The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports a 27% decline in residential unit sales from the same month last year (as per MLS®) which is a total of 4,533 residential unit sales recorded. The average MLS® residential price in the province was $678,625, a 9.3% decline from February 2018. Total sales dollar volume was $3.08 Billion, a 33.8% decline from the same month last year.

“Prospective homebuyers continue to be sidelined by the mortgage stress test,” said Brendon Ogmundson, BCREA Deputy Chief Economist. “As a consequence, and despite a strong BC labour market, sales remained slow in February.”

Total MLS® residential active listings increased 36.5% to 30,891 units compared to the same month last year. The ratio of sales to active residential listings declined from 27.4% to 14.7% over the same period.

“Falling mortgage rates should provide some relief for homebuyers, providing a small boost to affordability heading into the spring,” added Ogmundson.

As per the Real Estate Board of Vancouver, the February statistics for Metro Vancouver can be seen below.

The Metro Vancouver* housing market saw increased supply and below average demand in February. The REBGV reports that home sales in the region saw a 32.8% from the same month last year (1,484 units in February 2019). Last month's sales were 42.5% below the 10-year February sales average.

"For much of the past four years, we’ve been in a sellers’ market. Conditions have shifted over the last 12 months to favour buyers, particularly in the detached home market. This means that home buyers face less competition today, have more selection to choose from and more time to make their decisions." -- Phil Moore, REBGV president

* Areas covered by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver include: Whistler, Sunshine Coast, Squamish, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, and South Delta.

GREATER VANCOUVER SALES - Last month, the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports a total of 3,022 residential property sales within the Metro Vancouver area (7.1% increase compared to September 2017). The MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Metro Vancouver is currently $1,042,300. This is a 12.4% increase over October 2016 and a 0.5% increase compared to September 2017.

"Conditions continue to vary significantly based on property type. The detached home market is well supplied with homes for sale, which is relieving pressure on prices," Jill Oudil, REBGV president said. "It remains a much different story in the townhouse and apartment markets. Buyers of these properties continue to have limited supply to choose from and are seeing upward pressure on prices."

Below you will find a comparative chart that depicts the Greater Vancouver residential sales from 2015 to present.

BC SALES - The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports a total of 8,677 residential property sales within BC (4.04% increase compared to September 2017). Total sales dollar volume was $6.25 billion, up 41.6 per cent from October 2016. The average MLS® residential price in the province was $720,129, up 18.7 per cent from October 2016.

"BC home sales trended higher in October, up 23 per cent from January on a seasonally adjusted basis," said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. "A lack of supply in the resale market continues to put upward pressure on home prices in most BC regions."

For all your real estate needs, contact Amalia Liapis at 604-618-7000 or alternatively, at amalia@wesellvancouver.ca.

The real estate market has recovered from the foreign-buyer tax lull that was introduced a year ago with the second-hottest August on record. Last month, there were 3,043 home sales in the Greater Vancouver area which is 2.80% and 22.30% higher than July 2017 and August 2016, respectively. Below you will find a comparative chart that depicts the Greater Vancouver residential sales from 2015 to present.

Once again, demand is outpacing supply with the number of listings declining month over month and year over year. It is a seller's market for August 2017 with a sales-to-active listings ratio of 34.6%. Looking at this ratio by property type, it is 16.3% for detached homes (buyer's market) and 44.8% for townhomes and 76.3% for condominiums (strong seller's markets). Home prices are on the rise which is primarily attributed to the townhome and condo sector. The MLS® composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouver is 1% higher than July at $1,029,700.

“First-time home buyers have led a surge this summer in demand in our condominium and townhome markets,” said Jill Oudil, REBGV president. “Homes priced between $350,000 and $750,000 have been subject to intense competition and multiple offers across the region.”

The benchmark price for single-family homes are now $1,615,100 which is a 2.2% increase compared to August 2016. As for attached units, the benchmark price is now $778,300 which is a 12.8% increase compared to August 2016. Lastly, the benchmark price for condos are now $626,800 which is a 19.4% increase compared to August 2016.

For all your real estate needs, contact Amalia Liapis at 604-618-7000 or alternatively at amalia@wesellvancouver.ca.

Price of a typical composite Greater Vancouver home rises above the million-dollar mark for first time at $1,019,400. In July, there were 2,960 home sales in the Greater Vancouver area. Across all property types, the sales-to-active listings ratio for July 2017 is 32.2% – still a strong seller’s market, but an easing-off compared with June’s 45.5%. 

“Housing demand is inconsistent across the region right now. Pockets of the market are still receiving multiple offers and others are not. It depends on price, property type, and location,” said Jill Oudil, REBGV president. “For example, it’s taking twice as long, on average, for a detached home to sell compared to both townhomes and condominiums.”

