Anna Asi, M.A.

Vancouver Real Estate Market Update - April 2012

Local homes sales are in a balanced state despite the lowest April sales numbers since 2001, according to a report by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

“Although April sales were below what’s typical for the month, we continue to see, with a sales-to-active listing ratio of nearly 17 per cent, a balanced relationship between buyer demand and seller supply in our marketplace,” Eugen Klein, REBGV president said in a statement.

“Recent activity has had a stabilizing effect on home prices at the regional level, although pricing can vary depending on area and property type.”

According to the monthly report, homes sales and listings have maintained a consistent pace in recent months, contributing to the balanced conditions.

However, the report noted that Metro Vancouver sales totalled 2,799 in April 2012, a 13.2-per-cent decline compared to the 3,225 sales in April 2011 and a decline of 2.6 per cent compared to the 2,874 sales in March 2012.

April sales were the lowest total for the month in the region since 2001 and 16.9 per cent below the 10-year April sales average of 3,369, the board said in a release.

Full Report:

Cat: Vancouver Real Estate

Metro Vancouver housing market remains balanced despite sharp sales drop: report

Local homes sales are in a balanced state despite the lowest April sales numbers since 2001, according to a report by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

“Although April sales were below what’s typical for the month, we continue to see, with a sales-to-active listing ratio of nearly 17 per cent, a balanced relationship between buyer demand and seller supply in our marketplace,” Eugen Klein, REBGV president said in a statement.

“Recent activity has had a stabilizing effect on home prices at the regional level, although pricing can vary depending on area and property type.”

According to the monthly report, homes sales and listings have maintained a consistent pace in recent months, contributing to the balanced conditions.

However, the report noted that Metro Vancouver sales totalled 2,799 in April 2012, a 13.2-per-cent decline compared to the 3,225 sales in April 2011 and a decline of 2.6 per cent compared to the 2,874 sales in March 2012.

April sales were the lowest total for the month in the region since 2001 and 16.9 per cent below the 10-year April sales average of 3,369, the board said in a release.

New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties totalled 6,056 in April, a 3.6-per-cent increase compared to both March 2012 when 5,843 homes were listed and April 2011 when 5,847 homes were listed for sale.

Last month’s new listing total was 6.7 per cent above the 10-year average for listings in Greater Vancouver for April, the release said.

At 16,538, the total number of homes listed for sale increased 8.5 per cent in April compared to last month and 16 per cent above this time last year.

The benchmark price for all residential properties stood at $683,800, up 3.7 per cent compared to April 2011 and an increase of 2.8 per cent over the last three months.

Sales of detached properties in April 2012 reached 1,126, a decline of 19.7 per cent from the 1,402 detached sales recorded in April 2011, although the benchmark price for detached properties increased 6.3 per cent from April 2011 to $1,064,800.

The highest benchmark price in April for a detached home was Vancouver West at $2.27 million, followed by West Vancouver at $1.98 million.

The benchmark price of an apartment increased 1.1 per cent from April 2011 to $375,900, while the price of a townhome increased 1.7 per cent between April 2011 and 2012 to $487,300.

Meanwhile, the Fraser Valley's housing market also showed a drop in sales year-over-year, although not as sharp as in Metro Vancouver.

According to the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, there were 1,435 sales processed in April, down five per cent from April 2011, but up slightly from 1,412 sales in March.

In April, the board added seven per cent more new listings compared to one year ago, up to 3,134 from 2,918 last year. That pushed the number of properties for sale to 10,312, the highest level since July 2010.

“To put it in perspective, in the last decade, April 2012 ranked second lowest for sales during that month, while new listings came in at the third highest, meaning it’s a good time to be shopping for a home in the Fraser Valley because selection has only been this extensive twice,” said board president Scott Olson in a statement.

According to the report, the benchmark price for a detached home in the Fraser Valley rose 5.3 per cent in the year, from $547,800 in April 2011 to $576,600 last month.

In April, the price of a townhouse was $318,400, up 1.9 per cent year-over-year, while the price of an apartment increased 0.8 per cent over the same period to $205,800.

Selection broadens and demand eases to kick off 2012 in the Greater Vancouver housing market

VANCOUVER, B.C. – February 6, 2012 – Greater Vancouver home sellers were more active than buyers in January and overall home prices, according to the new MLS® Home Price Index (MLS® HPI), continued to experience more stability and less fluctuation compared to the beginning of 2011.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver reached 1,577 on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in January 2012.

 
This represents a 4.9 per cent decrease compared to the 1,658 sales recorded in December 2011, a decrease of 13.3 per cent compared to the 1,819 sales in January 2011 and an 18 per cent decline from the 1,923 home sales in January 2010.

 
January sales in Greater Vancouver were the second lowest January total in the region since 2002, though only 146 sales below the 10-year average.

