Home sales in Red Deer continued at a brisk pace last month, with 160 deals processed through the Multiple Listing Service.
Statistics provided by the Central Alberta Realtors Association indicate that the October sales tally for the city was nearly 13 per cent higher than in the same month of 2012, when there were 142 residential sales. In September 2013, the figure was 157.
In the area covered by the association outside of Red Deer, MLS sales reached 217. That marked an 11 per cent improvement over the 196 sales there a year ago. The preceding month there were 223 residential sales in the region.
Over the first 10 months of 2013 there were 1,627 home sales in Red Deer, up almost nine per cent from the 1,498 to the same point in 2012. Outside the city, there were 2,222 sales from January to October, down marginally from 2,225 in 2012.
The average resale price in Red Deer last month was $320,527, down from $324,505 in September and $323,937 in October 2012.
For the surrounding region, the October average was $279,779. That compared with $261,156 in September and $252,577 in October 2012.
Because average prices include homes of various types and locations, the Central Alberta Realtors Association has cautioned against relying upon such information as indicators of market trends.
New residential listings in Red Deer numbered 202 last month, as compared with 221 in September and 208 in October 2012. For the outlying area, there were 300 new listings in October, down from 326 in September and 308 last October.