The number of real estate sales in Red Deer and Mountain View counties documented on the online Multiple Listing Service (MLS) jumped from 232 in 2012 to 354 last year.
This 53 per cent increase in agricultural, residential and commercial sales comes from a large bump in the sales of small acreages in Red Deer County, where the number of such sales exploded from 20 in 2012 to 154 last year, according to statistics available on MLS, the online system where real estate brokers list new properties for sale.
"I just went holy moly,î said Glenn Christiansen, a realtor at Widmer Realty Ltd. in Olds who focuses on sales throughout Mountain View County, in reaction to the increase.
These acreages are four hectares in size or smaller, with some being developed and others with no development on them.
Christiansen, whose coverage area extends to Bowden, said he was not sure what was driving the increase in small acreage sales, other than the county's proximity to a larger city.
"All I can say is people wanting to be on the outskirts of Red Deer,î he said.
Dawn Parent, president of the Central Alberta Realtors Association (CARA), said 2013 was "probably the first year that we saw an increase in small acreages since the dive in the market a few years ago,î adding the association also began to see an increase in the number of lakefront properties in the region for the first time in a number of years.
She said the reason for the increases is due to the return of "consumer confidenceî and an expansion of a number of local businesses and industries, including the oil and gas sector.
"There's a lot of people moving to this area that work in the oilfield that want to be based in Central Alberta,î Parent said. "They can work anywhere, but in central, they like the quality of life here, they like the idea that they're close to both Edmonton and Calgary, halfway in between.î
Overall, Christiansen said, 2013 was a year where residential prices remained stable while agricultural land prices continued to rise "dramaticallyî.
"Bare land and farmland have increased (in price) year over year and in some cases quite considerably,î he said, adding fewer properties are being listed with real estate agents and more people are selling privately.
Based on details about the more than 20 quarter-sized properties sold in Mountain View and Red Deer counties last year as documented on MLS, prices for a quarter property, which is nearly 65 hectares in size, ranged from $1,500 to $4,150.
How much a quarter would sell for depended on the location of the property, what it is used forówhether recreational, agricultural, residential or commercial purposesóand the productivity of the land.
Parent said that within CARA's coverage region, which extends north to Camrose, south to Olds and west to Sundre and Rocky Mountain Houseó although many of these areas are covered between CARA and the Calgary Real Estate Boardóthere was an 8.4 per cent increase in real estate sales in 2013 compared to the year before.
She added that for the Mountain View County area, that number was closer to a 6.5 per cent increase.
In the area extending from Olds to Innisfail to Rocky Mountain House, Parent said, the average sale price for a single-family dwelling was roughly $297,000 last year.
As for what's ahead in 2014, Christiansen said he believes it will be a good year for real estate, especially in residential sales, thanks mainly to the vigor of Alberta's economy.
"We're off to a very strong start already.î
Parent echoed Christiansen's forecast of stability and said CARA is projecting a five-to-six per cent increase in sales in the "outlying areasî in 2014 compared to last year.
The association is also expecting prices within its coverage area to stay stable, with a two-to-three per cent increase possible.
The Calgary Real Estate Board was not able to provide statistics or information for this area.
"I just went holy moly." Glenn Christiansena realtor at Widmer Realty Ltd.
