Dexter Realty Lower Mainland Real Estate Experts : : page 7

Sales and Listing Report for March 2020

“Our patience will achieve more than our force” – Edmund Burke

Where to begin. This month’s numbers for Greater Vancouver real estate are a tale of what could have been, not so much what will be. The way sales on a given day are counted by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver are by looking at the day when that sale is reported by a real estate company to the Board, regardless of when the date the contract is written. So, there is a time lag between when the contract is written and when it is reported. This will be important in looking at sales figures for March as a degree of that activity came from transactions that were initiated prior to mid-March.

There were 2,562 homes sold of all types in Greater Vancouver in March this year compared with 2,185 homes sold last month, 1,745 sales in March last year and 2,551 homes sold in March 2018. Sales in March were 19 per cent below the 10-year average for the month of March. The number of sales in March were 47 per cent higher compared to March 2019, continuing the trend for the ninth straight month where year-over-year sales were up. This trend is likely to stop in April as the effect of the COVID-19 Virus impacts the real estate market.

Some highlights from March:

North Vancouver was one of the few areas that saw a decline in the number of sales in March compared to February and the number of detached homes sold was below that of March 2019
Year over year, the increase in detached homes sold was the greatest at 61 per cent, townhouses followed at 51 per cent with apartments at 35 per cent
Year over year the decrease in the number of active listings for detached homes was the greatest at 28 per cent, followed by townhouses at 27 per cent and then apartments at 19 per cent

Beyond the Pandemic:

The COVID-19 crisis will continue over the next number of months, a timeframe which is impossible to determine at this time. The numbers show that Greater Vancouver was in the stages of a market gaining momentum. While the market was still reaching for average, it was still vastly improved from last year which was a very challenged real estate market. Pent up demand was coming to the market, and from the provincial numbers identifying a very small number of foreign buyers, these were local buyers. While the real estate market takes a pause for the short term, there are many reasons to think it will be very active when we see some relief from virus, and in some cases why we may see activity over the next few months.

Detached/townhouse will be more attractive and in greater demand after this as people want dwellings with social distancing – people will make personal and financial sacrifices for health
Those in sectors where the most job losses are occurring in higher numbers aren’t the typical buyers in the market
After isolation people will grow tired of their homes and want a change
Unfortunately, some marriages may not survive after this hence people will need to move
In 9 to 12 months there likely will be a mini-baby boom hence people will need to move
Having not spent disposable income as much, people are in saving modes and that will carry on beyond this and will add to what’s available for home purchasing (even with reduced incomes, many of the home buyers are still earning an income)
Interest rates will be low for the foreseeable future, lowest we’ve seen
With so many sectors in the economy suffering that are important to government revenue, and as they struggle to recover, the government will need investment and revenue from real estate
There will be a shortage of homes available coming out of this and continuing so prices will not be dropping to any great degree, and new construction will suffer which will perpetuate the shortage in the years to come
Stock markets will continue to be volatile, pushing money into real estate, especially at higher price points
Canada’s response to Covid-19 is showing it a favourable place to be – immigration and investment will likely flourish with the United States potentially being a source of those coming to Canada.

The number of homes for sale in Greater Vancouver saw a slight increase in March. At the end of March there were 10,338 homes for sale in Greater Vancouver, compared to 9,894 at the end of February and 13,408 at the end of March 2019. While it may be surprising that we had that many new listings during the current pandemic, April will be more telling of the effects. But we saw 2,511 new listings up to March 15 and then 2,010 after that. The number of new listings per day did start to decline in the days leading up to the end of the month, but we are still seeing listings coming on (233 in Greater Vancouver in the last two days of the month.) Current market conditions are still producing some multiple offers – in all product types. While it may seem like a high number of new listings for current conditions, it is still well below what we would see for March in Greater Vancouver. There were 4,421 new listings during March in Greater Vancouver, down 11 per cent from March last year. The number of new listings in March were 22 per cent below the 10-year average for the month.

The first two weeks of the month were the busiest days of the year for our region with heightened demand and multiple offers becoming more common,” Ashley Smith, REBGV president said, “Like other aspects of our lives, this changed as concerns over the COVID-19 situation in our province grew. “Many of the sales recorded in March were in process before the provincial government declared a state of emergency. We’ll need more time to pass to fully understand the impact that the pandemic is having on the housing market,” Smith said.

East of the Fraser River, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 1,441 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® in March, an increase of 7 per cent compared to sales in February and a 18 per cent increase compared to the sales in March of last year. According to the Fraser Valley Board, during the first 7 business days of the month, property sales were tracking 60 per cent higher compared to the same period in March of last year, however finished significantly lower. Active listings for the Fraser Valley finished 6 per cent higher month-over-month and decreased of 13 per cent when compared to March 2019. There were 2,666 new listings in March, a 4 per cent increase compared to February 2020 and a 7 per cent decrease compared to March 2019.

Above all else, right now is a time to focus on staying safe and healthy. There will be real estate activity while we are under these unprecedented times, some people’s financial wellbeing may depend upon it. Others just need a home to isolate in. What’s important is that we all act in a way to help bring back normalcy to our lives – as much as that can be. Be safe and be careful.

SUMMING UP THE NUMBERS

Greater Vancouver: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 2,562 – up from 2,185 (17%) in February 2020, up from 1,745 (47%) in March 2019, up from 2,551 (0%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 10,315 compared to 13,408 (down 23%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were down 11% compared to March 2019 and down 1% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 57% compared to 35% in March 2019 and 51% in March 2018.

Vancouver Westside Residential: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 467 – up from 367 (27%) in February 2020, up from 333 (40%) in March 2019, up from 441 (6%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 1,814 compared to 2,511 (down 28%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were down 15% compared to March 2019 and down 5% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 55% compared to 34% in March 2019 and 49% in March 2018.

Vancouver East Side Residential: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 297 – up from 243 (22%) in February 2020, up from 174 (71%) in March 2019, up from 284 (5%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 834 compared to 1,239 (down 33%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were down 9% compared to March 2019 and down 9% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 64% compared to 34% in March 2019 and 55% in March 2018.

North Vancouver Residential: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 204 – down from 206 (1%) in February 2020, up from 165 (24%) in March 2019, down from 216 (6%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 640 compared to 883 (down 28%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were down 9% compared to March 2019 and down 2% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced with mostly Seller’s Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 57% compared to 42% in March 2019 and 60% in March 2018.

West Vancouver: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 56 – down from 57 (2%) in February 2020, up from 34 (65%) in March 2019, up from 42 (36%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 553 compared to 670 (down 20%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were the same compared to March 2019 and up 9% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 10 Month’s Supply (Buyer’s Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 33% compared to 20% in March 2019 and 27% in March 2018.

Richmond Residential: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 337 – up from 253 (33%) in February 2020, up from 178 (89%) in March 2019, up from 306 (10%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 1,464 compared to 2,025 (down 28%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were up 23% compared to March 2019 and down 14% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 64% compared to 26% in March 2019 and 50% in March 2018.

Burnaby East: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 27 – down from 32 (16%) in February 2020, up from 17 (59%) in March 2019, up from 26 (4%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 101 compared to 141 (down 28%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were up 6% compared to March 2019 and up 17% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 56% compared to 33% in March 2019 and 63% in March 2018.

Burnaby North: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 130 – up from 100 (30%) in February 2020, up from 77 (69%) in March 2019, down from 131 (1%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 392 compared to 536 (down 27%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were down 1% compared to March 2019 and up 3% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 59% compared to 34% in March 2019 and 61% in March 2018.

Burnaby South: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 143 – up from 105 (36%) in February 2020, up from 97 (47%) in March 2019, up from 103 (39%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 482 compared to 771 (down 37%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were down 24% compared to March 2019 and up 12% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 65% compared to 33% in March 2019 and 53% in March 2018.

New Westminster: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 118 – up from 90 (20%) in February 2020, up from 81 (46%) in March 2019, down from 149 (21%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 350 compared to 472 (down 26%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were down 2% compared to March 2019 and up 3% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 59% compared to 40% in March 2019 and 77% in March 2018.

Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 202 – up from 196 (19%) in February 2020, up from 142 (42%) in March 2019, down from 204 (1%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 696 compared to 933 (down 25%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were down 5% compared to March 2019 and up 20% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 52% compared to 35% in March 2019 and 63% in March 2018.

Port Moody: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 54 – up from 36 (50%) in February 2020, up from 38 (42%) in March 2019, down from 57 (5%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 199 compared to 210 (down 5%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were up 9% compared to March 2019 and up 33% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 52% compared to 40% in March 2019 and 73% in March 2018.

Port Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 96 – up from 83 (16%) in February 2020, up from 59 (63%) in March 2019, down from 103 (7%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 194 compared to 168 (up 15%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were up 15% compared to March 2019 and up 9% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 2 Month’s Supply (Seller’s Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 68% compared to 35% in March 2019 and 82% in March 2018.

Ladner: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 32 – down from 36 (11%) in February 2020, up from 25 (28%) in March 2019, up from 24 33%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 171 compared to 170 (up 1%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were down 13% compared to March 2019 and up 22% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 48% compared to 32% in March 2019 and 44% in March 2018.

Tsawwassen: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 39 – up from 32 (22%) in February 2020, up from 15 (160%) in March 2019, and the same at 39 in March 2018; Active Listings are at 218 compared to 236 (down 8%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 down up 12% compared to March 2019 and down 14% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 52% compared to 18% in March 2019 and 45% in March 2018.

Pitt Meadows: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 35 – up from 27 (30%) in February 2020, up from 24 (45%) in March 2019, up from 34 (21%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 102 compared to 119 (down 14%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were up 20% compared to March 2019 and up 94% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Mostly a Seller’s Market with some Balanced Market Conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 53% compared to 43% in March 2019 and 100% in March 2018.

Maple Ridge: Total Units Sold in March 2020 was 170 – down from 177 (48%) in February 2020, up from 116 (46%) in March 2019, down from 180 (6%) in March 2018; Active Listings are at 659 compared to 675 (down 2%) at this time last year; New Listings in March 2020 were up 14% compared to March 2019 and up 5% compared to March 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Month’s Supply (Mostly a Seller’s Market with some Balanced Market Conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 57% compared to 44% in March 2019 and 63% in March 2018.

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Sales and Listing Report for February 2020

“You can never plan the future by the past.” – Edmund Burke

Average is the new up! Vancouver prices have gone up and will rise even more. What seemed like a very exuberant real estate market in Greater Vancouver in February produced an average volume of sales. With multiple offers a consistent theme, less so with detached homes, one would think it was a record month for total number of sales – especially with 42 offers on a house in Kitsilano. But funny, that supply and demand equation still rings true, when there isn’t enough supply to meet the demand, prices shift up and competition occurs.

British Columbia’s finance minister said that she is cautiously optimistic that real estate will become affordable for the average citizen over the next year, even though demand is expected to keep eclipsing supply. Think about that for a second. The number of buyers is increasing more than the number of sellers. What happens when there is scarcity of something? people compete for that item. Greater Vancouver’s real estate market is seeing the number of homes available dwindle to a level not seen in over two years in all property types and a spring market is emerging that has buyers wanting what there isn’t enough of – housing. And these are very much local buyers. This is most evident in the apartment and townhome segment of the market under $1,000,000. Since January 1st, in Downtown Vancouver there have been 89 MLS® sales reported – 43 of which sold at list price or above. There have been 18 townhouse sales on Vancouver’s Westside since January 1st and 9 of those sold at list or above. What happens when apartment buyers can’t find townhomes to buy? They don’t sell and there are less apartments in lower price ranges available. But what’s really telling in this market is that while the number of home sales are just below the 10-year average; prices are rising… incidents of 18 offers, 25 offers, 68 offers on listed properties are occurring. What part of that signal’s affordability?

There were 2,185 homes sold of all types in Greater Vancouver in February this year compared with 1,602 homes sold last month, 1,512 sales in February last year and 2,241 homes sold in February 2018. Sales in February were 17 per cent below the 10-year average for the month of February but only 7 per cent below the 10-year average if the 4,254 sales from February 2016 were excluded – an all-time record amount of sales for that month. The number of sales in February were 45 per cent higher compared to February 2019, continuing the trend for the eighth straight month where year-over-year sales were up. Yes, home sales are up but they are still reaching for the average. Imagine what could happen to prices once buyers engage even more, and the number of homes for sale continues to decline.

Some highlights from February:

The number of sales in Richmond in January were only up 11% compared to January of last year with townhouses once again leading the way, up 103% year over year – the number of new listings in Richmond for all property types were down year over year
The number of detached homes currently listed in Vancouver continues to decline – with 517 Westside houses available at the end of February – which is lower than the end of January and 27% fewer than February 2019; on the East Side there are 36% less houses available compared to February 2019 with sales of detached houses up 59% year over year
Average prices for townhouses and condos in the majority of areas in Greater Vancouver increased significantly in February as buyers competed much more for these types of properties (Average prices are a calculation based on the total dollar volume of sales and the number of homes sold)
Detached homes showed higher year over year gains in the number of homes sold compared to townhouses and apartments in most areas as buyers continue to take advantage of the closer gap between the price of detached homes and attached properties
There have been 47 sales of homes under $3,000,000 on Vancouver’s Westside since January 1st and 16 of them have sold at list price or above

The number of homes for sale in Greater Vancouver saw limited growth in February, with a similar number of new listings for the month of February over the last three years. At the end of February there were 9,894 homes for sale in Greater Vancouver, compared to 9,307 at the end of January and 12,207 at the end of February 2019. This limited number of homes for sale is producing more multiple offers than we’ve seen in the last few years and is pushing prices up in some areas and product types. There were 4,101 new listings during February in Greater Vancouver, up 3 per cent from February last year. The number of new listings in February were 17 per cent below the 10-year average for the month of February. And with reports that there are significantly less new developments that will be coming out over the next few years, the supply of homes available to purchase will cause prices to rise. Again, what part of that signal’s affordability?

“Home buyer demand again saw string year-over-year increases in February while the total inventory of homes for sale struggled to keep pace,” Ashely Smith, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver president said. “This was most pronounced in the condominium market.”

East of the Fraser River, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 1,352 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® in February, a decrease of 39 per cent compared to sales in January and a 38 per cent increase compared to the sales in February of last year. Active listings for the Fraser Valley finished at 5,741, increasing 12 per cent month-over-month and a decrease of 10 per cent when compared to February 2019. There were 2,557 new listings in February, a 15 per cent increase compared to January 2020 and a 15 per cent increase compared to February 2019. “Supply is a challenge currently in some areas and for certain property types. In February, in Langley for example, for every 10 active townhomes, six sold. In Cloverdale, there were 26 active condo listings last month; and 20 sold. We are seeing more traffic at open houses, more multiple offers and a slight increase in year-over-year prices,” said Darin Germyn, President of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. “Another indicator and in February, the three main residential property types sold on average six days faster than last year.”

Summing up the numbers

Greater Vancouver:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 2,185 – up from 1,602 (36%) in January 2020, up from 1,512 (45%) in February 2019, down from 2,241 (2%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 9,894 compared to 12,207 (down 19%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were up 3% compared to February 2019 and down 6% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 53% compared to 38% in February 2019 and 51% in February 2018.

Vancouver Westside Residential:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 367 – up from 275 (33%) in January 2020, up from 254 (44%) in February 2019, down from 429 (14%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 1,774 compared to 2,333 (down 24%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were down 20% compared to February 2019 and down 21% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 52% compared to 29% in February 2019 and 48% in February 2018.

Vancouver East Side Residential:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 243 – up from 161 (51%) in January 2020, up from 166 (46%) in February 2019, down from 244 (1%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 837 compared to 1,119 (down 25%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were up 14% compared to February 2019 and down 7% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 55% compared to 43% in February 2019 and 51% in February 2018.

North Vancouver Residential:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 206 – up from 100 (106%) in January 2020, up from 124 (66%) in February 2019, down up 166 (24%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 612 compared to 814 (down 25%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were up 11% compared to February 2019 and down 25% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 56% compared to 37% in February 2019 and 52% in February 2018.

West Vancouver:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 57 – up from 29 (97%) in January 2020, up from 39 (46%) in February 2019, up from 42 (36%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 536 compared to 635 (down 16%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were down 15% compared to February 2019 and down 30% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 9 Month’s Supply (Buyer’s Market) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 40% compared to 23% in February 2019 and 20% in February 2018.

Richmond Residential:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 253 – up from 227 (11%) in January 2020, up from 155 (63%) in February 2019, down from 262 (3%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 1,470 compared to 1,842 (down 20%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were up 7% compared to February 2019 and down 21% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 50% compared to 33% in February 2019 and 41% in February 2018.

Burnaby East:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 32 – up from 18 (78%) in January 2020, up from 17 (88%) in February 2019, down from 34 (6%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 91 compared to 121 (down 25%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were up 6% compared to February 2019 and down 43% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Seller’s Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 84% compared to 47% in February 2019 and 51% in February 2018.

Burnaby North:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 100 – up from 96 (4%) in January 2020, up from 84 (19%) in February 2019, up from 89 (12%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 368 compared to 482 (down 24%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were up 21% compared to February 2019 and up 11% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 52% compared to 53% in February 2019 and 51% in February 2018.

Burnaby South:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 105 – up from 90 (17%) in January 2020, up from 83 (27%) in February 2019, down from 135 (22%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 466 compared to 678 (down 31%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were down 8% compared to February 2019 and up 6% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 55% compared to 40% in February 2019 and 75% in February 2018.

New Westminster:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 90 – up from 50 (80%) in January 2020, up from 63 (43%) in February 2019, down from 103 (13%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 311 compared to 430 (down 28%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were down 7% compared to February 2019 and down 1% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced with mostly signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 59% compared to 38% in February 2019 and 67% in February 2018.

Coquitlam:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 196 – up from 144 (36%) in January 2020, up from 134 (46%) in February 2019, up from 178 (10%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 612 compared to 832 (down 26%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were up 13% compared to February 2019 and up 9% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced with mostly signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 60% compared to 46% in February 2019 and 60% in February 2018.

Port Moody:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 36 – down from 37 (3%) in January 2020, up from 30 (20%) in February 2019, down from 42 (14%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 171 compared to 181 (down 6%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were up 30% compared to February 2019 and up 22% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 33% compared to 38% in February 2019 and 47% in February 2018.

Port Coquitlam:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 83 – up from 60 (38%) in January 2020, up from 60 (38%) in February 2019, down from 84 (1%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 195 compared to 302 (down 35%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were up 10% compared to February 2019 and down 2% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 2 Month’s Supply (Seller’s Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 65% compared to 43% in February 2019 and 65% in February 2018.

Ladner:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 36 – up from 35 (3%) in January 2020, up from 20 (80%) in February 2019, up from 19 (89%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 156 compared to 149 (up 5%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were up 34% compared to February 2019 and down 49% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 54% compared to 40% in February 2019 and 42% in February 2018.

Tsawwassen:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 32 – up from 21 (52%) in January 2020, up from 21 (52%) in February 2019, up from 29 (10%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 207 compared to 195 (up 6%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were down 2% compared to February 2019 and down 19% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 59% compared to 38% in February 2019 and 43% in February 2018.

Pitt Meadows:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 27 – up from 19 (42%) in January 2020, up from 15 (80%) in February 2019, down from 34 (21%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 86 compared to 111 (down 22%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were up 24% compared to February 2019 and up 16% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Mostly a Seller’s Market with some Balanced Market Conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 52% compared to 36% in February 2019 and 77% in February 2018.

Maple Ridge:

Total Units Sold in February 2020 was 177 – up from 120 (48%) in January 2020, up from 100 (77%) in February 2019, up from 158 (12%) in February 2018; Active Listings are at 609 compared to 626 (down 2%) at this time last year; New Listings in February 2020 were up 43% compared to February 2019 and up 28% compared to February 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Mostly a Seller’s Market with some Balanced Market Conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 59% compared to 48% in February 2019 and 68% in February 2018.

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Sales and Listing Report for January 2020

“You may delay, but time will not” – Benjamin Franklin

No new supply! That seems to be the cry of government and the opinion of some regarding Metro Vancouver real estate. Let’s talk about what effect this actually has on the market when supply isn’t part of the equation in dealing with the dynamics of our housing market, because affordability definitely isn’t one of the benefits of no new supply. Similar to how the real estate market was acting in the fall, this month multiple offers were happening in the market, except at a much higher occurrence. In fact, there was an apartment in Yaletown that generated 18 offers at the start of February. It’s become the norm not the exception so far in 2020 and to no surprise for those tracking market activity. With apartments and townhouses seeing the bulk of these, it is now creeping into the detached housing market – especially below $1.5M. And why? Supply. There isn’t enough. The number of homes available for sale has dropped significantly and is continuing to do so. And with the pent-up demand jumping into the market, we see these multiple offers.

There were 1,602 homes sold of all types in Greater Vancouver in January this year compared with 2,046 homes sold last month, 1,120 sales in January last year and 1,846 homes sold in January 2018. Sales in January were 9 per cent below the 10-year average for the month of January but only 4 per cent below the 10-year average if the 2,574 sales from January 2016 were excluded (a significant anomaly from what we typically see in January.) The number of sales in January were 43 per cent higher compared to January 2019, continuing the trend of strength in the real estate market with January being the seventh straight month or year over year increases for the month.

Some highlights from January:

The number of sales in Richmond in January were up 88% compared to January of last year with townhouses leading the way up 152% year over year.
The number of detached homes currently listed in Vancouver are down significantly – there are 528 Westside houses available – the lowest amount since December 2016; on the East Side there are 39% less houses available compared to January 2019 and the lowest level since March 2016
There are 15 townhouses available in Port Moody from a peak of 64 in June 2019; 39 townhouses available in Port Coquitlam from a peak of 102 in April 2019; 85 townhouses available in Coquitlam from a peak of 194 in June 2019 – with similar patterns in other areas for townhouses
In Port Moody, there are a total of 122 residential properties available compared to the peak of 266 in June 2019
Average prices for condos in the majority of areas in Greater Vancouver dropped in January showing the strength and demand in the lower end of the market as lower priced properties are selling (Average prices are a calculation based on the total dollar volume of sales and the number of homes sold)
All residential sales in New Westminster were down 33% compared to January 2019 – the one area that saw a decline in the number of homes sold year over year in January.

The number of homes for sale in Greater Vancouver continued actually declined at the end of January compared to the end of December, which has only happened twice since 2005 and occurred during years of stronger sales at the turn of the Century. At the end of January there were 9,307 homes for sale in Greater Vancouver, and at the end of December there were 9,309, and a decrease from the 11,427 homes for sale at the end of January 2019 thereby reducing the month’s supply of homes in some markets down to 3 to 4 months – a seller’s market. Multiple offers have been very prevalent throughout Metro Vancouver, and in all segments of the market. With some sales occurring well above list price and above where properties have been priced through the fall. There were 3,993 new listings during January in Greater Vancouver, down 20 per cent from January last year. The number of new listings in January were 19 per cent below the 10-year average for the month of January and 17 per cent below the average for January going back to 1992. Considering how many more homes there are available to be sold in Greater Vancouver compared to 1992 (which saw 5,621 homes listed in January), the trend is certainly for homeowners to hold on to their homes and not sell – likely a function of policy aimed at controlling demand. And as that demand continues to increase with more people moving to Metro Vancouver and pent up demand coming forward, the question is: what are they going to buy?

“We’ve begun 2020 with steady home buyer demand that tracks close to the region’s long -term average,” Ashely Smith, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver president said. “Looking at supply, we’re seeing fewer homes listed for sale than is typical for this time of year. As we approach the traditionally more active spring market, we’ll keep a close eye on supply to see if the number of homes being listed is keeping pace with demand.”

East of the Fraser River, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 974 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® in January, a decrease of 21.9 per cent compared to sales in December and a 24.2 per cent increase compared to the sales in January of last year. Active listings for the Fraser Valley finished at 5,143, increasing 9.8 per cent month-over-month and a decrease of 14.2 per cent when compared to January 2019. There were 2,216 new listings in January, a 15.1 cent decrease compared to January 2019. “Considering our record-shattering snow and cold, the pace of homes sales remainded surprisingly balanced in January,” said Darin Germyn, President of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. “Sales in our regional have steadily improved since July of last year and January’s numbers remained consistent with that trend. Where the weather may have had an impact in January, is on our housing supply. For certain property types, listings in the Fraser Valley are not keeping pace with sales. In areas of Surrey and Langley for example, for every two townhomes listed, one is selling.”

SUMMING UP THE NUMBERS

Greater Vancouver: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 1,602 – up from 1,120 (43%) in January 2019, down from 1,846 (13%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 9,307 compared to 11,427 (down 19%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 20% compared to January 2019 and up 2% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 40% compared to 22% in January 2019 and 47% in January 2018.

Vancouver Westside Residential: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 275 – up from 187 (47%) in January 2019, down from 313 (12%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 1,704 compared to 2,084 (down 18%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 26% compared to January 2019 and down 8% compared to January 2018 Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 6. Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in detached with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 37% compared to 19% in January 2019 and 39% in January 2018.

Vancouver East Side Residential: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 161 – up from 105 (53%) in January 2019, up from 137 (18%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 746 compared to 1,071 (down 30%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 22% compared to January 2019 and down 10% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 45% compared to 23% in January 2019 and 34% in January 2018

North Vancouver Residential: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 100 – up from 91 (10%) in January 2019, down from 132 (24%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 559 compared to 740 (down 24%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 14% compared to January 2019 and up 26% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 27% compared to 21% in January 2019 and 45% in January 2018.

West Vancouver: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 29 – up from 26 (12%) in January 2019, down from 43 (33%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 518 compared to 599 (down 14%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 22% compared to January 2019 and down 6% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 18 Month’s Supply (Buyer’s Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 16% compared to 11% in January 2019 and 23% in January 2018.

Richmond Residential: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 227 – up from 121 (88%) in January 2019, down from 275 (17%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 1,410 compared to 1,696 (down 17%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 31% compared to January 2019 and down 3% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in detached with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 43% compared to 16% in January 2019 and 50% in January 2018.

Burnaby East: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 18 – up from 11 (64%) in January 2019, down from 29 (38%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 111 compared to 119 (down 7%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 18% compared to January 2019 and down 30% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in detached with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 40% compared to 20% in January 2019 and 45% in January 2018.

Burnaby North: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 96 – up from 65 (48%) in January 2019, up from 73 (32%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 321 compared to 483 (down 44%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 3% compared to January 2019 and up 30% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 46% compared to 30% in January 2019 and 45% in January 2018.

Burnaby South: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 90 – up from 55 (64%) in January 2019, down from 102 (12%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 459 compared to 657 (down 30%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 26% compared to January 2019 and up 2% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 43% compared to 20% in January 2019 and 50% in January 2018.

New Westminster: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 50 – down from 75 (33%) in January 2019, down from 96 (48%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 285 compared to 386 (down 26%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 27% compared to January 2019 and down 8% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced with Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 35% compared to 38% in January 2019 and 62% in January 2018.

Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 144 – up from 87 (66%) in January 2019, down from 156 (8%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 568 compared to 788 (down 28%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 17% compared to January 2019 and up 15% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 47% compared to 23% in January 2019 and 58% in January 2018.

Port Moody: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 37 – up from 31 (19%) in January 2019, down from 46 (20%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 122 compared to 165 (down 26%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 22% compared to January 2019 and down 4% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 57% compared to 37% in January 2019 and 68% in January 2018.

Port Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 60 – up from 38 (58%) in January 2019, up from 58 (3%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 200 compared to 290 (down 31%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 10% compared to January 2019 and up 22% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 47% compared to 27% in January 2019 and 55% in January 2018.

Ladner: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 35 – up from 16 (119%) in January 2019, up from 19 (84%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 145 compared to 143 (up 1%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were up 13% compared to January 2019 and up 35% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 48% compared to 26% in January 2019 and 35% in January 2018.

Tsawwassen: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 21 – up from 14 (50%) in January 2019, up from 16 (31%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 208 compared to 182 (up 14%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 4% compared to January 2019 and up 13% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 10 Month’s Supply (Balanced to buyer’s market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 30% compared to 19% in January 2019 and 26% in January 2018.

Pitt Meadows: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 19 – up from 10 (90%) in January 2019, up from 18 (6%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 73 compared to 96 (down 23%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were up 30% compared to January 2019 and up 65% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 37% compared to 25% in January 2019 and 58% in January 2018.

Maple Ridge: Total Units Sold in January 2020 was 120 – up from 82 (46%) in January 2019, down from 182 (34%) in January 2018; Active Listings are at 556 compared to 602 (down 7%) at this time last year; New Listings in January 2020 were down 11% compared to January 2019 and up 2% compared to January 2018. Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 54% compared to 32% in January 2019 and 84% in January 2018.

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Sales and Listing Report for December 2019

“You must be in tune with the times and prepared to break with tradition.” – James Agee

In the immortal words of John Lennon – “another year over, and a new one just begun… Let’s hope it’s a good one.” For the third straight year, real estate sales in Metro Vancouver suffered through a collection of government policies aimed at achieving affordability and stability in the market, but achieving neither – in fact, making it worse. Demand has been artificially held in check leading to the start of what is typical in a real estate market, a significant increase in people wanting to make a move into or within the real estate market. And with December sales up 87 per cent compared to the same month last year, it became clear that buyers are engaging.

Attached are the year-end 2019 Sales and Listings Stats in Greater Vancouver. There were 25,681 home sales in Greater Vancouver in 2019 up 3 per cent compared to 2018, the 4th lowest annual amount of sales since 2000. On the positive side, it was only the 5th time in 25 years where the number of homes sold in the last 6 months of the year were more than the number of homes sold in the first 6 months, with there being 13 per cent more sales in the last half of 2019. The previous times this occurred, it preceded a period of increased activity in the market over the following 3 to 4 years. The number of sales in December at 2,046 were 9 per cent above the 10-year average for the month of December. There were 53,272 new listings in 2019 in Greater Vancouver, the lowest annual amount since 2003 and 3 per cent lower than the total number of new listings in 2018. The number of new listings in December at 1,666 were 4 per cent below the 10-year average.

The wait and see mindset of sellers continued on for a second straight year, as shown by the lack of listings coming on market and the increase in sales in the latter half of the year. Of the total sales in Greater Vancouver, 48 per cent were apartments which was down from 51 per cent in 2018 (down from 50 per cent in 2017, up from 46 per cent in 2016 and 42 per cent in 2015), 18 per cent were townhouses up from 17 per cent in 2018, and 17 per cent in 2017 (up from 15 per cent in 2016 and up from 17 per cent in 2015) and 32 percent were houses which was the same as 2018 and 2017 (down from 36 per cent in 2016 and 41 per cent in 2015). This year did show an increase in activity in the detached housing market though, more so in the last half of the year. This was especially evident in Richmond, after seeing slower sales through the year, there was a significant increase in sales in December there with a 196 per cent increase in sales year over year for detached homes, with a 121 per cent increase in sales year over year for apartments. With the decrease in the share of apartments sold, and increase in townhouses, buyers are trading up in the market and looking to take advantage in the decrease in the spread between the cost of attached homes versus detached homes. Part of the decrease in sales of apartments could be due to the shrinking number of new listings. Month’s Supply of Inventory has dropped into seller’s market conditions for apartments in most areas of Metro Vancouver, with North Vancouver, Coquitlam, Burnaby, and Pitt Meadows having 2 Month’s Supply of inventory, while the majority of other areas are showing 3 Month’s Supply. Affordability is not going to improve with a lack of homes for sale in the lower end of the market.

In the Fraser Valley there were 15,487 sales in 2019, which was down 0.6 per cent from 15,586 sales in 2018 and the lowest total sales in the Fraser Valley since 2013. Of the total sales, 5,770 were detached homes, 3,888 were townhouses and 4,115 were apartments. Year over year, sales of detached and townhomes increased by 0.6 per cent compared to 2018, while apartment sales dropped by 4.2 per cent. In December there were 1,247 total sales, the third best December since 2010. Active listings finished at 4,686 units in December, 20.3 per cent lower than the 10-year average for the moth, with a total of 948 new listings entering the market through the month. There was a total of 30,568 new listings in 2019, the second lowest amount in the last decade.

“Comparatively, 2019 was slower than normal for our region,” said Darin Germyn, President of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. “Earlier in the year, we were still feeling the impact of the stress test introduced in 2018, but with steady job growth in our region and a stable economy, we’ve seen sales in the last few months return to above-average levels. Some sellers have been holding back on listing, waiting until the market improves, with the result that supply in many areas currently is quite tight. Without a healthy supply of inventory in the coming months, we could see upward pressure on prices.”

Happy New Year! All the best for a successful 2020 ahead!

