July market activity compares well to last year

(August 4, 2011 – Hamilton, Ontario)  The July, 2011 real estate market in the Greater Hamilton, Burlington and outlying areas* experienced an increase in listings, sales and average sale price compared to July of last year, according to Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) statistics released today by the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB).

It was the condominium market that saw the largest gains over the same month last year, with a 23.3 per cent increase in sales and a six per cent increase in average sale price.  The residential freehold market wasn’t far behind, with a 21.3% increase in the number of sales over last year and a 5.6% increase in average sale price.

 “July certainly compared very well to last year at this same time,” said RAHB President Ann Forbes Arndt, “but that is something of an unfair comparison, given that last July’s results were adversely affected by the implementation of the HST.  What is the more telling comparison is how July stacked up against the average for the month for the last ten years.  If you look at those numbers, July was slightly below average in sales and slightly above average for numbers of listings. Only the condominium market showed higher-than-average numbers of sales.”

Overall year to date, residential sales are 2.9 per cent lower than in the same period last year.

The numbers for the month of July:

All Property Types              2010                      2011                      % change             10-year average

Listings	1271	1483	16.7%	1452
Sales	908	1095	20.6%	1132
Average Sale Price	$312,334	$331,721	6.2%	N/A

Residential Only

Listings	1174	1347	14.7%	1327
Sales	880	1059	20.3%	1090
Average Sale Price	$309,169	$326,242	5.5%	N/A

Freehold Only

Sales	681	826	21.3%	863
Average Sale Price	$330,232	$348,833	5.6%	N/A

Condominium Only

Sales	189	233	23.3%	227
Average Sale Price	$232,160	$246,155	6%	N/A

Commercial Properties (includes industrial, farm, vacant land and business)

Sales

28

36

28.6%

“Every community in our marketing area has their own localized residential market with larger swings than we see in the overall numbers,” said Arndt. Hamilton West, Hamilton Mountain, Dundas, Grimsby and Glanbrook all saw significant increases in numbers of sales, while Dunnville and Flamborough showed fewer sales compared to July of last year. 

Dundas was the only community with a sizeable decrease in average sale price compared to last year.  Dunnville and Burlington were the only communities with sizeable increases in average sale price, with Dunnville showing a 13 per cent increase and Burlington a 16.1 per cent increase.

Please refer to the accompanying chart for residential market activities in other parts of RAHB’s jurisdiction.

Figures quoted are for sales and average sale prices of units located in the jurisdiction* of the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington and processed through RAHB’s Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®).  Unit sales reflect “all property types” including residential, condominium, commercial property, farm, vacant land and business, unless otherwise specified. 

Article Provided by Realtors Association of Hamilton Burlington

Halton District School Board - New Facility Coming to Alton Village

Burlington, Ont. - August 18, 2011--The Halton District School Board has awarded the contract to build a shared high school, public library and community centre facility in Burlington's Alton community to Bondfield Construction of Concord, Ontario.

The joint facility will cost approximately $40.2 million, to be shared by each of the partners - City of Burlington, Burlington Public Library, and the Halton District School Board. Site preparation will begin immediately, with the official groundbreaking anticipated for September 2011.  The architect for the project is Svedas Architect Inc. of Burlington.

"We look forward to working with our partners to bring this unique facility to completion, and to offering families a state-of-the art high school in north Burlington," says David Euale, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board.  Representatives from the school board, Burlington Public Library and City of Burlington signed a three-party agreement August 17 at Burlington City Hall to move forward with the project with completion scheduled for fall 2013.

"Burlington is one Canada's best cities, offering a high quality of life to residents," says Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring. "This project is an excellent example of how we continuously strive for improvement, working together with our community partners to create something beneficial to Burlington residents, and, in this case, particularly beneficial for the people of the Alton."

The facility located at Dundas St. and Time Dobbie Way, includes a high school built to accommodate 1200 students, a recreation complex, and a shared library which will be used by the public and the high school. A joint construction team that includes the City of Burlington, the Burlington Public Library and the Halton District School Board will manage the project.  Construction began on the adjoining Norton Park in Spring 2011.
                                        
The Alton Project will include a 147,069 square-foot (13,663 square-metre) school, an 11,840 aggregate square-foot (1,100 aggregate square-metre) joint integrated library and a 53,886 square-foot (5,006 square-metre) community centre. A common entrance, parking and other shared areas will connect these buildings.

"Families in Burlington will benefit from the expansion of library service to the Alton community while benefiting from having a high school and community centre close by," adds Library Board President, Carrie Brooks-Joiner.
This shared Alton facility will include four competition-sized double gyms, a three-storey high school with a 200-seat auditorium, and a shared 11,840 square-foot (1,110 square metre) integrated library which will be used by the public and the high school, with flexible classroom and public meeting space.

In partnership with Burlington Hydro, the complex will support a rooftop solar system, which will feed energy back into the city's power grid system.

 

Article Provided by The City of Burlington - http://cms.burlington.ca/Page7353.aspx