By Kendall Robertson

Home Prices On The Rise, PG Still Affordable

Nov 13, 2018 | 3:23 PM

PRINCE GEORGE- In BC, Prince George is the most affordable city to own a home in. That’s according to a Century 21 study of price per square foot. Homes in Prince George average at $155 to $165 per square foot. However, while we are inexpensive compared to other larger centres, home prices have been on the rise in recent years. Realtor Colin Breadner says the average home price is just over 360 thousand dollars and it’s expected prices will continue to climb as fewer people are putting their homes on the market. He adds it’s good news for sellers as homes are going rapidly and bidding wars are taking place.

It’s also welcome news for the City. Affordable homes, plus a demand for skilled workers, and higher average annual incomes make for the perfect equation to attract new residents. “That’s one of the messages that we’re really trying to spread far and wide, that it’s affordable here and people actually make more money working here, so when you do the math it’s a pretty convincing story to get people to move to Prince George,” said Economic Development manager, Melissa Barcellos. As construction gets underway for the Coastal GasLink pipeline from Dawson Creek to Kitimat, she says Prince George could see more residents and businesses pop up as the city is a hub for the north.”That’s going to create even more competition for workers, it brings a lot of opportunity for business and bidding on contracts, but it also brings the competition of attracting the people that are going to do the work.”