January market stats are below, and here’s your quick facts for the month:

Overall Market Trends

✅ Sales Growth: 96 homes were sold in January 2025, up from 90 in January 2024.

✅ Active Listings Decline: Active listings dropped from 230 in January 2024 to 188 in January 2025.

✅ New Listings Increase: 159 new listings were added in January 2025, compared to 135 in January 2024.

✅ Absorption Rate Improvement: Increased demand pushed the absorption rate from 39.1% to 51%.

Single-Family Homes

🏡  Sales Growth: 63 single-family homes sold in January 2025, up from 52 in January 2024.

🏡  Inventory Tightening: Active listings declined from 148 to 126.

🏡  Strong Price Appreciation: The average price rose 12% year-over-year to $461,252.

Acreage Market

🌲 Low Activity: There were only 9 sales across all price points.

🌲 Higher End Sales: 7 of the 9 sales were above $800,000.

🌲 Continued Low Inventory: This is the typical trend in the winter market, but inventory will start to increase in spring.

Market Supply & Demand Trends

📉  Inventory Levels Falling: Fewer active listings mean higher competition among buyers. The supply of homes has been decreasing month-over-month since mid-2024.

📊  Increased Buyer Activity: The absorption rate climbed from 39.1% to 51%, meaning more homes are selling relative to the number of listings.

💸  More Homes Selling in Mid-Range: Homes priced between $300K-$500K are in the highest demand, with absorption rates between 51-68%.

💎  Luxury Homes Facing Slower Sales: Detached homes priced over $900K in Red Deer had minimal sales activity, with a 10% absorption rate.

🏢  Apartment Condos Gaining Traction: Condo sales doubled year-over-year, indicating growing demand.  This is largely due to affordability and price points.

What This Means for Buyers and Sellers

For Buyers:

✅ Expect Competition: With fewer active listings and increasing demand, buyers should be prepared for bidding wars, especially in the $300K-$500K price range.
✅ Act Quickly: Homes are selling faster, meaning serious buyers should get pre-approved and be ready to make an offer.
✅ Luxury Market Offers More Choice: Higher-priced homes ($900K+) are selling slower, meaning luxury buyers may have more room to negotiate.

For Sellers:

✅ Strong Market Conditions: Prices are rising, and with fewer listings available, sellers in high-demand price ranges can expect multiple offers.
✅ List at the Right Price: Homes in the $300K-$500K range are moving quickly, while overpriced luxury homes may sit on the market longer.
✅ Maximize Your Home’s Appeal: With strong demand, well-staged and competitively priced homes are selling fast.
✅ Consider Listing Soon: If inventory remains low, spring 2025 could be an excellent time to sell at peak prices.

The market has remained strong thanks to continuing low inventory which will likely continue to be the case throughout this year, although we should start to see both inventory and sales numbers climb as we move closer to the spring months.  Dropping interest rates will also keep demand strong as lower rates helps with affordability and will allow more buyers to qualify for mortgages who may not have previously.  It’s a great time to consider upgrading from a home in the 300-500k range into a higher end property as the market over 600k is significantly slower.

Surrounding community stats:

Blackfalds:

Current Active Listings – 22

Sales in January – 12

Likelihood to Sell – 55% (Seller’s Market)

Sylvan Lake:

Current Active Listings – 52

Sales in January – 24

Likelihood to Sell – 46% (Seller’s Market)

Penhold:

Current Active Listings – 5

Sales in January – 4

Likelihood to Sell – 80% (Seller’s Market)