Overall, starts increased substantially from 84 starts a year ago to 223 starts last month, largely due to the start of 98 condominium units.  Single starts increased over 21 percent as 80 starts broke ground in April compared to 66 a year ago.  There were 41 semi-detached and row unit starts last month compared to 18 a year ago.

 Low mortgage rates and strong employment continue to support new home construction activity.  On a year-to-date basis, overall starts have increased over 90 percent in the January to April time frame with 689 starts compared to 358 a year ago.  After four months of the year there have been 296 single-detached starts compared to a 170 a year ago, representing an increase of 74 percent.  In the condominium market, there have been 98 starts year-to-date compared to to seven last year, while in the rental market 196 units have broken ground year-to-date compared to 90 a year ago.

 There were 102 new, single-detached home absorbed in April compared to 73 a year ago, an increase of 40 percent.  The average price of an absorbed single-detached home decreased from $324,915 in April of 2009 to $305,330 last month, representing a decline of six percent.

To view entire article, go to www.CMHC.ca.  Look for "Housing Now  - Halifax CMA - Date Released - May 2010"