February is often seen as the month of love—a time to reflect on the people and things that matter most to us. Have you prepared something special for your loved ones this month? Whether it’s a heartfelt gesture, a thoughtful gift, or simply quality time, it’s a beautiful reminder to show appreciation to those who fill our hearts.
For me, my loves are my family and my business. My family is my constant source of inspiration and motivation, and my business fuels my passion for helping people find not just houses, but homes where their own stories unfold. Every client I work with becomes part of that journey, and I’m grateful for the trust and connections built along the way. Let’s make February not just about roses and chocolates, but about celebrating the places and people that truly matter.
Sales figures for January are just out and if you look in the top left corner of the below graph you will see a small green dot representing January 2025 sales for single-family homes. As you can see, this is already higher than the peak last year when it is normally at the lowest point for the year. You can also see it is $80,000 higher than the same time last year. Wow!, and over $100,000 higher than two years ago. That is impressive right there but consider there are about 1000 less active listings in Edmonton right now than what there normally are and so buyers will be pushing those prices up as we head into the spring market.
If you are looking to sell, then it really makes sense to start preparing now so you are not rushed and your home is looking its best when it hits the market and that way it is more likely to encourage multiple offers and therefore the highest price. Now I know that all sounds like bad news if you are on the buying side and you are looking to buy a home right now but there is still some good news as home prices in Edmonton are still much less than Calgary and home prices in both those cities are still much more affordable than either Vancouver or Toronto. Interested? Keep reading….
The average price for a home in Canada is roughly $706k right now according to CREA and checking online I found Toronto is twice the national average sitting at $1.4M while Vancouver is a mere $1.172M. I do need to point out however that these prices are inclusive for all property types from one bedroom condos, townhouses, duplexes as well as single family homes. For Edmonton, even including the massive jump we have seen for single-family homes of $80k this January, when you include all property types, the average home in Edmonton is only $438k, or slight more than half the national average, or a third of Vancouver. So what can you buy in Edmonton for $438k right now? This 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom home with double detached garage is only asking $439,000. Checking realtor.ca in Vancouver with a price range between $400k and $450k shows eleven, one bed, one bath condos. So don’t get discouraged if you are looking to buy a home as Edmonton is still very affordable and you get so much more for your dollar but I suggest you contact your Realtor quick because there is not much on the market right now and prices are only set to go up the longer you wait.
I’ve been reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. This is a habit-changing book. I start out buying the audio book and listening to it but the way I really like to learn is with a proper, traditional book you hold in your hand, so I bought one of those too. I’ve been reading 3-5 chapters per week, not just reading, but also studying and practicing. For example, Chapter 1 discusses the power of making small improvements every day. It says, “Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.” Have you set any New Year’s resolutions? If so, are they still active? You might consider trying to do just 1% better every day.
I remember when she had just turned four and she loved dancing, Chinese dancing in particular, and even though that was younger than any existing classes for her instructor, we begged the teacher to accept her by starting a new age group. Now, she has been practicing Chinese dance for almost 8 years and still loves to dance. Here are some pics from her performance at the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration.
This article contains the opinions of Andrew Barrett and Selena Cheung. Licensed Realtors® with RE/MAX Excellence.
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