What a Difference a Month Makes...
It’s hard to believe how much things have changed in just a month but the market and really the entire world has shifted dramatically since our last update with the emergence of the pandemic that is COVID-19.
First and foremost, we hope you are doing well and staying safe and healthy as we go through this extremely challenging time.
Switching over to the numbers from this past month, they are of course low with just 4 completed sales and taking into account the unprecedented times we’re in, it is a bit like comparing apples to oranges when we look at the numbers from the same time last year, even though there were only 9 sales last March.
Of the transactions completed, 3 were detached single family homes and 4 were apartment sales with 3 occurring in the Lake Bonavista Estates complex and 1 in the Gateway South Centre building. The days on market numbers remained similar to what we saw last month and last year at this time coming in at 43.7 days.
Taking a step back and looking at the market as a whole, March actually started off rather well showing marked gains year over year however as the pandemic rose and social distancing measures took effect, activity dropped sharply across the board. Sales fell by 11 percent compared to last year, which was also 37 per cent lower than long-term averages and pushed the totals for the month to the lowest recorded level since 1995.
The inventory level is also much lower across the City as many sellers have decided to terminate or temporarily withdraw their listings until things improve and we likely won’t see levels recover until things improve and social distancing measures are scaled back.
Given the progression of COVID-19 we expect the April numbers and activity to potentially be even slower as the March totals were buoyed by the first 2 positive weeks of the month.
We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and keep you updated, there are parallels to other slowdowns and recessions in recent history but nothing close to the scale and effect that COVID-19 has had so we are taking things day-by-day.
We are always here for you and all our clients and contacts as we navigate through this pandemic together, whether it’s real estate related information or otherwise so please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you may have.
Stay healthy, stay informed and stay grounded.
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