Housing starts are down in Mountain View County, according to statistics complied by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp (CMHC).Between January and September 2011, there were 31 housing starts, down from 36 in 2010, a 13.9 per cent decrease.Though down overall, the numbers were on par in the third quarter (July to September) of 2010 with 12.In Red Deer County, housing starts and sales have already started to increase.In total, Red Deer County saw a slight increase in housing starts between January and September ñ from 42 in 2010 to 43 in 2011, a 2.4 per cent increase.In sales, an MLS analysis report shows a total of 182 property sales between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31 2011, an increase of 143 from the year before.Sales were highest in the Penhold area with 58 units sold or 13 per cent of overall sales. Springbrook and Glennifer Lake tied for second with 25 units each.RÈgine Durand, market analyst with CMHC, said stats come out quarterly, so September is the most recent information they have.Last Tuesday, CMHC hosted its annual housing outlook conference. In 2012, housing starts across Alberta are expected to increase 15 per cent next year to 29,200 units, the highest level since 2007.ìRising migration levels, continued job growth and low mortgage rates will help lift new home construction,î said Lai Sing Louie, CMHCs regional economist for the Prairie and Territories Region, in a prepared statement.The number of MLS sales in Alberta is projected to increase by nearly six per cent in 2011 to 52,800 units, and 53,900 the following year.The MLS sales analysis report recorded only one house sold in Mountain View County between the start of January and the end of October of 2011, and an MLS official could not explain the data.Greg Wiens, director of corporate services for Mountain View County, said he expects the MLS data is incomplete.ìWe've certainly seen a volume in title changes and that sort of thing,î he said, acknowledging that sales are ìprobably down overall.î
