News: Vancouver Real Estate Market

A recent survey reveals that 83% of adults in British Columbia, specifically those from Generation Z and younger Millennials aged 18 to 38 (born between 1986 and 2006), view homeownership as a valuable investment. Among those who don't currently own a home, 77% plan to purchase a primary residence during their lifetime.

"Young Canadians have a strong positive outlook on owning real estate. Despite the challenges of entering urban markets like Vancouver, this demographic sees homeownership as a significant...

Bill 44 Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, 2023 has the potential to make housing for affordable by increasing the amount of small-scale multi-unit housing in neighbourhoods that are mostly comprised of single-family homes. This includes townhomes, triplexes and laneway homes, and a plan to fix outdated zoning rules to help the process of building homes quicker. These new zoning requirements would permit higher density in areas previously zoned for single family or...

While the Metro Vancouver market ended 2023 in balanced market territory, in January conditions began shifting back in favor of sellers as the pace of newly listed properties did not keep up with the jump in home sales.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that in the region residential sales totaled 1,427 in January 2024, a 38.5% increase from the 1,030 sales recorded in January 2023. This was 20.2% below the 10-year seasonal average (1,788).

“It’s hard to believe that...

In September 2020 the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential home sales in the region totaled 3,643. This is a 56.2% increase from the 2,333 sales recorded in September 2019 and a 19.6% increase from the 3,047 homes sold in August 2020.

"We've seen robust home sale and listing activity across Metro Vancouver throughout the summer months," Colette Gerber, REBGV Chair said. "This increased activity can be attributed, in part, to lower interest rates and changing housing...

In August 2020, residential home sales in the region totaled 3,047 according to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV). This is a 36.6% increase from the 2,231 sales recorded in August 2019 and a 2.6% decrease from the 3,128 homes sold in July 2020.

"People who put their home buying and selling plans on hold in the spring have been returning to the market throughout the summer," Colette Gerber, REBGV Chair said. "Like everything else in our lives these days, the uncertainty COVID-19 presents...

In July 2020, the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reported a total of 10,090 residential unit sales recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®). This showed an increase of 26.6% from the same month last year. The average MLS® residential price in BC was $770,810, a 12.9% increase from $682,702 recorded the previous year. Total sales dollar volume in July was $7.8 billion, a 43% increase over 2019.

"The strong recovery in sales activity continued in July," said BCREA...

In July 2020, residential home sales in the region totaled 3,128 according to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV). This represents a 22.3% increase from the 2,557 sales recorded in July 2019 and a 28% increase from the 2,443 homes sold in June 2020.

"We're seeing the results today of pent up activity, from both home buyers and sellers, that had been accumulating in our market throughout the year," Colette Gerber, REBGV Chair said. "Low-interest rates and limited overall supply are also...

Royal LePage revises Canadian home price forecast upwards to 2.3% by year-end 2020, as low rates and pent-up demand face limited housing supply.

What does this mean for Greater Vancouver?

In the second quarter, the aggregate price of a home in Greater Vancouver increased by 1.9% year-over-year to $1,109,069. Based on housing type, the median price of a standard two-storey home in Greater Vancouver increased by 3.7% year-over-year to $1,455,027 in the second quarter. During the same period, the median...

Residential home sales in the region totalled 2,443 in June 2020 accroding to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV). This is a 17.6% increase from 2,077 sales recorded in June 2019 and a 64.5% increase from the 1,485 homes sold in May 2020.

"REALTORS® continue to optimize new technology tools and practices to help their clients meet their housing needs in a safe and responsible way," Colette Gerber, REBGV Chair said "Over the last three months, home buyers and sellers have become...

The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) has released its 2020 Second Quarter Forecast. According to the release, a 21% decline in Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) residential sales to approximately 61,000 units this year, after recording 77,347 residential sales in 2019. MLS® residential sales are forecast to increase by 45.3% to 88,500 units in 2021.

"The bright outlook for 2020 home sales has been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting recession," said Brendon Ogmundson,...

The Contract of Purchase and Sale (CPS) is one of the key documents used in a real estate transaction. The attached video created by the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) will help you understand and answer some of the common questions, such as:

• When does the process begin and when is the Contract of Purchase and Sale used?
• What do the terms in the contract mean?
• What information is included in the Contract of Purchase and Sale?

If you want to know more about the CPS form, feel free...

According to the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA), there was a total of 3,284 residential units recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in April 2020. This is a decline of 50.8% from April 2019.

The average MLS® residential price in BC was $737,834, a 7.8% increase from $684,430 recorded the previous year. Total sales dollar volume in March was $2.4 billion, a 46.9% decrease over 2019.

"We expected to see a sharp drop in sales for April as we confronted the COVID-19...

In April 2020, the residential home sales in the region totaled 1,109 as per the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV). This is a 39.4% decrease from the 1,829 sales recorded in April 2019 and a 56.1% decrease from the 2,524 homes sold in March 2020.

"Predictably, the number of home sales and listings declined in April given the physical distancing measures in place," Colette Gerber, REBGV’s president-elect said. "People are, however, adapting. They’re working with their Realtors...

In the past 40 years, the Canadian economy has had three recessions, each of them different in cause, depth, and duration. The 2020 COVID-19 recession is said to be deep, but will not last long when compared to past recessions. The one glaring similarity throughout these recessions is how the BC housing market has both endured and recovered successfully.

According to the current forecast, the Canadian economy is said to contract approximately by 4% in the first quarter of 2020, followed by a startling...