Where will the real estate market go in 2020 in Metro Vancouver? With recently released assessed values down across all classes, there will be an adjustment in sentiment as sellers come off the highs that once were and buyers look to be a part of a market that didn’t seem possible two years ago. But has this helped affordability? With the number of active listings down significantly at the end of the year, opportunity that was there has decreased significantly and where it matters most – at the lower end of the market. Those homes at the lower end of the price spectrum will see the most activity as the hangover from the mortgage stress test that came into place in January 2018 wears off. We’ve already seen multiple offers on apartments in Vancouver with 22 and 15 offers occurring on two specific listings, and many others with multiple buyers bidding. Market dynamics are moving towards seller’s market conditions for the very end of the market where affordability matters most. This begs the question, what exactly did the provincial government’s policies to ease affordability issues actually do? Real estate values at the higher end have suffered the greatest decrease in values, which didn’t ease affordability issues at all. It’s taken away potential equity from local owners. Developers have basically been told to stop building – both at a provincial and municipal level. Populations are expected to grow by 30,000 people annually in Metro Vancouver and Amazon will be set to open its second biggest office space in Downtown Vancouver employing up to 10,000 workers in the next few years. Supply and demand will dictate prices more than anything going forward, especially at the lower end of the market. And with demand already breaking free from two years of being artificially held back and more and more buyers coming forward by the day, there just isn’t enough supply to keep up. That’s the issue that needs to be addressed.

SUMMING UP THE NUMBERS

Greater Vancouver: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 2,046 – down from 2,546 (20%) in November 2019; up from 1,094 (87%) in December 2018 and down from 2,069 (1%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were up 15% compared to December 2018 and down 15% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 9,309 at month end, down from 10,907 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 5 Months (Balanced Market) compared to 10 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 123% in December 2019 compared to 75% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 3.1% (Detached homes down 4.0% and Apartments down 2.7%).

Vancouver Westside: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 356 – down from 406 (12%) in November 2019; up from 190 (87%) in December 2018 and up from 315 (13%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were up 18% compared to December 2018 and down 6% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 1,687 at month end, down from 1,947 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 5 Months (Balanced Market) compared to 10 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 117% in December 2019 compared to 73% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 6.7% (Detached homes down 6.7% and Apartments down 3.0%).

Vancouver Eastside: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 208 – down from 310 (33%) in November 2019; up from 113 (84%) in December 2018 and down from 239 (13%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were up 21% compared to December 2018 and down 23% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 800 at month end, down from 1,075 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Months (Balanced Market) compared to 10 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 129% in December 2019 compared to 85% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 1.7% (Detached homes down 3.1% and Apartments down 1.1%).

North Vancouver: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 155 – down from 217 (29%) in November 2019; up from 99 (57%) in December 2018 and up from 138 (12%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were up 41% compared to December 2018 and down 59% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 466 at month end, down from 630 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Months (Balanced to Seller’s Market) compared to 6 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 140% in December 2019 compared to 125% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 3.0% (Detached homes down 2.1% and Apartments down 3.0%).

West Vancouver: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 46 – down from 66 (30%) in November 2019; up from 30 (53%) in December 2018 and up from 44 (5%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were down 58% compared to December 2018 and up 5% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 505 at month end, down from 579 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 11 Months (Buyer’s Market) compared to 19 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 77% in December 2019 compared to 47% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 4.8% (Detached homes down 3.2% and Apartments down 10.2%).

Richmond: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 281 – up from 271 (4%) in November 2019; up from 122 (122%) in December 2018 and down from 287 (13%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were up 27% compared to December 2018 and down 15% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 1,540 at month end, down from 1,597 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 5 Months (Balanced Market) compared to 13 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 110% in December 2019 compared to 61% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 4.7% (Detached homes down 6.1% and Apartments down 2.9%).

Burnaby East: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 24 – down from 33 (27%) in November 2019; up from 17 (41%) in December 2018 and down from 28 (14%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were up 5% compared to December 2018 and down 16% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 112 at month end, down from 115 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 5 Months (Balanced Market) compared to 7 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 114% in December 2019 compared to 85% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 0.7% (Detached homes down 0.7% and Apartments down 7.2%).

Burnaby North Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 113 – down from 137 (18%) in November 2019; up from 50 (126%) in December 2018 and up from 99 (14%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were down 12% compared to December 2018 and down 30% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 322 at month end, down from 463 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Months (Seller’s Market) compared to 9 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 161% in December 2019 compared to 63% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 3.2% (Detached homes down 4.1% and Apartments down 3.3%).

Burnaby South: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 132 – down from 167 (21%) in November 2019; up from 51 (159%) in December 2018 and up from 109 (21%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were down 23% compared to December 2018 and down 31% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 464 at month end, down from 627 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Months (Balanced Market) compared to 12 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 169% in December 2019 compared to 50% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 4.8% (Detached homes down 4.8% and Apartments down 4.9%).

New Westminster: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 77 – down from 123 (37%) in November 2019; up from 58 (33%) in December 2018 and down from 117 (34%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were up 11% compared to December 2018 and down 46% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 260 at month end, down from 390 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Months (Seller’s Market) compared to 7 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 129% in December 2019 compared to 85% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 5.9% (Detached homes down 4.1% and Apartments down 6.6%).

Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 197 – down from 210 (6%) in November 2019; up from 89 (121%) in December 2018 and down from 162 (22%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were down 1% compared to December 2018 and down 29% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 568 at month end, down from 786 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 3 Months (Seller’s Market) compared to 9 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 167% in December 2019 compared to 75% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 2.4% (Detached homes down 4.1% and Apartments up 1.8%).

Port Moody: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 37 – down from 43 (14%) in November 2019; up from 29 (28%) in December 2018 and down from 38 (3%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were up 75% compared to December 2018 and down 22% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 138 at month end, down from 169 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Months (Balanced Market) compared to 6 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 132% in December 2019 compared to 181% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 3.0% (Detached homes down 5.8% and Apartments down 0.1%).

Port Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 84 – down from 123 (32%) in November 2019; up from 51 (65%) in December 2018 and up from 71 (18%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were up 45% compared to December 2018 and down 11% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 186 at month end, down from 259 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 2 Months (Seller’s Market) compared to 5 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 145% in December 2019 compared to 128% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 0.8% (Detached homes up 0.5% and Apartments down 1.0%).

Ladner: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 20 – down from 51 (61%) in November 2019; down from 23 (13%) in December 2018 and down from 26 (23%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were up 114% compared to December 2018 and down 88% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 136 at month end, down from 143 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 7 Months (Balanced Market) compared to 6 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 67% in December 2019 compared to 164% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 5.9% (Detached homes down 3.0% and Apartments down 6.0%).

Tsawwassen: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 26 – down from 36 (28%) in November 2019; up from 13 (100%) in December 2018 and up from 13 (100%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were up 46% compared to December 2018 and down 46% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 193 at month end, down from 171 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 7 Months (Balanced Market) compared to 13 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 137% in December 2019 compared to 100% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 5.0% (Detached homes down 3.2% and Apartments down 6.8%).

Pitt Meadows: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 27 – up from 24 (13%) in November 2019; up from 11 (145%) in December 2018 and down from 37 (27%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were down 23% compared to December 2018 and down 24% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 54 at month end, down from 98 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 2 Months (Seller’s Market) compared to 9 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 207% in December 2019 compared to 64% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 4.2% (Detached homes down 3.3% and Apartments down 3.5%).

Maple Ridge: Total Units Sold in December 2019 was 130 – down from 169 (23%) in November 2019; up from 73 (78%) in December 2018 and down from 131 (2%) in December 2017. New Listings in December 2019 were up 47% compared to December 2018 and down 20% compared to December 2017. Total Active Listings were at 557 at month end, down from 573 at the end of December 2018, Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is at 4 Months (Balanced Market) compared to 8 Months Supply at the end of 2018 and Sales to Listings Ratio was 123% in December 2019 compared to 102% in December 2018. Year over Year, Benchmark Price is down 2.5% (Detached homes down 2.0% and Apartments down 3.7%).

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Just the Facts: The Vancouver Real Estate Market 2019-2020

1) Due to uncertainty caused by aggressive taxation of Real Estate in BC, tightening of financing (Stress test), and a naturally cooling market, 2018-2019 resulted in the slowest two years in the Vancouver Real Estate marketplace since 1999.

2) When buyer’s confidence is shaken, they go to the sidelines and wait. As time goes by, this group grows into pent up buyer demand. At the same time, more buyers add to this demand due to population growth in the region.

3) We have had 17 months (February 2018-June 2019) where sales were lower than the same month in the previous year; something rarely seen in the Vancouver Market.

4) Residential sales since July 2019 (5 months in a row) have exceeded the same month in the previous year. This is always a signal of the market starting to recover.

5) Other signals:

Supply—unusually low for a period following a slowdown.

Media reporting—starting to report the market upswing.

Multiple offers—a significant increase due to buyers acting.

Open houses and new listings—generating lots of interest.

6) Pent up demand is a powerful force when coupled with time and a reduction in prices. People’s lives carry on regardless of Government policy. They get married, get older, have babies, want to help their children, move jobs, pass away, need a bigger/smaller home, etc., etc.

7) The ten year average for residential sales for the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver is 33,000 homes per year. This average actually grows naturally over time due to population growth in the region. Two years of sales at approximately 25,000 units leaves at least 16,000 buyers now waiting to buy on top of the buyers that will buy regardless of the market, the media or Government actions!

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Sales and Listing Report for November 2019

“You are the sky, everything else is just the weather” – Pema Chodron

Is this an early present for the Greater Vancouver real estate market? With a continuing free fall in the number of active listings and the number of home sales continuing to be on the rise, perhaps the Grinch hasn’t actually stolen all the thunder from real estate in Greater Vancouver. Attached are the Sales and Listings Statistics updated to the end of November 2019. It has become quite clear over the last five months – buyers are entering the market more so than we’ve seen in the past two years, while many sellers are content to hold on to their homes and not list for sale. Perhaps taxation policies aren’t the answer to affordability in the housing market?

There were 2,546 homes sold of all types in Greater Vancouver in November this year compared with 2,892 homes sold last month, 1,633 sales in November last year and 2,831 homes sold in November 2017. November sales were 4 per cent above the 10-year average for the month of November. This was a 56 per cent increase in homes sold compared to November 2018, continuing the trend of strength in the real estate market. With the number of home sales trending as they are, 2019 is likely to finish with more sales in 2019 compared to 2018 – likely setting up for a busy spring market.

Some highlights from November:

Detached home and strata townhouse sales again showed a significant year over year gain this month, up 58 per cent while apartments were up 50 per cent year over year
New listings for apartments were down 17 per cent year over year, brining price stability and more multiple offers to this segment of the market
Sales to listings ratios were the strongest this November we’ve seen since November 2015 – some areas over 100%, meaning that more homes are sold than listed in a month (New Westminster had a sales to listings ratio of 127 per cent)
After a strong October, sales in Richmond came dropped more than any other area – mainly in the detached house market
Active listings for detached houses in East Vancouver and North Vancouver are nearly half the amounts that they were two years ago

There were 828 detached houses sold in November 2019 up from 518 (58 per cent) in November 2018 in Greater Vancouver, with a 5.8 per cent decrease in the benchmark price of these homes year over year. For townhouses there were 451 sales in November 2019 compared to 282 in November 2018 (up 59 per cent) with a 4.4 per cent decrease in the benchmark price year over year; and for condos there were 1,222 sales in November 2019, an increase in sales from 810 in November 2018 (up 50 per cent) with a 3.8 per cent decrease in the benchmark price year over year. Definitely a November to remember this year.

