durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday, May 12, 2022 | 12 Reading national headlines about real estate can leave one feeling confused. Some highlight Canadian statistics and others focus on specific areas that may be completely different than where we live. Here are several ways to look at what is going on in Durham Region. APRIL STATISTICS FOR HOME SALES: Area: Oshawa Type of Home: Detached April Sale Prices: $1,047,000 March Sale Prices: $1,100,000 +/- Change: -$53,000 Area: Oshawa Type of Home: Semi-Det. April Sale Prices: $776,000 March Sale Prices: $853,000 +/- Change: -$77,000 Area: Whitby Type of Home: Detached April Sale Prices: $1,295,000, March Sale Prices: $1,402,000 +/- Change: -$107,000 Area: Whitby Type of Home: Townhome April Sale Prices: $945,000 March Sale Prices: $1,042,000 +/- Change: -$97,000 Area: Clarington Type of Home: Detached April Sale Prices: $1,114,000 March Sale Prices: $1,150,000 +/- Change: -$36,000 Area: Clarington Type of Home: Townhome April Sale Prices: $838,000 March Sale Prices: $925,000 +/- Change: -$87,000 A quick look makes the reader think the "doom and gloomers" are correct: that we are in a huge market correction. However, let's add some context to help us understand where the market is currently and where it might be heading. Year over year, we will see that the price of detached homes in Oshawa has increased by 22 per cent, Whitby by 20 per cent and Clarington by 19 per cent. Prices are up year over year dramatically, but it is much more shocking to share values dropping. Another way of comparing the average sales prices is to see where the market has moved since the first of the year. Oshawa and Clarington are almost identical in detached home prices since the end of December, with Whitby increasing by $36,000. When you add context to average prices with any product, it gives you a truer sense of what is truly happening. Prices spike, as they did from January to March when buyers are buying and the inventory of homes for sale is at record lows. The largest jump in values in our three communities happened in February, when we had a total of 310 detached homes for sale for a population of 400,000. This is the perfect storm for prices to spike up dramatically. Recently, we had 550 homes for sale. Increasing inventory, sales slowing are common as we move into May. As supply increases, even if demand stays the same, the result is softening prices. We see that the market is up dramatically, year over year, and prices have softened from the highs of February and March, so what does this indicate? My experience would lead me to believe that prices will continue to soften a bit as inventory builds, there will be more selection for buyers, and by mid to end of June, the values will start increasing once more. This is a perfect time to be a buyer. Lindsay Smith is with Keller Williams Energy Brokerage and has been a Durham real estate broker for 36 years. He lives in Oshawa and can be reached at lindsay@buyselllove.ca. CONTEXT CRUCIAL WHEN LOOKING AT EAST DURHAM REAL ESTATE OPINION LINDSAY SMITH EXPECTS HOME PRICES TO START INCREASING AGAIN BY JUNE Prices are up year over year dramatically, but it is much more shocking to share values dropping. LINDSAY SMITH Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT DURHAMREGION.COM What is a like to be a woman of colour or non-binary person of colour in Durham Region? It's a complex question the Womxn of Colour Durham Collective (WOCDC) has been exploring since 2019 through art, social events, community conversations networking and collaborations. Brianna Nelson founded WOCDC to "create a space where Black, Indigenous and other self-identified women of colour can be inspired to lead, create, heal, and have a voice in our community." After moving to Durham from Toronto in Grade 8, Nelson said she struggled with her identity. "I changed myself to fit in, I changed the way I dressed, I changed the way I talked, I changed my hair. I really wanted to belong to something. I changed who I actually was to fit in and that followed me through high school," Nelson explained. She later learned that many others in Durham were experiencing similar things -- WOCDC is a youth-led effort to create community and support. Since launching in 2019, the collective has been working on a photo series called HUE (Honouring Unapologetic Expression), which highlights the diverse experiences -- and the beauty -- of racialized women and non-binary people, as well as the beauty of Durham Region. The first three iterations of HUE were showcased on Instagram and featured portraits photographed in spaces such as Parkwood Estate and the Heber Down Conservation Area. The project recently jumped off the screen and into Oshawa's Robert McLaughlin Gallery. HUE x RMG: Honouring Unapologetic Expression ran from March 19 to May 8 telling the stories of eight women and non-binary people through photos and audio tracks. Sajal Nazir, director of marketing and communications for WOCDC, said the exhibit highlighted themes like community, rejection, racism, identity and belonging through "vibrant and colourful" portraits. "These women and non-binary folks, they've had challenges in the community -- but they still feel so much hope," she said. A sold-out event at the RMG on April 30 brought the community to the exhibit for conversations about what it's like to "take up space in Durham Region" -- a concept Nelson said is important to talk about. "We may walk into space and feel that we have to do twice as much to be heard and seen," she explained. "As of yet, there haven't been platforms where people can very vulnerably and honestly say, this is what my story is like, this is what my experience is like." Planning is already underway for the next iteration of HUE. Visit wocdurham.ca to learn more about the collective's upcoming events and projects. COLLECTIVE EXPLORES IDENTITY, COMMUNITY, BELONGING The Womxn of Colour Durham Collective is presenting an exhibition at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery titled HUE x RMG: Honouring Unapologetic Expression. It runs until May 8. On April 30 from 12 to 3 p.m. a free event called HUE x RMG: Honouring Our Stories takes place at the gallery featuring performances by local artists, open conversation led by those featured in the exhibition, food and networking opportunities. Darren Rigo photo JILLIAN FOLLERT jfoller t@durhamregion.com NEWS THE GROUP'S HUE PHOTO PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS THE BEAUTY OF WOMEN AND NON-BINARY PEOPLE OF COLOUR