The housing market in Airdrie has been relatively similar to what it was at this time last year even despite the economic uncertainty in the province.

According to Craig Bezjack from CIR Realty, 152 homes have been sold in Airdrie so far this year compared to the 163 that were sold by this time last year.

One significant drop off in 2016 was the change in detached single family homes in February, with a 24 per cent decrease that saw 17 less single family homes sold compared to last year.

Even though sales have been slightly down this year, the prices are going up. The average price for a home in Airdrie was $449,000 in 2015 but is averaging $477,000 in the early beginnings of 2016.

Bezjack is attributing that change to the drop in competition within the housing market.

"I think a lot of it is the actual competition is down so when you have less listings that makes the prices go up but it's interesting that single family sales are down yet our prices are up.

This has followed suit with the Calgary housing market with the Calgary Real Estate Board reporting this week that sales are down 6.6 per cent while average home prices are up 2.7 per cent in the big city.

Bezjack said Airdrie homes still hold a certain appeal for Calgarians.

"Airdrie has always been a place for people to start out, you come to Airdrie, and you get a little more bang for your buck."

He says they often end up starting out in Airdrie but then staying because of the quick commute which also explains a 6.92 per cent population increase in 2015 for the City of Airdrie.

The difference in prices for single family homes from Calgary to Airdrie is rather significant with an average home costing $539,000 in Calgary while it would cost $477,000 for a home in Airdrie.

Bezjack called February a sellers market because of the decreased number of listings but expects those prices to fall in the future if sales continue to decline in the 2016 year.

Ryan King - airdrienews@goldenwestradio.com