Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 2,162 residential properties in June through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® System, compared with 1,985 in June 2016, an increase of 8.9 per cent. The five-year average for June sales is 1,818.

“We’re having a stellar year so far in 2017. Year-to-date sales numbers for the first half of the year are up in both the residential and condo property classes, combined coming in at a 13.5 per cent increase over the same time period in 2016,” says Ralph Shaw, President-Elect of the Ottawa Real Estate Board. “Average sale price in both the residential and condo class is up in the first half of 2017 compared to last year, although not a significant amount.”

June’s sales included 408 in the condominium property class, and 1,754 in the residential property class. “Listings and inventory levels continue to trend downwards, and REALTORS® report an increase in multiple offers on properties in some pockets around the city,” says Shaw. “While some areas within the Ottawa market are very active in sales, there are other areas of the city that remain very balanced and steady.”

“Something we hadn’t seen for years, is the recent rise in the lifestyle market in both the residential and condo property class, with 46 over $1 million units sold in June, and 171 units over $1 million sold since the beginning of the year,” says Shaw. “Both numbers are more than double the amount sold last year. It indicates that home buyers are looking beyond their basic needs to check off more boxes from their wish lists such as view, downtown location, or acreage property.”

“Since the announcement in April by the Ontario Liberal government of cooling measures in Toronto, it’s no surprise that the Ottawa market has been thriving. Not only is Ottawa an affordable place to live, it’s also very desirable,” says Shaw. “We have a great mix of city life and rural expanses. It’s no wonder MoneySense just named Ottawa as Canada’s best place to live in 2017.”

The average sale price of a residential-class property sold in June in the Ottawa area was $434,502, an increase of 8.8 per cent over June 2016. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $289,905, an increase of 9.4 per cent over June 2016. The Board cautions that the average sale price can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The calculation of the average sale price is based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold. Price and conditions will vary from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

“The most active price point in the residential market continues to be the $300,000 to $399,999 range, accounting for 35.1 per cent of the market. Within the condo market, the most active price point was between $150,000 and $249,999, accounting for 50.8 per cent of the market,” says Shaw. “In addition to residential and condominium sales, OREB Members assisted clients with renting 1,496 properties since the beginning of the year.”