Weaker housing market in Calgary as oil revenues plunge

Housing activity in Calgary has started the year with an increase in listings and a year-over-year fall in sales.

Housing activity in Calgary has started the year with an increase in listings and a year-over-year fall in sales. Data from the Calgary Real Estate Board shows listings up 22 per cent and sales down 34 per cent compared with January last year. The figures follow growth in listings and falling sales in December. Analysts are watching all data from Alberta with expectation of a slowdown due to the weaker energy sector and David Tulk of TD Economics told The Financial Post that he expects more weakness to emerge as data is released over the coming months. Meanwhile the Bank of Canada said yesterday in its business outlook that sentiment across the country is generally positive but “falling oil prices have significantly dampened the outlook for firms tied to the energy sector.”