The number of homes for sale in Greater Vancouver continued to decline in November with significantly less coming on the market than is typical for this time of year. At the end of November there were 11,517 homes for sale in Greater Vancouver, and at the end of October there were 13,022, reducing the month’s supply of homes in some markets down to 3 to 4 months – a seller’s market. Multiple offers were more common place in November, and in all segments of the market. Well priced properties were getting more attention, with a one-bedroom apartment listing in downtown Vancouver receiving 22 offers this month. There were 3,069 new listings during November in Greater Vancouver, down 14 per cent from November last year and down 27 per cent from November 2017. The number of new listings in November 2019 were 8 per cent below the 10-year average for the month of November. But then again, the argument continues from some that supply isn’t an issue. But here we are, sales are up, listings are down and pressure on prices begins. With home sales hovering slightly above the 10-year average, imagine what will happen to prices if the number of sales increases even more.

“We started to see more home buyer confidence in the summer and this trend continues today,” Ashely Smith, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver president said. “It’ll be important to watch home listing levels over the new few months to see if supply can stay in line with home buyer demand.”

East of the Fraser River, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 1,405 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® in November, an increase of 11.7 per cent compared to sales in October and a 36.7 per cent increase compared to the 1,028 sales in November of last year. Active listings for the Fraser Valley finished at 6,733, decreasing 9 per cent month-over-month and a decrease of 8.5 per cent when compared to November 2018. There were 1,877 new listings in November, a 9.6 per cent decrease compared to November 2018 and a 21.2 per cent decrease compared to October 2019. “Some listings are seeing a lot of activity depending on location and property type. Agents are reporting more showings, higher traffic at open houses and even some multiple offer situations, which is atypical for this time of year.” said Darin Germyn, President of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. “Four our region, a balanced market is when 12 to 20 per cent of active inventory is selling. In November, 33 per cent of our supply of townhomes sold, as did 29 per cent of Fraser Valley condos; indicating that the supply of attached properties isn’t keeping up with demand.”

SUMMING UP THE NUMBERS

Greater Vancouver: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 2,546 – down from 2,892 (12%) in October 2019, up from 1,633 (56%) in November 2018, down from 2,831 (10%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 11,517 compared to 12,978 (down 11%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were down 14% compared to November 2018 and down 27% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 83% compared to 46% in November 2018 and 69% in October 2019.

Vancouver Westside Residential: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 406 – down from 506 (20%) in October 2019, up from 298 (36%) in November 2018, down from 505 (20%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 2,065 compared to 2,361 (down 13%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were down 19% compared to November 2018 and down 22% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 72% compared to 43% in November 2018 and 62% in October 2019.

Vancouver East Side Residential: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 310 – down from 316 (2%) in October 2019, up from 181 (29%) in November 2018, down from 315 (2%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 1,006 compared to 1,314 (down 23%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were down 11% compared to November 2018 and down 35% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 91% compared to 47% in November 2018 and 72% in October 2019.

North Vancouver Residential: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 217 – down from 260 (17%) in October 2019, up from 139 (44%) in November 2018, down from 250 (13%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 656 compared to 854 (down 23%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were down 22% compared to November 2018 and down 39% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 95% compared to 48% in November 2018 and 76% in October 2019.

West Vancouver: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 66 – the same as October 2019, up from 30 (120%) in November 2018, down from 57 (5%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 608 compared to 705 (down 14%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were down 18% compared to November 2018 and down 32% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 9 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 56% compared to 21% in November 2018 and 42% in October 2019.

Richmond Residential: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 273 – down from 345 (21%) in October 2019, up from 178 (53%) in November 2018, down from 350 (22%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 1,795 compared to 1,809 (down 1%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were down 15% compared to November 2018 and down 38% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 7 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market Conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 71% compared to 39% in November 2018 and 68% in October 2019.

Burnaby East: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 33 – up from 26 (27%) in October 2019, up from 17 (94%) in November 2018, down from 30 (10%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 135 compared to 142 (down 5%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were up 9% compared to November 2018 and down 30% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced to with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 89% compared to 50% in November 2018 and 50% in October 2019.

Burnaby North: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 137 – down from 166 (17%) in October 2019, up from 71 (93%) in November 2018, down from 144 (5%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 439 compared to 547 (down 20%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were down 23% compared to November 2018 and down 30% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 104% compared to 42% in November 2018 and 80% in October 2019.

Burnaby South: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 167 – up from 157 (6%) in October 2019, up from 79 (99%) in November 2018, up from 148 (13%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 607 compared to 688 (down 12%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were down 6% compared to November 2018 and down 28% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced to with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 96% compared to 42% in November 2018 and 68% in October 2019.

New Westminster: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 123 – down from 136 (10%) in October 2019, up from 87 (41%) in November 2018, down from 167 (26%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 335 compared to 491 (down 68%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were down 40% compared to November 2018 and down 47% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 127% compared to 53% in November 2018 and 85% in October 2019.

Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 210 – down from 254 (17%) in October 2019, up from 135 (56%) in November 2018, down from 323 (35%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 753 compared to 935 (down 19%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were down 17% compared to November 2018 and down 33% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced to with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 97% compared to 51% in November 2018 and 77% in October 2019.

Port Moody: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 43– down from 66 (35%) in October 2019, up from 33 (30%) in November 2018, down from 73 (41%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 182 compared to 219 (down 17%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were down 31% compared to November 2018 and down 38% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced to with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 90% compared to 47% in November 2018 and 80% in October 2019.

Port Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 90 – down from 107 (16%) in October 2019, up from 67 (34%) in November 2018, down from 94 (4%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 269 compared to 335 (down 20%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were up 1% compared to November 2018 and down 2% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 73% compared to 55% in November 2018 and 84% in October 2019.

Ladner: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 42 – up from 34 (24%) in October 2019, up from 23 (83%) in November 2018, up from 26 (62%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 163 compared to 143 (up 14%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were up 264% compared to November 2018 and up 28% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 82% compared to 164% in November 2018 and 52% in October 2019.

Tsawwassen: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 36 – up from 32 (13%) in October 2019, up from 17 (112%) in November 2018, up from 24 (50%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 250 compared to 219 (up 14%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were up 16% compared to November 2018 and down 8% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 7 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 82% compared to 45% in November 2018 and 40% in October 2019.

Pitt Meadows: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 24 – down from 31 (23%) in October 2019, up from 23 (4%) in November 2018, down from 32 (25%) in November 2017; Active Listings are at 82 compared to 112 (down 26%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were down 53% compared to November 2018 and down 63% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 126% compared to 56% in November 2018 and 64% in October 2019.

Maple Ridge: Total Units Sold in November 2019 was 169 – down from 180 (6%) in October 2019, up from 108 (56%) in November 2018, down from 184 (8%) November 2017; Active Listings are at 689 compared to 674 (up 2%) at this time last year; New Listings in November 2019 were up 5% compared to November 2018 and up 6% compared to November 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 78% compared to 53% in November 2018 and 74% in October 2019.

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Housing Matters: Supply, demand and Kevin Skipworth’s expertise

Is housing supply really an issue?

Dexter’s own Chief Economist, Kevin Skipworth, speaks with host Stuart McNish of Housing Matters: The Vancouver Real Estate Show about what is actually happening in Metro Vancouver’s real estate market. With all the numbers at his fingertips, Kevin dives into the issues and offers an honest opinion on what’s impacting sales and rentals in our fair city.

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Sales and Listings Report for October 2019

“People who throw mud lose ground” – Jim Beatty

Average is the new up! And above average could be the start of a new trend in Greater Vancouver real estate. Attached are the Sales and Listings Statistics updated to the end of October 2019. This October in the Greater Vancouver real estate market saw a significant increase in the amount of sales compared to October of last year. Buyers are clearly engaging; some home sellers are still reluctant to sell at today’s prices or are simply not engaging at all and the opportunities seen for buyers earlier in the year are diminishing. And with CMHC coming out recently and saying, “The Metro Vancouver Housing Market will see higher sales and modest price increases over the next two years. Resale activity and house prices are expected to fully recover from the recent decline.” The question of “When will we hit the bottom of the market” looks to have been answered with “we already have and are past that point.”

There were 2,892 homes sold of all types in Greater Vancouver in October this year compared with 2,363 homes sold last month, 1,995 sales in October last year and 3,073 homes sold in October 2017. October sales were 9 per cent above (yes that’s correct, above) the 10-year average for the month of October and actually 5 per cent above the 20-year average This was a 45 per cent increase in homes sold compared to October 2018, the same as September in comparison to the previous year. October sales were the highest monthly sales since October 2017. Activity noticeably accelerated towards the end of the month. Perhaps we should save the felines and not call this a “Dead Cat Bounce” but classify it as pent up demand actually coming forward and engaging in the market. It’s the fourth straight month of home sales being higher compared to the same month in the previous year after 17 straight months of those sales being lower compared to the previous year.

Some highlights from October:

Detached home sales again showed a significant year over year gain this month, up 45 per cent with townhomes up 55 per cent
Vancouver and North Vancouver showed stronger year over year sales for townhouses and condos in October
Sales of detached homes and townhouses in Richmond showed significant growth this month after being more stagnant in the previous two years, up 83 per cent and 80 per cent year over year respectively while condos were only 21 per cent higher compared to October 2018
Sales of townhouses and condos in Port Moody were 136 per cent and 78 per cent higher year over year this October with both showing months of supply at 2 months – indicators of a shift to seller’s market conditions
Coquitlam detached home sales were 115 per cent higher year over year in October

There were 943 detached houses sold in October 2019 up from 642 (46 per cent) in October 2018 in Greater Vancouver, with a 7.5 per cent decrease in the benchmark price of these homes year over year. For townhouses there were 536 sales in October 2019 compared to 344 in October 2018 (up 55 per cent) with a 5.8 per cent decrease in the benchmark price year over year; and for condos there were 1,384 sales in October 2019, an increase in sales from 985 in October 2018 (up 40 per cent) with a 5.9 per cent decrease in the benchmark price year over year. It would seem buyers are taking advantage of opportunities in the townhouse and detached home market as the gap in price between those and condos has come closer over the last two years.

The number of homes for sale in Greater Vancouver dropped significantly this month. At a time when government policies were supposed to be doing the opposite to resale home supply. At the end of September there were 14,242 homes for sale in Greater Vancouver, and at the end of October there were 13,022, the result was pushing some areas and product types into seller’s market conditions. Albeit without the overheated conditions experienced in 2015 and 2016. There were 4,183 new listings during October in Greater Vancouver, down 17 per cent from October last year and down 10 per cent from October 2017. The number of new listings in October 2019 were 5 per cent below the 10-year average for the month of October and 7 per cent below the 20-year average. While the number of detached homes listed for sale across the region has seen the biggest decrease, active listings for condos are now decreasing and more so in Vancouver, North Vancouver and Richmond.

So, did the federal election results in October provide any clarity on policies that may affect the housing market? With a minority Liberal government that has indicated it won’t align with any one party, policy will be that much more difficult to get through. And from the various election platforms, the policies were different amongst the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP parties. So, while it may have been easy to consider foreign buyers as the root cause of a lack of affordability, what we do know is that real estate transactions in Metro Vancouver are very local currently. When the activity increased in May, the percentage of foreign buyers significantly dropped and continued at this lower level through the next 4 months according to numbers released by the provincial government. May through August showed the percentage of transactions attributed to foreign buyers at less than 1.7 per cent with the average for 2019 currently at 2.3 per cent. Given the various policies implemented by government are not producing more supply, and are more so restricting supply where will the blame go if sales activity and prices edge up in the next two years?

