More single-family homes in St. Albert sold last month compared to the same time a year ago, according to a news release.
The Realtors Association released its Multiple Listing Service System (MLS) numbers for the month of February. The monthly numbers examine real estate sales across the Edmonton metro region, including St. Albert and Morinville.
Within St. Albert, 63 single-family homes were sold during the month of February, compared to 45 in February of 2011. The average sale price jumped to $473,649 from $416,093 a year ago. The median price — the number at which 50 per cent of homes sold for more and 50 per cent for less — was $455,000, up from $377,500 last February.
Condo sales remained on levels comparable with 2011 with 19 units sold last month, just shy of the 21 from February 2011 and 23 in February 2010. The average price rose from $246,500 last year to $272,395. The median price was also up over the year to $269,000 from $244,000.
Morinville home sales showed a tentative increase with 17 sold in February, up from 13 sales in the same month last year, with the average price hovering at $302,000, up a nominal $1,000 from last year but still down sharply from $325,825 recorded in February of 2011. Condo sales numbered five at an average of $231,880, up only one unit over last year at this time.
Across the region, the average price came in at $375,236, a 3.1-per-cent increase from January. Condo sales averaged $234,973, up 8.5 per cent from last month.
“Average prices in February were higher than the year-long average price for last year,” Doug Singleton, president of the Realtors Association of Edmonton, said in a news release.
“Nationally the housing still appears to be soft. But the local market is much more robust.”
The St. Albert Chamber of Commerce is giving its members one last chance to chime in on the subject of portable signs.
The chamber pledged in December to spend three months researching the issue of signage in St. Albert, as well as consulting with its members. It stated at the time it wanted to avoid looking at the issue of portable signs in isolation.
Friday was the last day for member businesses to complete the online survey, according to an email from the chamber.
The short, multiple choice questionnaire asks if portable signs are beneficial or an eyesore in different parts of the city and if there should be different restrictions in different areas, such as the St. Albert Trail compared to a business park.
During budget deliberations in November, council voted to increase the permit fee for portable signs by $100, instead of the $200 originally proposed. Coun. Roger Lemieux, who put forward the motion, later found himself in conflict the chamber after claiming he had their support, while executive director Lynda Moffat claimed the chamber didn’t know the motion was coming. Neither has explained the discrepancy.
