Edmonton properties considered more valuable than Calgary real estate

If you’re looking for value, Edmonton is one of the worst places to buy real estate in Canada. But, we have fared better than our friends in Calgary.

MoneySense’s Where to buy Real Estate in Canada 2022 report has placed Edmonton 36th out of 45 cities in terms of value and buying conditions.

Created in partnership with Zoocasa, the rankings are based on average home prices and recent real estate price growth. Each city received a value score out of five.

You might also like:
• A Look Inside: $2M log home with 160 acres and private access to a lake (PHOTOS)
• 11 iconic Edmonton landmarks to check out this summer
• You have to save up for two and a half years to buy a home in Edmonton

With a 2021 benchmark price of $336,600 and a three-year growth rate of 5%, Edmonton earned a value score of just 1.8 out of five.

Moncton, New Brunswick, was deemed the most valuable place to buy real estate in Canada, followed by four Ontario towns rounding out the top five.

MoneySense

After Edmonton and Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto fell at the bottom of the ranking, along with cities in the surrounding regions, such as BC’s Fraser Valley, and Mississauga and Burlington in Ontario.

The report found that for two consecutive years, Canada’s largest real estate markets have also been the most financially challenging for buyers.

The pandemic caused many Canadians to reconsider where and how they want to live; city-dwellers across the country fled to suburbia and small towns, purchasing property at a staggering rate and driving up real estate prices.

The trend is continuing to shape Canada’s real estate market in 2022, MoneySense noted.

Based on a two-year post-pandemic analysis of home prices in Canada, the highest growth rates are no longer found in big cities. Rather, it’s the surrounding regions, like Hamilton and Kitchener-Waterloo in Ontario or Chilliwack, BC, where the best value and growth potential can be found.

“The past two years have driven new trends in home-buying psychology, and as the pandemic recedes, we’re moving into a transition period and seeing a more balanced market,” said Lauren Haw, CEO and broker of record at Zoocasa.

“Some buyers are returning to city centres as they’re called back to the office, while others are still looking coast-to-coast for the most affordable markets to buy in.”

With files from Zoe Demarco