“Home buyers have more confidence today than we saw in the first half of the year,” Ashely Smith, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver president said. “With prices edging down over the last year and interest rates remaining low, hopeful home buyers are becoming more active this fall. The recent uptick in home sales is moving us into a more historically typical market, both sale and listing activity is trending around our long-term averages in recent months.”

East of the Fraser River, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 1,592 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® in October, an increase of 18.5 per cent compared to sales in September and a 37.8 per cent increase compared to the 1,155 sales in October of last year. Active listings for the Fraser Valley finished at 7,398, decreasing 6.9 per cent month-over-month and a decrease of 4.5 per cent when compared to October 2018. There were 2,383 new listings in October, a 14.2 per cent decrease compared to October 2018 and a 13.9 per cent decrease compared to September 2019. “Our market started to pick up in the summer and we’ve been steadily improving since. It’s rare to see October homes sales in the Fraser Valley outpace April and that’s what we’ve seen this year; our typical spring and fall markets have flipped.” said Darin Germyn, President of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. “Consumers are feeling more confident. Buyers have grown accustomed to the government’s regulation changes. Interest rates have thankfully remained stable and we’re likely seeing some pent-up demand from buyers who were holding off earlier this year. October’s beautiful, sunny weather didn’t hurt either.”

SUMMING UP THE NUMBERS

Greater Vancouver: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 2,892 – up from 2,363 (22%) in September 2019, up from 1,634 (45%) in October 2018, down from 3,073 (6%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 13,022 compared to 13,682 (down 5%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were down 17% compared to October 2018 and down 10% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 69% compared to 40% in October 2018 and 47% in September 2019.

Vancouver Westside Residential: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 506 – up from 404 (25%) in September 2019, up from 381 (33%) in October 2018, down from 556 (9%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 2,278 compared to 2,459 (down 7%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were down 19% compared to October 2018 and down 12% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions with signs of Seller’s Market conditions in lower price ranges) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 62% compared to 37% in October 2018 and 41% in September 2019.

Vancouver East Side Residential: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 316 – up from 293 (8%) in September 2019, up from 234 (35%) in October 2018, up from 298 (6%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 1,183 compared to 1,409 (down 16%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were down 17% compared to October 2018 and down 21% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Seller’s Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 72% compared to 44% in October 2018 and 51% in September 2019.

North Vancouver Residential: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 260 – up from 166 (57%) in September 2019, up from 173 (50%) in October 2018, up from 250 (4%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 777 compared to 938 (down 17%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were down 27% compared to October 2018 and down 16% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Seller’s Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 76% compared to 37% in October 2018 and 37% in September 2019.

West Vancouver Houses: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 66 – up from 51 (29%) in September 2019, up from 55 (20%) in October 2018, up from 46 (43%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 678 compared to 743 (down 9%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were down 24% compared to October 2018 and down 19% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 10 Month’s Supply (Buyer’s Market) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 42% compared to 26% in October 2018 and 22% in September 2019.

Richmond Residential: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 345 – up from 283 (22%) in September 2019, up from 230 (45%) in October 2018, down from 411 (16%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 1,948 compared to 1,878 (down 4%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were down 13% compared to October 2018 and down 18% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 68% compared to 39% in October 2018 and 51% in September 2019.

Burnaby East: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 26 – up from 22 (18%) in September 2019, up from 17 (53%) in October 2018, up from 22 (18%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 153 compared to 148 (up 3%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were the same as October 2018 and down 13% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 50% compared to 33% in October 2018 and 39% in September 2019.

Burnaby North: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 166 – up from 138 (20%) in September 2019, up from 76 (118%) in October 2018, up from 161 (3%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 517 compared to 556 (down 7%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were down 17% compared to October 2018 and up 6% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 80% compared to 30% in October 2018 and 55% in September 2019.

Burnaby South: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 157 – up from 119 (32%) in September 2019, up from 87 (80%) in October 2018, down from 184 (15%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 704 compared to 693 (up 2%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were down 18% compared to October 2018 and up 3% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 68% compared to 31% in October 2018 and 51% in September 2019.

New Westminster: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 136 – up from 110 (24%) in September 2019, up from 88 (55%) in October 2018, down from 152 (11%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 430 compared to 511 (down 16%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were down 34% compared to October 2018 and down 19% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions with signs of Seller’s Market conditions) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 85% compared to 36% in October 2018 and 51% in September 2019.

Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 254 – up from 213 (19%) in September 2019, up from 136 (87%) in October 2018, up from 248 (2%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 882 compared to 1,026 (down 14%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were down 11% compared to October 2018 and down 2% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 77% compared to 37% in October 2018 and 56% in September 2019.

Port Moody: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 66 – up from 49 (53%) in September 2019, up from 36 (83%) in October 2018, down from 76 (13%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 204 compared to 242 (down 16%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were up 15% compared to October 2018 and down 19% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 80% compared to 51% in October 2018 and 52% in September 2019.

Port Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 107 – up from 78 (37%) in September 2019, up from 75 (43%) in October 2018, down from 120 (11%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 296 compared to 357 (down 17%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were down 21% compared to October 2018 and down 3% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 84% compared to 46% in October 2018 and 54% in September 2019.

Ladner: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 34 – up from 28 (21%) in September 2019, up from 22 (55%) in October 2018, up from 31 (10%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 180 compared to 177 (up 2%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were up 16% compared to October 2018 and up 27% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 52% compared to 50% in October 2018 and 51% in September 2019.

Tsawwassen: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 32 – up from 26 (23%) in September 2019, up from 25 (25%) in October 2018, down from 40 (20%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 296 compared to 230 (down 29%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were up 19% compared to October 2018 and up 27% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 9 Month’s Supply (Buyer’s Market) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 40% compared to 37% in October 2018 and 33% in September 2019.

Pitt Meadows: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 31 – down from 32 (4%) in September 2019, the same as October 2018, down from 35 (11%) in October 2017; Active Listings are at 104 compared to 115 (down 9%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were up 33% compared to October 2018 and up 11% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 64% compared to 86% in October 2018 and 54% in September 2019.

Maple Ridge: Total Units Sold in October 2019 was 180 – up from 145 (24%) in September 2019, down from 183 (2%) in October 2018, the same as October 2017; Active Listings are at 765 compared to 703 (up 8%) at this time last year; New Listings in October 2019 were down 17% compared to October 2018 and down 18% compared to October 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 74% compared to 49% in October 2018 and 55% in September 2019.

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4 Reasons to Work at our Yaletown Office

While there’s lots of explanations for why our agents love working at our Yaletown office, we’re sharing four of our top reasons.

One of the greatest joys of working in real estate is setting your own schedule—and often that means spending your time at a home office. Why bother with traffic jams, when you can enjoy the benefits of home? Well, we have some compelling reasons to leave your beloved nest behind and travel into the office.

Inspired by Real Estate Magazine’s article, 4 reasons why you should work from the office, we’re sharing our top four reasons why Dexter’s Yaletown office is worth braving that commute.

1) Your Colleagues

Dexter’s agents treat each other like family. Other offices might foster a competitive atmosphere, but in our offices you’re not just enjoying a collegial space—you’re working with people who go out of their way to offer help.

From advice on recent sales pricing to insight into specialty sales (such as leasehold properties), our agents are always ready to help each other out. And with some agents having been in the real estate industry for 30+ years, that’s a wealth of experience and insight at your fingertips.

2) Kevin + Sharon

Kevin Skipworth and Sharon Wayman

While this pair don’t technically hold the same role within Dexter, they work as a unit to make sure every agent at the Yaletown office is fully supported—every day.

Kevin Skipworth, aka Skippy, is one of Dexter’s Owner and Managing Broker based in the Yaletown office—he’s also an agent, working with his agent teammate Cathie Cline to sell their clients’ listings and find buyers their next dream home. Being an active agent keeps Kevin on top of an ever-changing industry. For new agents, Kevin is often the first person they meet when exploring Dexter—and that meeting undoubtedly leaves that agent secure in the knowledge that Dexter not only wants them to succeed, but that managers like Kevin are there to guide them safely through Greater Vancouver’s real estate market. When he’s not working with clients or answering an agent’s call for help in the middle of the night (true story), Kevin might be wearing his third hat: that of Dexter’s Chief Economist. He crunches market data and pushes back against media misconceptions, ensuring Dexter’s agents are fully informed on the real real estate situation.

Working as Kevin’s “right hand,” Sharon Wayman brings an extraordinary level of care to her role as branch manager. Her commitment to empowering and educating agents is matched only by her commitment to making everyone feel welcome can be seen the moment you set foot in the office. You simply feel at home. From big smiles and immediate greetings to assistance big and small, Yaletown’s agents know Sharon will have their back. Not only does she take calls at all hours, but she keeps her finger on the pulse of Dexter’s agents, ready to step in and offer encouragement whenever they’re facing a hurdle or need a boost.

3) Location, Location, Location

What doesn’t our Yaletown office have?

Nestled at the corner of Pacific and Homer (1399 Homer Street), our Yaletown office is steps away from parks, the Vancouver Seawall—running from almost right outside our door all the way around False Creek to Granville Island—and the innumerable cafes, restaurants and bars that make Yaletown a go-to location for Vancouver.

From the Roundhouse to epic playgrounds to the Canada Line, our agents are barely two blocks from anything their hearts might desire—and they’re never struggling for options when it comes to picking that perfect location for client meetings. For those who are driving into the office, our particular position let’s people come into Downtown while skirting the worst traffic issues, and parking remains one of the most affordable spots in the city. And being a hub means our agents working in Yaletown are not only there to embrace the energy of Downtown Vancouver, they’re ready to help their colleagues at a moment’s notice. Full of life, great energy, and happy agents, our Yaletown office is definitely a place to enjoy.

4) For the Love of Dogs

When it came to our final item there were a number of contenders—especially our incredible team of support staff who work tirelessly for our agents every day—but for this preliminary list we had to nod to an extraordinary feature of this Dexter space: Our dog policy.

We know that our families often include four-legged members, and for those of us who have dogs we want to take them with us as much as possible. While many spaces don’t allow dogs, our ground-level space in Yaletown lets us set our own rules and ensure four-legged family members are just as welcome as the human variety. And this isn’t just enjoyed by Dexter’s clients—it’s one of the main reasons our dog-loving agents enjoy their days in Yaletown.

Think we’re blowing smoke? Allow this writer to share her Yaletown story:

Meet Fable, six months old and seventy pounds.

In some offices turning up with a seventy-pound, six-month-old Great Dane puppy would be met with horrified glances and shunting into the smallest corner available. Not at Dexter’s Yaletown office. We were greeted happily by reception and agents alike, and immediately invited to make ourselves at home in Sharon Wayman’s own office. She put herself out—without hesitation or the slightest hint of reluctance—just so I could introduce my gigantic puppy to office life in the easiest, most supported way imaginable. And it wasn’t just Sharon offering support and assistance, every single agent in the space was ready to help handle the puppy, to offer a kind word, and to make me feel welcome. I’d been worried about taking my furry monster to the office—instead it was the most wonderful affirmation about why working in a Dexter office is quite simply the best.

