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Part of the reason average prices did not leap in January may have had to do with a change in the profile of properties sold compared with January 2018; it’s possible a greater number of lower-cost homes were sold last month, which would have diminished the overall average gains.

The Ottawa Real Estate Board published a second set of numbers Tuesday that adjusts for this sort of bias — it benchmarks the various characteristics of homes (type of roof, number of bathrooms) in an effort to assess the underlying strength of the market.

The average benchmark price for a single-family home in Ottawa last month was $434,700 — up 7.3 per cent year over year. As you might expect, the price hikes varied quite a bit by district.

In general, the biggest gains involved comparatively inexpensive properties, notably in the eastern and western peripheries. Four of the top 10 districts for price hikes saw properties sell for less than $400,000 in January — including Tanglewood-Grenfell Glen (up 10.8 per cent to $392,600), Orléans-Cumberland (up 10.3 per cent to $398,600), Vanier (up 10.1 per cent to $370,600) and Carp-Dunrobin-Fitzroy (up 9.7 per cent to $395,500).

Hintonburg-West Centretown recorded the largest gain in house prices for the month as sellers fetched $525,900 on average, up 12.3 per cent on the year. Property owners in Blackburn Hamlet were not far behind. Prices there were up 12.3 per cent to $437,800 over the same period.

The smallest price hikes, on the other hand, were in downtown districts, including some of the wealthiest. Sellers in Rockcliffe Park realized gains of just 1.4 per cent yet their houses still sold for $1.6 million. In nearby New Edinburgh-Lindenlea, the year-over-year increase was a similar 1.5 per cent but the selling price in January averaged a comparatively modest $764,600.

Following is the full listing district by district: