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Local Housing Market Correction Continues

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451 residential properties exchanged hands last month through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System of the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR), 44% less than in November 2021. LSTAR Members' home sales included 336 single family homes, 64 condo townhouses, and 36 apartments – all significantly down from a year ago.

“In the last two years, the local housing market’s frenzy was artificially fueled by the socio-economic climate of the pandemic. Now, that the socio-economic conditions are completely different, the local housing market is in correction mode,” said Randy Pawlowski, 2022 LSTAR President. “The market is especially affected by the Bank of Canada’s interest rate hikes, which intensify buyer reluctance and weaken people's purchasing power,” he added.

While residential transactions were at their lowest point in the last decade, the number of new listings climbed to 875 in November, a new record high for the eleventh month of the year. This increased the level of the local housing inventory, which sits now at 3.3 months.

“The housing demand is still high in our area, and with the increased levels of inventory, local Buyers have now more choices and time to shop for new homes. However, the uncertain economic conditions are keeping many prospective Buyers on the sidelines,” Pawlowski observed.

Compared to a year ago, the average home price decreased, but remained higher than the figures seen in 2020 and before. LSTAR’s overall average home price was $615,247 in November, 7.8% less than a year ago, but 13.8% higher than in November 2020. On the other hand, the composite MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) Benchmark Price was $575,500 last month, 10% down from last year, and also 9.8% lower than in November 2020.

The following table shows how November’s average home prices in LSTAR’s main regions compare to the benchmark prices for the same areas.