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Friday, April 11, 2014
VOL. 100 NO. 64
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Sobering reality Grade 11 students learned some important information about distracted driving (from any cause) during Correlieu secondary Road Safety Day, April 7. For more details and photos, see PAGE A9. Annie Gallant photo
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Quesnel hopes to reap benefits of northern economic growth AUTUMN MACDONALD Observer Reporter
Sunday April 27th
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Resource expansion is being attributed to the spike in real estate markets across the north and west and the Gold Pan City could feel the ripple effect. The BC Northern Real Estate Board (BCNREB) reported 1,005 sales with a value of $248,635,086 through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS®) in the first quarter of 2014. This compares with 900 sales worth $212,173,760 to the end of March, 2013. As of March 31 there were 3,625 properties of all types available for purchase through the MLS compared to 3,815 at this time last year. “Real estate markets throughout BCNREB’s area continue to show strength, being led by a robust economy in the north and west (largely fueled by resource expansion, especially by LNG),” BCNREB president Ken Laursen said. “The central part of the region continues to show benefits from steady growth, while the southern part of the region continues to offer great affordability.” The Gold Pan’s neighbours, both to the north and south, saw growth (see stats below), whereas Quesnel’s first three months of 2014 witnessed a decrease in sales. However, BCNREB director and ReMax realtor William Lacy remains optimistic local markets will benefit from northern expansion. “Prince George and other areas in the north are experiencing increases in their respective markets and overall the north is doing well,” he said. “For last year, taken from the year–end statistics, we were up in activity and overall sales volume, but down in average price per sale, if we look at all categories combined. So we are holding strong and hoping to make a move in the right direction this year.” In the Quesnel area realtors reported 32 (46) sales worth $6.4 million ($12.1 mil-
lion) in the first three months of 2014. In addition to the 14 single family homes that sold, two parcels of vacant land and four homes on acreage have sold this year. There were 225 (243) properties of all types available for purchase through MLS in the Quesnel area as of March 31. In Williams Lake 64 (65) properties have sold so far this year through MLS. The value of these properties was $14.4 million ($14.1). In addition to the 23 single family homes sold, 16 homes on acreage, five manufactured homes in parks and three manufactured homes on land have changed hands in the first quarter. As of March 31 there were 360 (379) properties listed on the MLS in the Williams Lake area. In Prince George 250 (239) properties of all types, worth $62 million ($53.5 million), have changed hands in the first three months of 2014 in the City of Prince George. In the west part of the city the median price of the 53 single family homes that have sold on MLS was $240,000 ($210,500). In the area east of the by-pass, the 35 single family homes that sold had a median value of $202,500 ($182,750). In the northern part of the City, commonly referred to as “the Hart”, 33 single family homes sold with a median price of $304,000 ($259,000). In the southwestern section of the city, 41 homes have sold since January with a median price of $321,000 ($295,500). At the end of March there were 622 (660) properties of all types available on the MLS within city limits. “Quesnel will hopefully feel the ripple effect from the growth in the resource opportunities in the north as people look for a great place to raise their families and live, and we all know Quesnel is such a place,” Lacy said. “With more and more people embracing a fly-in/fly-out style of work, we are looking to welcome those families who want a smaller community that has everything to offer, as well as an affordable lifestyle.”
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