As is the case every year, with January comes a look back at the year just passed and new year musings as to what the coming year will bring. This year is no different. With all of the figures reflecting the performance of the Prince Edward County (“the County”) real estate market in for 2015; sales and listings numbers logged, reviewed and justified,then recorded in the Enhanced Statistical Query Report produced by the Quinte & District Association of REALTORS® (“the Quinte Board”); the very strong and positive performance of the 2015 market is confirmation of the fact that the County has definitively taken its place on the map as a go to destination of choice in Southern Ontario.
The County real estate market closed out the year on a very strong note with December’s figures defining tight market conditions with limited product, ongoing strong demand, and rising average sale prices. December’s real estate performance contributes to the strengthening trend experienced in the County throughout the year, ending the season on the same high note. Having said that, 2016 has started off on a rather negative economic footing with steep declines in the equity markets, both here and south of the border, further compounded by falling oil and commodity prices which so far appear to be outweighing any consequential positive impact of the sliding dollar on the manufacturing and export markets. This mixed with historically high household debt levels and the potential for moderate tightening in lending conditions may add to the broader economic pain being experienced across the country, and dampen real estate prospects somewhat for the year to come.
As stated in earlier reports, the smaller sampling of properties represented in the wards that constitute the County real estate market inevitably results in greater statistical swings depending upon the particular cross-section of sales that took place within the period in question, but continues to provide some indication of market strength and the direction in which it is trending. According to the Enhanced Statistical Query Report, the Quinte Board reported a 14% increase in sales in the month of December compared to the last month of the year in 2014. Specifically 33 properties were reported sold this December compared to 29 last year. That brought the total number of properties sold in the County in 2015 to 591 as set out in the Quinte Board Enhanced Statistical Query Report representing reconciled annual sales from the period spanning January 1 through December 31, 2015. This constitutes an 8% increase over the 548 sales recorded in the County during 2014.
Sales across the entire Quinte Board were equally robust with sales in December besting those from the year previous by 8% (188 vs 174) and annual figures coming in15% better than in 2014 with a grand total of 3399 properties changing hands compared to 2966 the year before.
As indicated, property supply remains tight with listings down again in December with only 40 new properties coming onto the market compared to 46 the year previous, a further 16% decline bringing the annual deficit in listings for 2015 to 9% with a total of only 1418 properties coming onto the market this year compared to 1555 last year. Not surprisingly, combined with the robust pace of sales, year-end reported inventory was down 23% for the month of December with only 280 active listings compared to 362 at the same time the year previous. Listings for the broader Quinte Board are also down 7% for the month year over year and 3% overall on an annual basis.
As an aside, the properties that did sell in December took 26% longer to sell than did those that sold in December the year previous, potentially reflecting the fact that the limited supply of properties is pushing sales to properties that otherwise would not have sold and had been lingering on the market. Interestingly enough, annual comparisons for the entire year also reflect a longer time period to sell the properties that did sell despite the higher volume of properties that changed hands. Perhaps again that is a reflection of the fact that more of the older supply of properties that would otherwise not be reflected in the sold statistics were being snapped up with the hotter market.
Finally, consistent with the fundamental principles of supply and demand and the logical outcome of a stronger market with tight or limited supply, average sale prices continue to rise. In December the average sale price came in at $329,788, a whopping 47% above the figure recorded in December 2014 when the average sale price for the month was $224,272. Even spread over a longer period of time, and representing a broader cross-section of properties, the increase in the average annual sale price for 2015 compared year over year with 2014 was 17% ($304,075 in 2015 vs $$259,406 for 2014), a hefty increase reflecting the heightened real estate activity and interest in the County.
All in all an impressive performance and a positive note to end 2015, and a promising way to ring in the New Year. Only time will tell what 2016 will bring considering some of the economic clouds on the horizon and some rumbling in the world of debt financing. That said, County properties remain well positioned moving forward with respect to comparative value and affordability, and will continue to benefit from the natural attributes of the area including its scenic beauty and proximity to higher priced and vibrant urban centres.
