Home prices up in March, but gains continue to moderate

The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI)1, the leading measure of Canadian home prices, stayed above year-ago levels in March 2012 according to statistics released today by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).  Year-over-year gains have been moderating. The increase in March was the smallest since last June.

Highlights:
• The Aggregate Composite MLS® Home Price Index in March 2012 was up 5.1% year over-year – on par with the gain in February and the smallest increase since June 2011.
• Toronto posted the largest year-over-year increase (7.3%), followed by Vancouver (5.3%), the Fraser Valley (3.3%), Calgary (2.6%), and Montreal (2.2%).
• Year-over-year gains were largest for one-and two-storey single family homes, which rose 5.4% and 6.8% respectively. Apartment prices climbed 3%, and townhouse prices were up 2.6%.

The MLS® Home Price Index rose 5.1 per cent in March 2012 compared to the same month last year. The increase was on par with February’s gain, which was the smallest since last June.

“Overall price trends show that Canada’s housing market continues to moderate,” said Wayne Moen, CREA President. “Price increases have been shrinking since last fall. While that trend paused in March, it may in part reflect an early spring in many parts of the country, resulting in increased competition among buyers.

That said, headline numbers mask some important differences in price trends among local housing markets and housing types. Since all real estate is local, buyers and sellers should talk to their local REALTOR® to best understand how home price trends are shaping up where they live.”

The MLS® HPI remained above its year-ago level in all five of the markets tracked, led by Toronto (7.3%). It also held above year-ago levels in all housing

http://homepriceindex.ca/docs/News%20Release_HPI_En_Mar2012.pdf