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4 Reasons to Work at our Granville Office

While there’s lots of reasons our agents love working at our South Granville office, we’re sharing our top four.

Inspired by Real Estate Magazine’s article, 4 reasons why you should work from the office, we’re sharing our top four reasons why it’s worth braving that commute to work at Dexter’s South Granville office.

1) Your Colleagues

2) David + Tony

While this pair might technically be counted as two reasons, we’re treating our Granville leaders as a unit. Granville is home to two of three members of Dexter’s management team: President David Peerless and Managing Broker Tony Ioannou—and both these gentlemen not only act like the most helpful, hands-on unit you’ve ever had the pleasure to encounter, they’re determined to keep their doors open to Dexter’s agents. These aren’t absentee owners. They’re in the office nearly every day, ready and willing to help agents at every level achieve their career goals.

Tony leads weekly training classes for Dexter’s agents, especially our newest members, ensuring they’re up to speed on the latest shifts in Vancouver Real Estate and that our agents are supported as they obtain their REALTORⓇ accreditation. He’s there to answer any questions, to manage a crisis, or simply to share a laugh—and being actively involved in selling keeps him sharp on all the goings on in real estate.

David makes his wealth of experience available to each and every Dexter agent. He’s happy to meet with agents for weekly mentoring, to keep his door open as often as possible, and ensure his expertise is available—moreover, he makes an effort to greet everyone and you can rest assured he’ll not only remember your birthday, he’ll remember whether you have kids or a dog, and will ask how they’re doing.

3) Joseph Cu

Dexter is home to a strong support staff at both our offices—honestly, we couldn’t ask for better people to help our agents. But for the purposes of this article, we’re going to shout out to one particular staff member: Joseph Cu.

Every morning (or afternoon, you set your schedule, after all) when you step through Dexter’s door, you’ll likely find yourself greeted by Joseph’s warm smile. He’ll greet you by name, ask how your evening or weekend was, and be ready to load your newest listing. If by chance he’s not at the desk, he’s arranging goodies in the kitchen for the weekly Monday Morning Meeting.

4) A Killer View

When it came to our final item there were a number of contenders: our design team, South Granville’s ideal location, close to any kind of drink or meal your heart desires, but in the end we had to tip our hats to the winner. Our outstanding view.

Sitting on the top (fifth floor) of 2608 Granville Street, our entire office enjoys full walls of windows. In our main bullpen area, agents, staff and visitors enjoy floor-to-ceiling vistas of Downtown Vancouver. And if the weather is in our favor, we can step onto one of three balconies to take in some fresh air along with the view. Our location is so good, we’re even able to host fireworks nights, where everyone attending can enjoy the spectacle without needing to find space on the beaches. Full of light, every office and workstation in our South Granville space enjoys our view—and it sure is a show-stopper!

Did we cover all the great features and people at Granville? Not even close! In fact, stay tuned, because 4 MORE REASONS TO WORK AT OUR GRANVILLE OFFICE are coming soon…

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Sales and Listings Report for September 2019

“Success isn’t just about what you accomplish in your life; it’s about what you inspire others to do” – Maria Morris

Attached are the Sales and Listings Stats updated to the end of September 2019. Back to school, back to selling. The number of sales in September were up from August, a rare occurrence going from August to September. And yes, the number of new listings were down, pulling Active Listings down with it. So where is the autumn market going? Well let’s find out by seeing where the summer left off.

There were 2,363 homes sold of all types in Greater Vancouver in September this year compared with 2,256 homes sold last month, 1,634 sales in September last year and 2,881 homes sold in September 2017. September sales were 7 per cent below the 10-year average for the month of September and marked a 45 per cent increase over September 2018. This was the largest year over year increase in sales in over 2 years and the third straight month that a year over year increase in sales has occurred. Buyers are engaging with offers, and the occurrence of multiple offers continues to be present in the market – even more so than we’ve seen in the last 3 months. While they tend to be happening more in the apartment and townhouse segment of the market, there was a detached listing on the Westside of Vancouver priced in the $3 Million range that attracted 12 offers. Showing that well priced properties will sell. There were 753 detached houses sold in September 2019 up from 509 (47 per cent) in September 2018 in Greater Vancouver, with a 8.6 per cent decrease in the benchmark price of these homes year over year. For townhouses there were 422 sales in September 2019 compared to 275 in September 2018 (up 53 per cent) with a 7.2 per cent decrease in the benchmark price year over year; and for condos there were 1,155 sales in September 2019, an increase in sales from 812 in September 2018 (up 43 per cent) with an 6.5 per cent decrease in the benchmark price year over year. In Greater Vancouver detached homes make up 32 per cent of all home sales, while apartments make up 50 per cent. If we move over to the Westside of Vancouver, detached homes make up only 15 per cent of sales, while apartments make up 75 per cent.

As for the supply homes in Greater Vancouver, there was a decrease in the number of new listings in September compared to September of last year. There were 4,989 new listings during September in Greater Vancouver, down 7 per cent from September last year and down 9 per cent from September 2017. The number of new listings in September 2019 were 6 per cent below the 10-year average for the month of September. Active Listings are at 14,242 at month end (up 3.5 per cent compared to September 2018). The number of homes on the market is shrinking as is the gap year-over-year. There continues to be a reluctance for sellers to engage in the current market, leaving fewer and fewer choices for buyers. Government policy aimed at creating affordability has not led to a significant increase in housing options but instead has left buyers continuing to fight over what comes on the market. With buyers adjusting to the Mortgage Stress Test enacted in January 2017 for conventional mortgages, those wanting to engage don’t have the options one would think in a quiet real estate market.

So where will the fall go? Well we have a federal election coming this month. Housing affordability is a main topic of several of the federal party’s platforms – all seemingly under the guise of taxing demand. While it’s recognized that supply needs to be brought forward, there is no clear plan to provide that. But what we do know is that buyers continue to be dealing with an undersupplied housing market in Metro Vancouver. Foreign buyers have been taxed for 3 years now, Speculation and Vacancy Taxes have been in place for a year or more in the case of the City of Vancouver, but to what end? Local buyers’ purchasing power was reduced with the mortgage rule changes, and now that prices have adjusted to reflect that and buyer’s have adjusted their budgets, but the government is still looking at one side of the equation and looking to supress demand – mostly local demand which will only lead to a continued build up of buyers and sellers wanting to transact. Where is the challenge to look at the supply side of the equation?

“We’re seeing more balanced housing market conditions over the last three months compared to what we saw at this time last year,” Ashely Smith, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver president said. “Home buyers are more willing to make offers today, particularly in the townhome and apartment markets.”

East of the Fraser River, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 1,343 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® in September, a increase of 3.5 per cent compared to sales in August and a 29.8 per cent increase compared to the 1,035 sales in September of last year. Active listings for the Fraser Valley finished at 7,946, decreasing 1.2 per cent month-over-month and an increase of 3.9 per cent when compared to September 2018. There were 2,769 new listings in September, an 6 per cent decrease compared to September 2018. “The market’s return to balance is good news for both buyers and sellers, however it’s important to put the 30 per cent year-over-year increase in sales into context. September’s sales went from amongst the worth in 10 years to just above our 10-year average.” said Darin Germyn, President of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. “Home prices are still dropping compared to a year ago, but on a month-to-month basis, prices are moderating because supply is shrinking. Our incoming supply of new listings has dropped consistently for the last four months pushing our total inventory in the Fraser Valley to the lowest it’s been since April, which has had an impact on prices.”

SUMMING UP THE NUMBERS

Greater Vancouver: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 2,363 – up from 2,256 (5%) in August 2019, up from 1,634 (45%) in September 2018, down from 2,881 (18%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 14,242 compared to 13,760 (up 4%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 7% compared to September 2018 and down 9% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 47% compared to 30% in September 2018 and 59% in August 2019.

Vancouver Westside Residential: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 404 – down from 423 (4%) in August 2019, up from 280 (44%) in September 2018, down from 540 (25%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 2,444 compared to 2,433(down 0.5%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 4% compared to September 2018 and down 6% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 41% compared to 27% in September 2018 and 67% in August 2019.

Vancouver Eastside Residential: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 293 – up from 235 (25%) in August 2019, up from 195 (50%) in September 2018, up from 268 (9%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 1,295 compared to 1,494 (down 13%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 5% compared to September 2018 and up 2% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced Market) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 51% compared to 32% in September 2018 and 65% in August 2019.

North Vancouver Residential Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 166 – down from 184 (10%) in August 2019, up from 120 (38%) in September 2018, down from 210 (20%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 895 compared to 933 (down 4%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 18% compared to September 2018 and down 5% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 37% compared to 22% in September 2018 and 70% in August 2019.

West Vancouver Houses: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 51 – up from 49 (4%) in August 2019, up from 34 (50%) in September 2018, down from 56 (9%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 721 compared to 764 (down 6%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 5% compared to September 2018 and down 19% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 14 Month’s Supply (Buyer’s Market) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 22% compared to 14% in September 2018 and 36% in August 2019.

Richmond Residential: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 283 – up from 250 (13%) in August 2019, up from 196 (44%) in September 2018, down from 379 (25%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 2,127 compared to 1,915 (up 11%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 14% compared to September 2018 and down 22% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 8 Month’s Supply (Buyer’s Market) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 51% compared to 30% in September 2018 and 48% in August 2019.

Burnaby East: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 22 – down from 31 (29%) in August 2019, up from 11 (100%) in September 2018, down from 28 (21%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 159 compared to 140 (up 14%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were up 8% compared to September 2018 and down 8% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 7 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 39% compared to 21% in September 2018 and 58% in August 2019.

Burnaby North: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 138 – up from 129 (7%) in August 2019, up from 83 (66%) in September 2018, up from 129 (7%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 577 compared to 533 (up 8%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were up 2% compared to September 2018 and down 6% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced Market) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 55% compared to 34% in September 2018 and 61% in August 2019.

Burnaby South: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 119 – down from 126 (6%) in August 2019, up from 82 (45%) in September 2018, down from 164 (27%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 777 compared to 656 (up 18%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 4% compared to September 2018 and down 24% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 7 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 51% compared to 34% in September 2018 and 51% in August 2019.

New Westminster: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 110 – up from 97 (13%) in August 2019, up from 81 (36%) in September 2018, down from 155 (29%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 502 compared to 460 (up 9%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 11% compared to September 2018 and down 16% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 51% compared to 33% in September 2018 and 58% in August 2019.

Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 213 – up from 198 (8%) in August 2019, up from 131 (63%) in September 2018, down from 230 (7%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 998 compared to 1,056 (down 5%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 14% compared to September 2018 and down 16% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 56% compared to 29% in September 2018 and 56% in August 2019.

Port Moody: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 49 – up from 39 (26%) in August 2019, up from 34 (44%) in September 2018, down from 55 (11%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 233 compared to 245 (down 5%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 18% compared to September 2018 and down 21% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced Market) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 52% compared to 29% in September 2018 and 51% in August 2019.

Port Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 78 – down from 79 (1%) in August 2019, up from 73 (7%) in September 2018, down from 124 (38%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 340 compared to 345 (down 1%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 12% compared to September 2018 and down 9% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced Market) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 54% compared to 45% in September 2018 and 68% in August 2019.

