The 3-month average selling price for 2009 is $280,739, up just slightly from $277,895 a year ago.

As of this morning, and following the expiration of 101 MLS listings since December 25, active residential listings are at 619 units, their lowest level since March of 2008.

As you have discovered, I also observe moments to keep it simple.

But now you see, I’ve proven that it isn’t how much I said, as much as it is what I said that got you to mention it in the first place. Yet even though you disagreed, you chose to pick that of all things.

Strange isn’t it? That embodies of some of the flawed reasoning people use nowadays. The connection is that where I come from and who I speak with, going into detail isn’t a technical foul.

If expressing yourself was taboo none of us would be posting… There is nothing wrong with doing so but when it is mostly nonsense and political ideology don’t expect a ‘free pass’. Short, sweet, and to the point is much better then banter. Delibertiy short is neither ignorance or evasiveness; it is density over fluff. Politicians often spin simple questions into long ambigious answers due to ignorance, evasiveness, or a combination of both.

Clearly I don’t bottle everthing up and I have no idea what you think the connection is with regards to where I’m from. Particularly since you don’ have a clue where that is. I do lurk though as I ussually have better things to do then debate social economic ideology with strangers on a real estate blog. Go figure!

Wow, I never knew expressing yourself was so taboo nowadays! Where I come from, being deliberately short is either ignorant or evasive.

I’m glad I don’t come from where you come from. It must be so awful bottling everything up.

Captcha: “you Bass” (I wonder why that B was capitalized?)

Last winter [just under a year ago] I predicted [here] what we’ve seen (5-10% drop in average price) and down to 700 homes in inventory by year end. I also predicted a peak inventory between 1500 and 1700. At the time most [on here] were claiming well over 2000 homes in inventory and huge pricing drops down to 2005-2006 levels.

For next year I predict we’ll see inventory down to 500 by May. It’ll then stay within a hundred of that either way for the remainder of the year. We’ll see some slightly upward price pressure by mid year in the range of 1-3%.

The one exception to the above is that I think there will continue to be some further downward pressure on condos. Inventory is too high and prices are still inflated compared to houses. By all rights they are 20% too high, but I only expect a modest 5-10% reduction by midyear due to cost of ownership pressures.

Finally as was seen last year the best buys on the market are going to be in the middle class upgrade. Going from the ‘middle’ of the market to a higher end home. Or from condo to a house [atleast in the near term].

I’ll go back to lurking now. Hope everyone has a happy [and safe] New Year.

If there’s anything you can bank on, it’s that.

The conservatives appeal to people in the most primitive of ways.

This is not an allowable practice under Canada’s Income Tax Act. CREA has been lobbying for changes that would allow this for the past few years but no luck at this point.

However, I have also heard (on american websites) of a concept of tax-deferred purchases where you roll the capital gain forward. Basically you can just put off the taxes. Do you know if this is possible in Canada?