In March 2020, the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA), reported a total of 6,717 residential unit sales recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®). This is a 17.2% increase from March 2019. The average MLS® residential price in BC was $789,548, a 15.1% increase from $685,592 recorded the previous year. The total sales dollar volume showed an increase of 35%, to $5.3 billion over 2019.

"Provincial housing markets started the month very strong before the COVID-19 pandemic...

According to the Royal LePage House Price Survey and Market Survey Forecast released today, if the strict stay-at-home restrictions are eased during the second quarter Canada's aggregate home price could grow a modest 1% by the end of 2020, to $653,800. If the restrictions on personal movement continues through summer, the home prices to go down by 3%, to $627,900 year-over-year.

"The impact of COVID-19 on the Canadian economy has been swift and violent, with layoffs driving high levels of unemployment...

The median prices of luxury homes in Greater Vancouver decreased by 6.7% year-over-year to $5,394,594 during the twelve-month period ending January 31, 2020. There was also a deacrese of 4.4% in Luxury apartment-style condominiums to $2,411,773.

Greater Vancouver luxury homes were showing year-over-year declines in median prices for both houses and condominiums over the twelve-month period. Since October 2019, a significant boost in luxury unit sales were observed and this is moving the market towards...

According to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV), the residential home sales in the region hit 1,571 in January 2020. This is a 42.4% increase from the January 2019 sales of 1,103 and a 22.1% decrease from the December 2019 sales of 2,016.

The sales were at 7.3%, which was below the 10-year January sales average.

"We’ve begun 2020 with steady home buyer demand that tracks close to the region’s long-term average," Ashley Smith, REBGV president said. "Looking at supply, we...

What does it mean for B.C.?

The Greater Vancouver market saw signs of heading towards recovery in the fourth quarter, after a year-over-year decline. There was a 4.8% decrease in the aggregate price of a home in Greater Vancouver year-over-year to hit $1,107,719 in the fourth quarter of 2019. The aggregate price of a home in the third quarter of 2019, had decreased 5.2% compared to the same time last year.

Greater Vancouver's real estate market was fairly balanced in the fourth quarter according to...

The Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) recorded a total of 77,331 residential unit sales in 2019, a decrease of 1.5% from the 78,516 units sold in 2018 as reported by the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA). Furthermore, the total sales dollar volume was $54.2 billion, a 3% decrease from 2018. The previous year saw an average annual MLS® residential price at $711,564, when compared to $700,460, a decrease of 1.6%.

According to the BCREA Cheif Economist Brendon Ogmundson, "Housing...

What does this mean for us?

Greater Vancouver house prices will see a stabilization in 2020. The aggregate prices for homes is forecasted to hit $1,125,200, an increase if 1.5% in 2020. For two-storey homes the prices are expected to rise to $1,460,700, a rise of 1.25% year-over-year. Median prices for condominiums is also said to rise to $666,900, a 3.0% increase by the end of next year.

According to Randy Ryalls, Managing Broker, Royal LePage Sterling Realty, "Sales have picked up significantly...

According to the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) report, there were 6,616 residential unit sales recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in November. This showed an increase of 27.5% from the same month last year. The MLS® recorded an average residential price in the province at $746,939, an increase of 5.5% from November 2018. The total sales volume saw a 34.4% increase to reach $4.94 billion, compared to the same month last year.

"After several months of strong...

Home buyer activity has returned to more historically typical levels in Metro Vancouver, after a slow first half for 2019. According to The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV), residential home sales in the region totalled 2,498 in November 2019, a 55.3% increase from the 1,608 sales recorded in November 2018, and a 12.6% decline from the 2,858 homes sold in October 2019.

"We started to see more home buyer confidence in the summer and this trend continues today," says Ashley Smith, REBGV...

According to the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA), residential unit sales totalled 7,666 as recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in October. This is an increase of 19.3% from the same month last year. The average MLS® residential price in the province increased 5.1% from October 2018, at $724,045. Total sales were also up by 25.4% at $5.55 billion, from the same month last year.

"Most markets around the province are returning to a more typical level of sales...

According to the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®)forecast, residential sales in the province are to decline 1.8% to about 77,100 units this year, compared to 78,505 residential sales in 2018. Residential sales on MLS® are forecast to increase 10.9% in 2020 and hit 85,500 units, just below the 10-year average for MLS® residential sales of 85,800 units.

"After a slow start to 2019, MLS® home sales in BC have embarked on a sustained upward trend since the spring," said Brendon Ogmundson,...

There has been a pickup in home sale activity in the Metro Vancouver housing market.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential home sales of detached, attached and apartment properties reached 2,858 in October 2019, a 45.4% increase from the 1,966 sales recorded in October 2018, and a 22.5% increase from the 2,333 homes sold in September 2019.

Sales for last month were 9.8% above the 10-year October sales average."Home buyers have more confidence today than we saw...

It is hard to believe that it’s been 24 years since I moved to Vancouver. Like everyone, purchasing a home was something that I always wanted to accomplish.  As part of the process in finding my first home , I researched and learnt everything I could about buying real estate. I was lucky though. My father was a real estate agent. He helped guide me through the process to ensure I made the right decisions and protected my interests. Obviously not everyone has a father in the business they...

According to the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA), sales in BC are forecast to rise next year.

Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) residential sales in the province are expected to decline 9% to 71,400 units in 2019, after recording 78,346 residential sales in 2018. MLS® residential sales are forecast to increase 14% to 81,700 units in 2020.

"The shock to affordability from restrictive mortgage policies, especially the B20 stress test, will continue to limit housing demand...