Canadian Home Sales Little Changed in August

OTTAWA — According to statistics released by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), national home sales activity posted a small month-over-month increase in August 2015.

Highlights:
* National home sales edged up by 0.3% from July to August.
* Actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity stood 4.0% above August 2014 levels.
* The number of newly listed homes rose 0.5% from July to August.
* The Canadian housing market remains balanced overall.
* The MLS Home Price Index (HPI) rose 6.43% year-over-year in August.
* The national average sale price rose 8.7% on a year-over-year basis in August; excluding Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto, it increased by 4.2%.
* The number of homes trading hands via MLS(r) Systems of Canadian real estate Boards and Associations edged up 0.3 per cent in August 2015 compared to July and remains near levels that have changed little since reaching a five-year high in May.