of newly listed homes rose 1.1% in December compared to November. Led by Calgary, Regina and Ottawa, new supply was up in just over half of all local markets. The national sales to new listings ratio was 51.8% in December, down from the mid 55% range in the previous four months. A sales to new listings ratio between 40% and 60% is generally consistent with balanced housing market conditions, with readings above and below this range indicating sellers’ and buyers’ markets respectively. The ratio was within this range in just over two thirds of all local markets in November. More than half of the British Columbia, Alberta and Southern Ontario markets that had been in seller’s market territory in November returned to balanced market territory in December. This list included Greater Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and the Greater Toronto Area. The number of months of inventory is another important measure of the balance between housing supply and demand. It represents the number of months it would take to completely liquidate current inventories at the current rate of sales activity. There were 6.2 months of inventory nationally at the end of… Continue reading
New Scottish property tax rates being reviewed
The new property tax rates due to replace stamp duty in Scotland in April are being reviewed amid concerns that families buying in areas like Edinburgh face unfair bills. Finance Secretary John Swinney is currently examining the rates for the proposed Land and Business Transactions Tax (LBTT) and will announce his conclusions to the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday when MSPs are due to debate the Scottish Budget Bill. The LBTT rates were announced last year before the UK Chancellor George Osborne changed the stamp duty system nationwide. It raised the threshold for paying tax on a home from £125,000 to £135,000 but increased the amount to 10% on homes above £250,000 and up to £1 million. However, Osborne has now replaced the slab style stamp duty bands with a graduated rate which means some purchasers benefit more under the stamp duty system. Swinney said his proposals were designed for the Scottish market, not London house prices, with 90% of home buyers better or no worse off and 5,000 homes would be taken out of taxation all together. ‘The Chancellor's decision to introduce a new stamp duty system overnight, without warning and consultation, means that while 80% of home owners continue to pay less tax or no tax at all under the Scottish system we now have the opportunity to review the rates and ensure they are right for Scotland,’ he explained. The Conservatives have proposed that no tax be levied on house sales under £140,000, and that the 10% tax on homes between £250,000 and £500,000 be halved. ‘The eye watering 10% tax rate has caused concern in many parts of Scotland and is having a distortion on the housing market,’ said Conservative party finance spokesman Gavin Brown. Property industry experts have welcomed the move, saying that the original bands were too skewed towards extracting funds from the top end of the market. John Boyle, director of research and strategy at Rettie and Co, said that it was important that the Scottish government listened to people working in the industry and took their views on board. ‘We argued that the 80% Who would save money through what was proposed would save what amounted to a few hundred pounds, while the 20% who would pay more would be unfairly hit,’ he pointed out. ‘People in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and parts of Glasgow would all have been affected and it would have been a bit punitive on buyers in these areas. Trying to buy a family property in these cities for less than £250,000 is pretty difficult, and very few family homes sell for less than this,’ he added. One of the major complaints with the tax was the proposed jump from 2% on properties sold between £135,000 and £250,000 and a 10% rate on purchases above £250,000 and up to £1 million. ‘It would be reasonable to have a 5% or 7% bracket before you get to the 10% level, and we would expect this to be brought… Continue reading
New Zealand housing market saw a sales surge at end of 2014
Last year ended with a sales surge in the New Zealand residential real estate market with transactions up 24.2 in December compared with the same month in 2013. It was the strongest December sales since 2006 and the second strongest December on record, according to the data from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ). The index also shows that the national median price at $450,000, is up $23,000 on December 2013 but down $5,750 on November 2014. However, the Auckland median price reached a new record of $678,000. Overall there has been an annual increase in the national median price of 5.4% over 2014 compared with 9.8% over the 2013 and year on year sales were down 7% on the number sold in 2013. ‘The data for December shows very strong sales growth compared to 12 months ago and a much higher level of sales that we would normally expect for the final month of the year,’ said REINZ chief executive Helen O’Sullivan. ‘The effect has been seen right across the country, with a number of regions seeing further increases in sales in December after a strong November. The normal December slow down hasn’t really happened in 2014,’ she explained. However, she pointed out that apart from Auckland, median prices across the country have moderated somewhat. For the year ended December, Auckland’s median price rose by 13%, but the national median rose by only 5.4%. Even Canterbury, which has seen strong price growth during 2014 has seen its rate of price increase pull back to under 2% for the 12 months to December 2014. ‘The real estate market remains split between Auckland, with strong demand and price growth, and the rest of the country. While a number of regions are experiencing listing shortages the situation in Auckland is acute, with less than three months’ supply available and demand continuing to be robust,’ she said. ‘Vendors are simply not coming forward in large enough numbers to meet the demand, despite the strong price rises seen in Auckland over the past three years,’ she added. A breakdown of the data shows that four regions recorded an increase in sales volume compared to November with Hawkes Bay recording the largest percentage increase of 7.2%, followed by Nelson/Marlborough with 6.8% and Northland with 4.2%. All regions recorded an increase in sales volume compared to December 2013 with Manawatu/Wanganui recording the largest increase of 39.7%, followed by Waikato/Bay of Plenty with an increase of 34.8% and Wellington with an increase of 32.5%. The national median house price declined $5,750 or 1.3% to $450,000 compared to November. Compared to December 2013 the national median house price increased by $23,000 or 5.4%, with six regions recording an increase. On a seasonally adjusted basis the national median house price rose 0.2% compared with November and 4.7% compared to December 2013. Taking total volumes and prices into account, Auckland accounted for 98% of the increase in the median price between December 2014 and… Continue reading