“We’re seeing trends emerge in our market that favour buyers, such as increased selection and  more stability in pricing compared to this time last year,”  Rosario Setticasi, REBGV president  said. “Last month’s activity tells us that competition amongst home buyers was reduced in  January, which means that individuals looking to purchase a home had more time to do their  homework, consult with their REALTOR®, and make a decision.”

New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver totalled 5,756 in January. This represents a 19.9 per cent increase compared to the 4,801 new listings reported in January 2011, and a 253.3 per cent increase compared to the 1,629 new listings reported in December 2011.

Last month’s new listing count was the highest January total in Greater Vancouver since 1995.

The total number of properties currently listed for sale on the Greater Vancouver MLS® is 12,544, a 12.5 per cent increase compared to December 2011 and an increase of 20.2 per cent  compared to January 2011.

Today marks the launch of the MLS® Home Price Index (MLS® HPI), the best and purest way of determining price trends in the housing market. The MLS® HPI was pioneered by six  founding partners: the real estate boards of Calgary, Fraser Valley, Greater Montreal, Greater  Vancouver, and Toronto and the Canadian Real Estate Association. The partners contracted with  Altus Group to develop the MLS® HPI which measures home price trends in the five major  markets serviced by those boards.

The new index replaces the MLSLink Housing Price Index, which had been used by Greater  Vancouver and Fraser Valley REALTORS® since the mid 1990s. MLS® HPI statistics should  not be compared with previous MLSLink HPI statistics.

“The MLS® HPI is a national collaboration intended to give the public a more reliable and  comprehensive tool to understand home price trends across the country,” Setticasi said.

The MLS® HPI benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouver currently sits at $660,600, up 5.7 per cent compared to January 2011 and down 0.1 per cent compared to December 2011. The MLS® HPI also tracks home prices across the Lower Mainland.

The benchmark price for all residential properties in the Lower Mainland is $593,300, an increase of 5 per cent compared to January 2011.

Sales of detached properties on the MLS® in January 2012 reached 659, a decline of 16.9 per cent from the 793 detached sales recorded in January 2011, and a 6.5 per cent decrease from the 705 units sold in January 2010. The benchmark price for detached properties increased 11.3 per cent from January 2011 to $1,034,700.

Sales of apartment properties reached 657 in January 2012, a decline of 7.9 per cent compared to the 713 sales in January 2011, and a decrease of 26.3 per cent compared to the 891 sales in January 2010.The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 2.4 per cent from January
2011 to $371,500.

Attached property sales in January 2012 totalled 261, a decline of 16.6 per cent compared to the 313 sales in January 2011, and a 20.2 per cent decrease from the 327 attached properties sold in January 2010. The benchmark price of a townhome unit declined 0.5 per cent between January  2011 and 2012 to $468,000.

Cat: Greater Vancouver Real Estate

General price declines in B.C. make province 'nation's new weak spot,' according to report

Canada's housing market is not a bubble, it's a balloon. And unlike the catastrophic decline the U.S. housing market experienced in 2008, the market in Canada will deflate slowly rather than pop, according to a report by BMO Capital Markets.

The sole possible exception is Vancouver, where the number of unoccupied condominiums is high due to building the Olympic Village, economists Sherry Cooper and Sal Guatieri wrote in "Will Canada's Housing Boom Forge On, Fizzle Out, or Flame Out?"

But generally, the report says that despite rising household debt, low interest rates and rising home prices, it is unlikely that a sudden correction will take place.

"The main take-away is that the national housing market appears some-what pricey, but is far removed from bubble territory," the report stated.

It compares average resale prices with median family incomes and finds the ratio is 4.9 nationally, compared to 3.2 a decade ago.

In Vancouver, though, where house prices have gone up 159 per cent in the last 10 years - compared to 104 per cent nationally - the ratio of price to income is 10, nearly double what it was a decade ago, the report said. Victoria is also high, at 5.7, but not as high as Toronto, which has a price to income ratio of 6.7.

Montreal has also seen prices rise dramatically - by 153 per cent - and its price-to-income ratio double, but that ratio remains low at 4.5.

Despite rising home prices in most of Canada's major cities, the growth doesn't seem to be excessive, the report said. But elevated valuations could lead to trouble in the event of a shock.

For example, if interest rates were to spike by about four percentage points, the affordability of homes would quickly drop throughout the country. A severe recession would also affect affordability.

But the chance of either of those events happening is unlikely, the report authors stated. Also, except for a few markets, the national housing boom has already cooled.

And British Columbia is now "the nation's new weak spot, with prices generally declining," the report said.

Some of that decline reflects fewer sales of high-end homes.

"[But] some real underlying softness is at play, and will likely continue until valuations improve," the report stated.

Tsur Somerville, director for the Centre for Urban Economics and Real Estate at the Sauder School of Business at UBC, said BMO's report is one of many predicting slight drops or slight increases in the housing market rather than a major correction.

"The kinds of things you need to get major corrections, like oversupply or radical change in the financing environment, just aren't there," Somerville said.

