For the complete news release, including detailed statistics, click here.

Vancouver, BC – April 13, 2012. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that the dollar volume of homes sold through Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in BC declined 26.5 per cent to $3.8 billion in March compared to the same month last year. A total of 6,882 MLS® residential unit sales were recorded over the same period, a decline of 20 per cent. The average MLS® residential price was $545,959 in March, 8.1 per cent lower than in March 2011.

"The spike in consumer demand recorded a year ago was not repeated last month,” said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. “A marked increase in high-end home sales a year ago pushed up unit sales and skewed average prices higher, so it’s no surprise to see fewer home sales and lower average prices in March of this year."

Year-to-date, BC residential sales dollar volume declined 17 per cent to $9.2 billion, compared to the same period last year. Residential unit sales dipped 12.7 per cent to 16,724 units, while the average MLS® residential price edged back 5 per cent to $552,785 over the same period.