Home sales in the Fredericton Area were down 5.5 per cent in September from the same month last year, but year-to-date sales were up 4.8 per cent for the first nine months of 2017 compared to 2016. A total of 1,740 houses changed hands, an eight-year high for the period.

The residential average price was $169,036 in September 2017, up 6.1 per cent from September 2016. The less volatile year-to-date average price was $183,297, edging down just 0.1 per cent from this time last year.

The bigger picture on prices is that they have been more or less stable over the last six years.

There were 289 new listings in September 2017, a 6.5 per cent decrease from a year earlier and the lowest September reading since 2004.

The total value of all residential sales activity in September 2017 was $26.4 million, up 0.3 per cent from year-ago levels.