The second mother PAGE A5
Friday, January 15, 2016
history of NCCC PAGE A11
VOL. 102 NO. 37
www.quesnelobserver.com
open house PAGE A17
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HOUSING NUMBERS
Real Estate outlook AUTUMN MacDONALD Observer Reporter While some northern communities are seeing significant slumps in the housing market, Quesnel experienced a steady year. That is if you look “in the details,” said BC Northern Real Estate Board spokesperson William Lacy. Two-hundred and three Quesnel properties changed hands in 2015 through the Multiple Listing Service, down from 281 that were sold in 2014. The value of these properties was $50.4 million ($54.3 million in 2014). The median value of the 121 single family homes sold in 2015 was $202,500. In addition, 35 parcels of vacant land, 60 homes on acreage, 13 manufactured homes in parks and a further 19 on land were reported sold in 2015. At year end there were 181 properties of all types available for purchase through MLS in the Quesnel area, down from 192 properties at the end of 2014. “If we were to just look at these core numbers, our average sale price of detached homes and detached homes on land, it would look like 2015 was a step sideways or slightly backwards,” Lacy said. “The average price of homes on land (one acre or more) fell more than 10 per cent on average, and detached homes crept up slightly, less than a percent. “But there is more to the stats than just benchmarks,
Ingenuity rules Students at several schools took on the Chair Challenge Wednesday. For details and more photos see PAGE A3. Autumn MacDonald photo
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the information lies in the details. “We had a fantastic year in which the fundamentals indicated a strong market; or a market that was merely taking a pause. Even though total sales volume in the detached homes and manufactured homes was down, so was the listing volume. “So from this we can infer that supply is drying up, and further supported with days on market dropping by over 10 per cent. “As well, investment categories were up over last year; for example, agricultural, townhouses, fourplexes and multifamily, as well as raw land.” In comparison Fort St. John sales dropped by 28 per cent with an approximate nine per cent drop in average housing prices; while 100 Mile experienced an influx of recreational buyers from the lower mainland. Williams Lake also saw a drop, with 359 sales totalling $76.3 million down from 369 sales worth $87 million the previous year. “So even in a year where the major industrial drivers in the North were affected by slumping oil prices and concerns over the forest industry, Quesnel had a steady year and we look forward to 2016, albeit cautiously optimistic,” Lacy said. “This steady market, despite any potential concerns, is just further evidence that Quesnel is an attractive city in which to live and invest.”
Deb Quick, Travel Consultant 250-992-5169 in Quesnel
Deb Quick, Flight Centre Quesnel, part of a World Wide Network of travel experts! www.AskDeb.ca
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