Over Summer, the Real Estate Market Cools in the Calgary Area

Courtesy of CREB®

Following a red hot spring market, the housing market cooled somewhat in the Calgary area. Over the summer, housing activity in the Calgary region including Cochrane and Airdrie continued to move away from the extreme sellers’ market conditions experienced throughout the spring.

Calgary

Easing sales, combined with gains in supply, pushed the months of supply above two months by the end of August, a level not seen since the end of 2022. As expected, rising new home construction and gains in new listings are starting to support a better-supplied housing market,” said Ann-Marie Lurie, Chief Economist at CREB®. “This trend is expected to continue throughout the remainder of the year, but it’s important to note that supply levels remain low, especially for lower-priced properties. It will take time for supply levels to return to those that support more balanced conditions.

Inventory levels in August reached 4,487 units, 37 per cent higher than last August but nearly 25 per cent lower than long-term trends for the month. Higher-priced properties mostly drove the supply gains, as the most affordable homes in each property type continued to report supply declines.

The supply gains were made possible by both an increase in new listings in August and a pullback in sales activity. There were 2,186 sales in August, representing a 20 per cent decline from last year’s record high but still 17 per cent higher than long-term averages for the month. The sales declines were driven by homes priced below $600,000.

Following stronger-than-expected gains earlier in the year, the pace of price growth is starting to slow. In August, the total unadjusted residential benchmark price was $601,800, six per cent higher than last year and just slightly lower than last month. Year-to-date, the average benchmark price rose by nine per cent.

Airdrie

New listings in Airdrie continued to rise this month compared to last year. However, with 242 new listings and 172 sales, the sales-to-new-listings ratio remained relatively high at 71 per cent. This prevented a stronger gain in inventory levels and kept the months of supply below two months. The tightest conditions in the market continue to be in the lower price ranges of each property type.

While conditions continue to favour the seller, they are not as tight as during the spring months, taking some pressure off home prices. In August, the unadjusted benchmark price was $553,300, similar to last month and nearly eight per cent higher than last year.

Cochrane

August reported 81 sales and 109 new listings, keeping the sales-to-new-listings ratio elevated at 74 per cent, enough to prevent any gain in inventory levels. With 144 units available, inventory levels are nearly 42 per cent below long-term trends for the month.

Persistently tight conditions continue to drive further price growth in the town. In August, the unadjusted benchmark price was $578,600, slightly higher than last month and over eight per cent higher than last year’s levels. Prices have risen across all property types, with the largest gains occurring for apartment-style properties.