The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 1,409 sales were processed through the RAHB Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in August. Sales were 9.2 per cent higher than the same month last year, and set a new record for sales in the month of August.
There were 1,645 properties listed in August, a decrease of 10.8 per cent compared to August of last year.
“The record sales in August 2016 came in on top of the record sales of August 2015. This is the third month this year (March, May 2016) that monthly sales have been record-breaking,” said RAHB CEO George O’Neill. “Once again we are seeing very strong sales while the number of listings remains low, leaving us firmly in a seller’s market.”
Seasonally adjusted* sales of residential properties were 4 per cent lower than the same month last year, with the average sale price up 6.2 per cent for the month. Seasonally adjusted numbers of new listings were 15.6 per cent lower than August of 2015.
Actual overall residential sales of 1,334 units were 7.4 per cent higher than the same month last year. Residential freehold sales were 9 per cent higher than August of 2015 while sales in the condominium market were virtually the same as the same month last year.
The median price of freehold properties increased by 17 per cent over the same month last year while the median price for condominium properties increased by 19.4 per cent compared to the same period.
The average price of freehold properties showed an increase of 5.1 per cent compared to August of last year; the average sale price in the condominium market increased by 19.3 per cent when compared to the same period.
Average sale price is based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold through the RAHB MLS® System. Average sale price can be useful in establishing long term trends, but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. Contact a REALTOR® for information about your area or property.
The average days on market decreased from 35 to 27 days in the freehold market and from 38 to 27 days in the condominium market, compared to August of last year.
“The average days on market for residential properties (27) has increased a bit from the 22 to 25 days seen April through July, and that’s a seasonal trend,” noted RAHB President Kim Alvarez. “What is noteworthy, however, is that those numbers compare to 28 to 36 average days on market last year for those same months. Properties are moving much more quickly this year.”
Every community in RAHB’s market area has its own localized market. Please refer to the accompanying chart, and contact a REALTOR® for more information.
*Seasonal adjustment removes normal seasonal variations, enabling analysis of monthly changes and fundamental trends in the data.
About the Realtors® Association of Hamilton-Burlington
Established in 1921, the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) represents more than 2,950 real estate brokers and sales representatives from Hamilton, Burlington and outlying areas. Members of the Association may use the REALTOR® trademark, which identifies them as real estate professionals who subscribe to a strict code of ethics. The Association operates the local Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System and provides ongoing professional education courses for its members. Advertisements of local MLS® property listings and information about the services provided by a REALTOR® can be found at REALTOR.ca. More information about RAHB is available at rahb.ca.