There are many factors that will contribute to the impending market in 2015. The first, of course, is how long oil prices will stay low and how that will affect the resource industry in our province. Without a doubt, oil and gas are important factors in how we fare in Calgary and Alberta. Many oil and gas giants have already decided to pull back the reins on spending and have cut costs and budgets. Aside from impending layoffs, what I find even more troublesome is the fact that many projects and future expansion have been put on the backburner in anticipation of the oil price recovery. This will mean a decline in "employment growth" within this sector.
One of the major contributing factors in real estate growth is a steady influx of "in migration" from other parts of Canada, and the rest of the world. If employment growth is hindered, will that slow the population growth in Calgary and the rest of the province? It could very well mean we will have less folks moving to our neck of the woods. It can take quite some time for a slumping market to affect the new home industry, I would suggest we will start to see some of that affect happening over the next few months with a slowing in the new build aspect of the market.
Over the past year we have seen outstanding growth in our luxury home market (see previous Blog) that was a major contributor to our average and median price growth. I suspect that this portion of the market has a finite pool of potential buyers, and I would suggest that many that may potentially be in this pool this year may very well decide to hold off on purchasing a home and take a "wait and see" stance moving forward due to the uncertainty of the economy. If we see a significant decrease in this sector of the market, it will adversely affect the average and median prices right across the board.
This week saw a drop in the Bank of Canada lending rate. "This decision is in response to the recent sharp drop in oil prices, which will be negative for growth and underlying inflation in Canada." (Bank of Canada) This drop in lending rates, in combination with a lower Canadian dollar and lower costs of gas at the pump may very well trigger economic growth in the manufacturing sectors, mostly based out of Ontario. Will that further pull people from our province to Central Canada is search of employment?
Perhaps the most concerning news over the past while for the real estate market is the fact that sales are significantly lower for the first three weeks of the year, as a matter of fact, the second worst in 15 years! (Check out my Tweet earlier today!) That, in combination with a large increase in new listings may be a harbinger for the months to come. Customarily, the first two months of the year are seasonally slower than the rest of the year, however, it would seem that many potential sellers are trying to get in front of the curve with the turbulent media reporting's of the economy and where we are headed. I would further suggest that many that would typically wait until spring to list their property may be listing early.
We will need to keep a close eye on the inventory to sales ratios in the weeks and the months to come. If potential sellers see a glut of inventory, many may very well decide not to list. Others may find themselves in a position where they have to sell their homes, whether it be due to finance, layoffs, relocation or perhaps they have been building a new home over the past few months. We also need to pay special attention to buyer confidence over the next few weeks. As I mentioned above, many may decide to wait to see how things work themselves out in anticipation of "getting a better deal" if the market retreats. What is important is to retain a certain sense of urgency so that we don't have a huge amount of "fence sitters" as we did in late 2008 and 2009.
This year it will be more important than ever to be sure a house is priced aggressively. Overpriced homes will sit on the market longer, and may very well become stigmatized the longer they sit around. Due to many economic factors, there will most probably be a "price correction" early in the year, so we must be very aware of previous sales and competitive listings. If a home is priced correctly right off the bat, they will be less likely to have to catch up with a potential falling market.
A listing will also have to set itself apart from other similar listings. Aside from appropriate pricing, staging, presentation and marketing will be paramount when competing for a buyer. A buyer will expect more for their investment.
If you would like to discuss the market further, I would be happy to sit with you to go over your specific needs. It will be an interesting year ahead!
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