As of July 2017, the benchmark price for detached properties is $1,612,400. This is a slight 1.9% increase compared with July 2016 and a rise of 1.5% in the month since June 2017. The benchmark price of an attached unit such as a townhouse or rowhome is $763,700 – 11.9% higher than July 2016 and a rise of 2.4% over June. The price of a typical condo-apartment in Greater Vancouver has risen to $616,600 – an 18.5% year over year increase and a 2.7% lift in a single month. 

Source: REW.ca

For detailed information on benchmark prices broken down by area and property type, take a look at the statistics package put out by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver here. For all your real estate needs, contact Amalia Liapis at 604-618-7000 or alternatively at amalia@wesellvancouver.ca.

Wondering what the residential sales statistics for Vancouver East are for October and November? Take a look below for a comparative analysis for detached properties, condominiums and townhomes. As you can see, for the most part, there has been a drop in sales when comparing year over year. If we were to look at the change from October 2016 to November 2016, we can see that sales have actually gone up. The sales increase percentages are as follows: 19.7% increase for detached properties, 35.78% for condos and 5.26% for townhomes.

While the one-year changes for the benchmark price have seen an increase across the board, it's a different story when comparing October 2016 figures with November 2016 figures. There has been a decrease for detached properties, condos and townhomes of 2.83%, 2.71% and 0.71%, respectively. 

For a look at the MLS HPI Benchmark Price over a 10-year span, click here. Stay tuned - our next blog will take a look at Vancouver West! For all your real estate needs, contact the WeSellVancouver team at info@wesellvancouver.ca or alternatively at 604-801-6654.

Another month has come and gone which means we have more monthly statistics to bring you! Looking at the residential property sales, October saw a total of 2,233 units sold which is a 38.8% decrease compared to October 2015 and a 0.9% decrease compared to September 2016. Sales last month were 15% below the 10-year October sales average.

“Changing market conditions compounded by a series of government interventions this year have put home buyers and sellers in a holding pattern,” Dan Morrison, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) president said. “Potential buyers and sellers are taking a wait-and-see approach to try and better understand what these changes mean for them.”

New listings for Metro Vancouver detached, attached and apartment properties saw a decrease of 3.5% compared to October 2015 (from 4,126 down to 3,981 units) and a decrease of 17% from last month's 4,799 listed properties. There was a 4.5% decrease in total number of current properties in Metro Vancouver listed for sale on MLS® compared to October 2015 (from 9,569 to 9,143) and a 2.3% decrease from last month's 9,354 units.

“While sales are down across the different property types, it’s the detached market that’s seen the largest reduction in home buyer demand in recent months,” Morrison said. “It’s important to work with your local REALTOR® to help you navigate today’s changing trends.”

The MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Metro Vancouver is currently $919,300. This represents a 24.8% increase compared to October 2015 and a 0.8% decline compared to September 2016.

Source: Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

Up until the end of June, we've seen an ongoing trend of residential sales going through the roof. However, it's a different story for July! When comparing July 2016 residential property sales to July 2015 figures, we see a decrease of 18.9% (3,226 vs. 3,978 sales) and a decrease of 26.7% from last month. For the first half of the year, home sales have registered at over 4,000 units per month. July was the first time this year that home sales did not hit the 4,000 mark.

“After several months of record-breaking sales activity, home buyer demand returned to more historically normal levels in July,” Dan Morrison, REBGV president said. “Home sale activity showed some moderating signs in late June and this carried into July,” Morrison said. “We’ll wait and watch over the next few months to see if this marks the return of more normal market trends.”

In July 2016, new listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Metro Vancouver have seen an increase of 2.5% totalling 5,241 units in comparison to the same month last year and a 10.8 decrease in comparison to last month. There has been a 27.4% decline in total number of properties currently listed for sale on MLS® compared to July 2015 and a 6.9% increase compared to June 2016.

Take a look below at the comparables in the MLS® HPI Composite Benchmark Price from July 2015 to July 2016.

Click on the photo below to enlarge it for better viewing. For a more detailed look at the MLS® Sales Facts, click here.

For all your real estate needs, contact the WeSellVancouver team at info@wesellvancouver.ca or alternatively at 604-801-6654.

Want a way to measure home price trends in a chosen area? MLS has designed a tool that does just that. The MLS Home Price Index (HPI) allows users to measure home price trends in the Greater Vancouver region and other major markets in the country. The HPI follows a similar concept to the economic tool called the Consumer Price Index (CPI). With the HPI, it measures inflation or deflation as well as the change in the price of housing features. It "tracks price levels at a point in time relative to price levels in a base (reference) period for one- and two-storey single family homes, townhouse/row units and apartment units". 

The MLS HPI model is typically utilized to calculate Benchmark Prices. A "benchmark home" is one with similar attributes to those in the surrounding area in which it is located. Relative Benchmark Prices measure the percentage by which the Benchmark Price in a particular area and category is in relation to the overall market at any specific point in time.

The tools put out by MLS are there at your disposal and for your convenience. Check out their website here for all these handy tools. For all your real estate needs, contact Amalia Liapis at amalia@wesellvancouver.ca or alternatively, at 604-618-7000.