In March, the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) recorded 9,826 residential unit sales which is a 21.8% decrease in comparison to the same period last year. The total sales dollar volume also saw a decrease of 30% bringing it to $6.79 Billion and the average MLS® residential price saw a decrease of 10.5% bringing it to $690,597 compared to March 2016.

"Consumer demand continues to normalize following blockbuster home sales in 2016," says Brendon Ogmundson, BCREA Economist. "However, the supply of homes available for sale has not recovered and is still declining in many markets around the province."

Although the average price in BC was down year-over-year due to a shift in the composition of sales, home prices in most markets are being pushed higher due to severe supply constraints. This is particularly true for the Victoria region, which currently has less than two months of inventory for sale, as well as for the apartment and townhouse market in the Lower Mainland.

Year-to-date, BC residential sales dollar volume was down 34.7 per cent to $14.1 billion, when compared with the same period in 2016. Residential unit sales declined 25.5 per cent to 20,893 units, while the average MLS® residential price was down 12.4 per cent to $674,856.

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

Source: British Columbia Real Estate Association

Last month saw a 31.7% decrease in residential unit sales of 6,580 units recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in comparison to the same period last year. The total sales dollar volume also saw a decrease of 39.7% bringing it down to $4.53 Billion. 

"Consumer demand has returned to a more typical level over the first two months of the year," says Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. "While the home sales have declined nearly 32 per cent from the extraordinary performance of a year ago, last month's activity reflected the average for the month February since the year 2000."

As for the average MLS® residential price in the province, it also saw an 11.7% decrease which brought it down to $688,117. A main factor driving the average price down is that there was a decline in the proportion of provincial sales originating from the Vancouver region. There has been a 7% decline in BC home sales occurring in the REBGV area (44% to 37%) from the same period last year.

Year-to-date, there has been a decrease of 38.5% in BC residential sales dollar volume bringing it down to $7.3 Billion. Additionally, there has been a decrease of 28.5% in residential unit sales to 11,067 units and a decrease of 14.1% in the average MLS® residential price to $660,943.

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

Source: British Columbia Real Estate Association

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.

Join us as we dive into the residential sales statistics for the month of May. There has been a record number of sales of 13,458 residential units which is a 32.3% increase from May 2015 and a 3.77% increase from April 2016. The total sales dollar volume shot up by 51.1% compared to the same period last year to $9.72 Billion. In relation to the average MLS® residential price in BC, it increased 14.2% year-over-year to $722,146.

"Record housing demand and dwindling inventories are continuing to push home prices higher in most BC regions," said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. "Total active residential listings across the province are nearly 30 per cent lower than twelve months ago."

"New home construction activity is at a near record pace in the province," added Muir. "Once the current crop of homes are ready for occupancy there will likely be more selection for home buyers and less upward pressure on home prices."

As a result of the ongoing trend of demand outpacing supply, there are a record number of homes under construction in the Metro Vancouver market. The BC residential sales dollar volume on a year-to-date basis has jumped to $41 Billion which is an increase of 62% in relation to the same period in 2015. The residential unit sales increased by 35.2% to 54,455 units and the average MLS® residential price increased by 19% to $752,105.

Take a look below for a regional breakdown of MLS comparative data and the changes from May 2015 to May 2016. 

Source: British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA)

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

As we take a look at MLS® sales figures for February 2016, it is evident that there has been a substantial increase in residential unit sales in comparison to February 2015 numbers with a total increase of 44.7% (9,637 sales). There is a stark contrast in terms of total sales dollar volume from one year to the next with a total of $7.51 Billion which is a 76.4% increase. The average MLS® residential price in the province was up 21.9 per cent year-over-year, to $779,419.

"Housing demand is now at a break-neck pace," said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. "Home sales last month were not only a record for the month of February, but on a seasonally adjusted basis, demand has never been stronger in the province."

"Downward pressure on active listings has created significant upward pressure on home prices in some regions, particularly in Vancouver and the Fraser Valley," added Muir. "While home builders have responded with a record pace of housing starts for BC last month, the supply isn't expected alleviate the imbalance in these markets in the near term."

Looking at year-to-date data, residential sales dollar volume for BC has increased 73.6% to $11.9 Billion in contrast to the same period in 2015 whereas unit sales increased 40.1% to 15,468 units. At the rate this is going, it is no wonder why the intense housing demand is causing a shortage of supply. For all your real estate needs, contact Amalia Liapis at amalia@wesellvancouver.ca or alternatively, at 604-618-7000.

Looking back at the housing statistics of Metro Vancouver, there has been a steady increase in demand in the month of March. According to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV), residential property sales in Greater Vancouver topped out at 4,060 just last month. In comparison to the same month last year, there has been a 53.7% increase in unit sales and a 32.6% increase in comparison to February 2015. It has been noted that there has been strong competition amongst home buyers as there have been multiple offer situations and there has been some upward pressure on home prices. 

5,968 new listings in March for detached, attached and apartment properties within the Metro Vancouver area were recorded. In contrast to March 2014 totals, this represents a 13% increase. However, the total number of properties actively listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service has moved in the opposite direction with a 14.5% decline in comparison to March 2015 listings.

According to the REBGV president, Darcy McLeod, "[t]he number of homes for sale today is below what's typical for this time of year. If you've been considering putting your property on the market, these market conditions indicate that now may be a good time to list".

The Metro Vancouver residential properties benchmark price is currently sitting at $660,700. The sales-to-active-listings ratio is at an all-time high since July 2007 with a ratio of 32.8%.

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

The real estate industry is a key economic driver in BC. Despite the preconceived notions of Vancouverites, the Greater Vancouver housing market is seeing demand for housing slightly outpace the supply. We continue to see incremental gains in home values, depending on the neighbourhood and property type. According to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV), residential property sales in the Greater Vancouver area has reached 3,061 in July alone, making it the fourth consecutive month that the Greater Vancouver market has exceeded 3,000 sales (McLeod, 2014). Prior to this upsurge in sales, the housing sales have not surpassed this sales mark since June 2011. 

The MLS Home Price Index (HPI) measures home price trends and home price inflation/deflation in residential markets within territories of participating real estate boards in Canada (MLS, 2014). The HPI composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Metro Vancouver is presently at $628,000. For a single family detached unit, the benchmark price is sitting at $980,500. An overview of the property types and their benchmark price in their respective neighbourhood can be found here: MLS Home Price Index. Benchmarks represent a typical property within each market. 

All in all, the housing market in the Greater Vancouver region has been steadily picking up and although supply is continually increasing, the demand for housing has slightly outpaced supply. 

Below you will find the Residential Average Price in the Greater Vancouver region. As you can see, there has been quite some fluctuation over the past 4.5 years. Residential median prices in July 2014 are sitting at around $805,061. 

 Source: The Canadian Real Estate Association

Below find the detailed quarterly sales report for Greater Vancouver. Period covered is APR 01 2013 to JUN 30 2013 and compared to the same period in 2012.

Quarterly Statistical Report

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Below you can see the most recent MLS stats for 2013. 

Vancouver East - MLS Stats July 2013

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Vancouver East - MLS Stats July 2013

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