CALGARY MARKET REPORT 

- December 2020 - 

For the sixth month in a row, sales in the Calgary market recorded a year-over-year gain.

Sales growth over the past several months has been the strongest seen in the past five years, but the activity has not been strong enough to offset the pullbacks from the spring. Year-to-date sales remain over three percent lower than last year's levels.

New listings continue to slow, reducing inventory in the market. On a year-to-date basis, new listings have eased by nearly ten percent and are at the lowest level recorded since 2001. This has reduced the oversupply that has been impacting the market for nearly five years.

"The gains in sales in the latter part of this year have been a bit surprising considering the job losses and unemployment rate in our city," said CREB^® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie.

"However, it is important to note that the shift to more balanced conditions has been mostly driven by the reduction of supply."

Tighter conditions in the housing market have contributed to some of the recent gains in benchmark prices. As of November, the benchmark price was $423,600. This is nearly two percent higher than last year's levels.

However, conditions vary depending on the price range. There is not a lot of supply for affordable homes in each product type because of the high demand. This is likely causing differing price trends in the lower end of the market versus the higher end.