Ladner: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 28 – down from 33 (15%) in August 2019, down from 30 (7%) in September 2018, up from 23 (22%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 185 compared to 177 (up 5%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 30% compared to September 2018 and down 8% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 7 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 51% compared to 38% in September 2018 and 49% in August 2019.

Tsawwassen: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 26 – down from 30 (13%) in August 2019, up from 25 (4%) in September 2018, down from 33 (21%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 301 compared to 242 (up 24%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 4% compared to September 2018 and down 8% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 12 Month’s Supply (Buyer’s Market) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 33% compared to 30% in September 2018 and 41% in August 2019.

Pitt Meadows: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 32 – down from 39 (18%) in August 2019, up from 17 (88%) in September 2018, the same as 32 in September 2017; Active Listings are at 111 compared to 127 (down 12%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were down 12% compared to September 2018 and up 37% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Seller’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 54% compared to 34% in September 2018 and 102% in August 2019.

Maple Ridge: Total Units Sold in September 2019 was 157 – up from 133 (18%) in August 2019, up from 89 (76%) in September 2018, down from 193 (19%) in September 2017; Active Listings are at 822 compared to 709 (up 15%) at this time last year; New Listings in September 2019 were up 3% compared to September 2018 and up 8% compared to September 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 55% compared to 32% in September 2018 and 63% in August 2019.

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Sales and Listings Report for August 2019

“Be You. Bravely and unapologetically” – Anonymous

Attached are the Sales and Listings Stats updated to the end of August 2019. Considering August is traditionally one of the slower months for real estate sales, this August was more active than anticipated. On the supply side, the number of new listings and active listings were down – showing buyers are engaging more than they have and sellers are willing to hold on to their properties. Once again, there is a noticeable increase in demand for homes in August, similar to July, with anecdotal reports of multiple offers and properties that have been on the market for a number of months getting activity and offers. Prices have already come down (despite reports that they are just starting to come down) which has piqued the interest of buyers and allowed some buyers priced out by the mortgage stress test, to come back in to the market.

There were 2,256 homes sold of all types in Greater Vancouver in August this year compared with 2,584 homes sold last month, 1,961 sales in August last year and 3,097 homes sold in August 2017. August sales were 10 per cent below the 10-year average for this month. In the last three market downturns, (2008, 2012 and 2018) August was the start of the market decline. In fact, in 2008 there were 1,654 sales in August and in 2012 there were 1,670 homes sold. This August had a much different feeling to it. With the supply of listings shrinking, buyers have been more engaged and focusing on the more desirably priced homes. There were 711 detached houses sold in August 2019 up from 575 (23 per cent) in August 2018 in Greater Vancouver, with a 9.8 per cent decrease in the benchmark price of these homes year over year. For townhouses there were 409 sales in August 2019 compared to 337 in August 2018 (up 21 per cent) with a 7.8 per cent decrease in the benchmark price year over year; and for condos there were 1,116 sales in August 2019, an increase in sales from 1,025 in August 2018 (up 8 per cent) with an 7.4 per cent decrease in the benchmark price year over year. Houses are getting more and more attention from buyers as the price gap between houses and condos has shrunk and with interest rates coming down, that opportunity will continue to grow.

As for the supply homes in Greater Vancouver, there was a decrease in the number of new listings in August compared to last month and August of last year. There were 3,843 new listings during August in Greater Vancouver, down 3 per cent from August last year and down 12 per cent from August 2017 – the same as July in comparison to the last two years. Clearly there isn’t a panic amongst sellers to list. The number of new listings in August 2019 were 9 per cent below the 10-year average for the month of August. Active Listings are at 14,191 for month end (up 13 per cent compared to August 2018) and after listing expiries at month’s end, there were only 13,813 active listings at the start of September. The month by month drop in active listings is continuing, so with inventory shrinking this is leaving a greater proportion of listings that have been on the market for an extended period of time and the land assembly properties.

The funny thing about supply and demand in today’s real estate market is that the total number of homes in Metro Vancouver has grown considerably since the 1990’s yet total number of monthly sales had been relatively the same during the various market cycles in the last 30 years. Home sales in 2015 and 2016 were among the highest on record, which is to be expected when the total market size has increased significantly. With the limited number of home sales in the last two years, there will be significant pent up demand. And demand is not the same as it was 30 years ago. Demographics show that younger generations are staying single longer, and some when coming together keep both properties making one a rental. Divorce rates are higher than before, requiring one household to turn into 2. And of course, people are living longer and staying in homes longer than before. To suggest that demand for housing comes from population growth and that’s how to determine the need, doesn’t take into account all the other factors that drive the need for homes. And we haven’t even talked about potential effects from Hong Kong. Which begs the question, why is supply not an issue?

“Homes sales returned to more historically normal levels in July and August compared to what we saw in the first six months of the year,” Ashely Smith, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver president said. “With more demand from home buyers, the supply of homes listed for sale isn’t accumulating like earlier in the year. These changes are creating more balanced market conditions”

East of the Fraser River, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 1,297 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® in August, a decrease of 11 per cent compared to sales in July and a 12.3 per cent increase compared to the 1,155 sales in August of last year. Active listings for the Fraser Valley finished at 8,040, decreasing 3.6 per cent month-over-month and an increase of 9.6 per cent when compared to August 2018. There were 2,357 new listings in August, an 8.5 per cent decrease compared to August 2018. “Compared to last year, this August as been quite robust. All property types are selling and we’re seeing a resurgence in the single-family detached market. Across North Delta, Surrey and Langley, sales are up over 25 per cent.” said Darin Germyn, President of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. “It’s great to see. We’re returning to a normal, steady market. Our sales, new listings and number of active listings in August were all slightly below the 10-year average.”

SUMMING UP THE NUMBERS

Greater Vancouver: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 2,256 – down from 2,584 (13%) in July 2019, up from 1,961 (15%) in August 2018, down from 3,097 (27%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 14,191 compared to 12,519 (up 13%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were down 3% compared to August 2018 and down 12% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 59% compared to 49% in August 2018 and 55% in July 2019.

Vancouver Westside Residential: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 423 – down from 489 (13%) in July 2019, up from 371 (14%) in August 2018, down from 516 (18%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 2,326 compared to 2,158 (up 8%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were down 12% compared to August 2018 and down 16% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 67% compared to 51% in August 2018 and 55% in July 2019.

Vancouver Eastside Residential: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 235 – down from 277 (15%) in July 2019, up from 191 (23%) in August 2018, down from 288 (18%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 1,233 compared to 1,326 (down 7%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were down 9% compared to August 2018 and down 14% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 65% compared to 48% in August 2018 and 59% in July 2019.

North Vancouver Residential Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 184 – down from 205 (10%) in July 2019, up from 131 (40%) in August 2018, down from 217 (15%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 838 compared to 739 (up 13%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were up 3% compared to August 2018 and the same compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 70% compared to 51% in August 2018 and 56% in July 2019.

West Vancouver Houses: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 49 – down from 59 (17%) in July 2019, up from 46 (6%) in August 2018, down from 50 (2%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 690 compared to 716 (down 4%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were down 4% compared to August 2018 and the same compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 14 Month’s Supply (Buyer’s Market) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 36% compared to 32% in August 2018 and 39% in July 2019.

Richmond Residential: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 250 – down from 301 (17%) in July 2019, down from 266 (6%) in August 2018, down from 454 (45%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 2,210 compared to 1,785 (up 24%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were down 10% compared to August 2018 and down 26% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 9 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 48% compared to 47% in August 2018 and 49% in July 2019.

Burnaby East: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 31 – up from 14 (221%) in July 2019, up from 21 (48%) in August 2018, up from 30 (3%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 159 compared to 126 (up 26%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were up 39% compared to August 2018 and down 7% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is down to 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 58% compared to 55% in August 2018 and 31% in July 2019.

Burnaby North: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 129 – down from 132 (2%) in July 2019, up from 82 (57%) in August 2018, down from 166 (22%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 591 compared to 482 (up 27%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were down 13% compared to August 2018 and up 3% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 61% compared to 44% in August 2018 and 56% in July 2019.

Burnaby South: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 126 – down from 152 (17%) in July 2019, up from 94 (34%) in August 2018, down from 168 (25%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 792 compared to 614 (up 29%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were up 22% compared to August 2018 and down 5% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 51% compared to 46% in August 2018 and 64% in July 2019.

New Westminster: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 97 – down from 122 (20%) in July 2019, up from 90 (7%) in August 2018, down from 170 (43%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 498 compared to 382 (up 30%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were up 2% compared to August 2018 and down 19% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 58% compared to 56% in August 2018 and 61% in July 2019.

Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 198 – down from 236 (16%) in July 2019, up from 183 (8%) in August 2018, down from 249 (20%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 1,059 compared to 971 (up 9%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were down 4% compared to August 2018 and down 8% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 5 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 56% compared to 50% in August 2018 and 54% in July 2019.

Port Moody: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 39 – down from 56 (30%) in July 2019, up from 29 (34%) in August 2018, down from 67 (42%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 226 compared to 201 (up 12%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were down 36% compared to August 2018 and down 5% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 51% compared to 52% in August 2018 and 75% in July 2019.

Port Coquitlam: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 79 – down from 86 (8%) in July 2019, up from 72 (10%) in August 2018, down from 115 (31%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 338 compared to 336 (up 1%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were down 21% compared to August 2018 and down 36% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 4 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 68% compared to 49% in August 2018 and 57% in July 2019.

Ladner: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 33 – down from 34 (3%) in July 2019, up from 23 (43%) in August 2018, down from 40 (17%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 192 compared to 168 (up 14%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were up 46% compared to August 2018 and up 86% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is steady at 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 49% compared to 50% in August 2018 and 58% in July 2019.

Tsawwassen: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 30 – down from 46 (35%) in July 2019, up from 25 (20%) in August 2018, down from 40 (25%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 294 compared to 227 (up 30%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were up 62% compared to August 2018 and up 33% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 10 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market conditions in some areas and product types and price range) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 41% compared to 56% in August 2018 and 65% in July 2019.

Pitt Meadows: Total Units Sold in July 2019 was 39 – up from 20 (95%) in July 2019, up from 23 (70%) in August 2018, down from 47 (17%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 118 compared to 117 (up 2%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were down 19% compared to August 2018 and down 17% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings down to 3 Month’s Supply (Balanced to Buyer’s Market) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 102% compared to 48% in August 2018.

Maple Ridge: Total Units Sold in August 2019 was 133 – down from 182 (27%) in July 2019, up from 121 (9%) in August 2018, down from 194 (31%) in August 2017; Active Listings are at 831 compared to 648 (up 28%) at this time last year; New Listings in August 2019 were down 15% compared to August 2018 and up 9% compared to August 2017; Month’s Supply of Total Residential Listings is up to 6 Month’s Supply (Balanced Market) and a Sales to Listings Ratio of 63% compared to 48% in August 2018.

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Market Insights

Happy New Year! All the best for a successful 2020 ahead!

SUMMING UP THE NUMBERS

Some highlights from November:

SUMMING UP THE NUMBERS

Some highlights from October:

SUMMING UP THE NUMBERS

SUMMING UP THE NUMBERS

SUMMING UP THE NUMBERS

Dexter Realty Market Insights