Average Home Sale Price Dips 5% from Last Month, Across All Property Types

 KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON (April 4, 2022) —The 725 residential homes sold through the Multiple Listing Service® System (MLS® System) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR) in March 2022 is a decrease of 27.1 per cent compared to March 2021, which continues to hold the record for most home sales in a single month. On a month-over-month basis, sales in March were up 19.4 per cent compared to February 2022. The previous ten-year average number of residential sales for March is 599.

 

“The skyrocketing prices of the last two months took a bit of a breather in March, with the overall average price dipping five per cent compared to what we saw in February,” said Megan Bell, President of KWAR. “While it is too soon to draw conclusions from just one month of home sales, I know many will be comforted to see a leveling off on the average price, no matter how incremental.”

 

Total residential sales in March included 416 detached (down 29.7 per cent from March 2021), and 114 condominium units (down 9.5 per cent). Sales also included 64 semi-detached homes (down 17.9 per cent) and 131 townhouses (down 33.8 per cent).

 

In March, the average sale price for all residential properties in the Kitchener-Waterloo area was $960,181. This represents a 25.5 per cent increase over March 2021 and a 4.6 per cent decrease compared to February 2022.

 

• • • The average price of a detached home was $1,132,637. This represents a 25.9 per cent increase from March 2021 and a decrease 6.4 per cent compared to February 2022.
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    • The average sale price for an apartment-style condominium was $565,782. This represents an increase of 33.4 per cent from March 2021 and a decrease of 1.2 per cent compared to February 2022.
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    • The average sale price for a townhouse was $796,696. This represents a 27.4 per cent increase from March 2021 and a decrease of 7.6 per cent compared to February 2022.
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    • The average sale price for a semi was $876,371. This represents an increase of 34.5 per cent compared to March 2021 and a decrease of 5.0 per cent compared to February 2022.

 

 

KWAR cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing long-term trends but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The MLS®® Home Price Index (HPI) provides the best way to gauge price trends because averages are strongly distorted by changes in the mix of sales activity from one month to the next.

 

The MLS® HPI composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Kitchener-Waterloo was $960,100 in March. This represents a 29.6 per cent increase over March 2021 and a 1.5 per cent decrease compared to February 2022.

 

• • • The benchmark price for a detached home was $1,046,200. This represents a 28.1 per cent increase from March 2021 and 4.0 per cent decrease compared to February 2022.
  • • The benchmark price for an apartment-style condominium was $484,000. This represents a 32.9 per cent increase from March 2021 and a 4.2 per cent increase compared to February 2022.
  • • The benchmark price for a townhouse is $765,500. This represents a 41.3 per cent increase from March 2021 and a 4.9 per cent increase compared to February 2022.

 

 

 

“Even though the average price decreased across all property types on a month-to-month basis, the MLS® HPI showed continued monthly gains for both townhouse and apartment property types,” notes Bell.  “As the province feels its way out of the pandemic, we are beginning to see some very preliminary signs of a potential cooling. We are not seeing quite as many multiple offers and some offers are coming in with conditions. Of course, when we say cooling, we’re talking about a market that has been scorching hot which is why we are pleased to see this happening.”

 

There were 1,131 new listings added to the MLS® System in KW and area last month, a decrease 16.8 per cent compared to the record topping number of listings added in March of last year, and a 28.0 per cent increase compared to the previous ten-year average for March.

 

The total number of homes available for sale in active status at the end of March was 441, an increase of 1.1 per cent compared to March of last year, and 59.0 per cent below the previous ten-year average of 1,072 listings for March.

 

The number of months of inventory nudged up to 0.7 months in March from 0.5 months in February. Inventory has been under the one-month mark since October 2020. The number of months of inventory represents how long it would take to sell off current inventories at the current rate of sales.

 

The average number of days to sell in March was 8 days, the same as it was in March 2021. The previous 5-year average is 16 days.