And just because the overall market will be flat, it doesn't mean that certain portions of it - such as areas that have had higher run-ups in prices over the past few years - aren't in for a correction, he said.

Helmut Pastrick, chief economist with Central 1 Credit Union, believes that while there may be a soft landing at some point in the future, it won't be in 2012.

"The market is holding up generally well and it looks like 2012 is going to be fairly similar to 2011 in terms of overall unit sales," Pastrick said. "Housing prices will go up by some amount, sales will also increase by a small amount."

And while the economy isn't booming, it is growing, interest rates are low and there is job growth, he said.

"So the conditions to me aren't ripe for a correction."

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that Canada's banking regulator fears that Canadian lenders are loosening standards on mortgages that are similar to U.S. subprime loans, posing an "emerging risk" to financial institutions.

Banks and other lenders are becoming "increasingly liberal" with mort-gages and home-equity credit lines that don't require individuals to prove their income, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg under freedom of information law request from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions.

"Non-income qualified" lending has been added to a list of issues to be considered by OSFI's "emerging-risk committee," Bloomberg reported the documents showing.

Pastrick disputes this finding.

"We're not subprime, not by a long shot," he said.

Lenders in Canada have "credible lending criteria and standards." And while lenders will lower rates to grab market share "credit isn't easy like it was in the U.S.," he said.

Somerville believes the problem is with home equity lines of credit which have become more popular over the year and don't always require income verification.

Not only are lines of credit given out without the same level of super-vision or the same standard of care that is applied to mortgages, they are also junior in seniority to mortgages, Somerville said.

With a file from Bloomberg

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Picture by: All rights reserved by JOHN CORVERA

B.C. Assessment 2012

B.C. Assessment released its data on the value of homes in the province on Tuesday. While some regions saw values skyrocket, others dropped. Take a look to see how your property's value (and your taxes) will jump this year.

List ranked in order from largest hike to biggest drop in values:

1. Vancouver - Up 16.42%

2. Richmond-Delta - Up 12.83%

3. North Fraser (Burnaby, Coquitlam, etc.) - Up 8.45%

4. Surrey-White Rock - Up 7.83%

5. Peace River - Up 7.44%

6. North Shore-Squamish Valley - Up 6.48%

7. Northwest B.C. (Prince Rupert, Terrace, Kitimat) - Up 4.74%

8. Prince George - Up 2.36%

9. Fraser Valley - Up 1.67%

10. Nelson/Trail - Up 1.08%

11. Cariboo - Up 0.32%

12. Central Vancouver Island (Nanaimo) - Down 0.06%

13. Kamloops - Down 0.19%

14. Capital (Greater Victoria) - Down 0.23%

15. Courtenay - Down 0.72%

16. Penticton - Down 1.2%

17. East Kootenay - Down 1.71%

18. Kelowna - Down 1.81%

19. Vernon - Down 3.1%

Cat: BC Real Estate

Canadian Home prices doubled during decade

The caliber of Metro Vancouver’s existing housing stock is a big reason average home prices soared 128 per cent from 2000 to 2010, from $296,000 to $676,000, according to a Re/Max report released Monday.

“While supply and demand, population growth and rising foreign investment, have been the main underpinnings behind exceptional gains, revitalization — amid an aging housing stock — and newer construction instruction are largely underestimated factors propping up housing values in Canada’s real estate hot spot,” the real estate company’s Housing Evolution Report concluded.
“Just over one-quarter of Vancouver’s owned housing stock was constructed prior to 1970, while 44 per cent was built before 1980.

“With a significant proportion of older homes, renovation spending has been on the rise throughout the past decade — in tandem with home sales — as owners, vendors and purchasers breathe new life into Vancouver’s existing housing.”

Infill housing also boosted values as smaller homes on valuable lots were torn down to build large, upper-end homes.

The report cited the region’s building boom, with a strong focus on condo construction and small-lot subdivisions.

“Condominiums are undeniably the biggest game changer for real estate over the past decade, especially in British Columbia and Alberta, where they comprise 25 to 50 per cent of residential sales,” noted Elton Ash, regional executive vice-president, Re/Max of Western Canada.
Prices are continuing to rise and will continue doing so, the report added.

“Average price in Greater Vancouver currently hovers at $791,332 — up 18 per cent year-to-date — and is expected to continue its ascent in the months ahead.”

Over 26,000 homes have sold so far this year, an increase of nine per cent.

Three B.C. urban areas were addressed in the Re/Max report, which concluded that Kelowna saw the greatest average price increase over the decade, rising 156 per cent from $188,000 in 2010 to $481,000 in 2010, with new construction the biggest factor.

However, today’s average Kelowna price has dropped slightly to $475,250. “The market remains off peak levels, but confidence is slowly returning, and listings are starting to decline.”

For Victoria, the average price climbed 123.5 per cent from $225,731 to $504,561.

Nationally, the value of a Canadian home has risen 106 per cent since 2000, from $163,951 to $339,030 in 2010, with 10 of the 16 urban markets surveyed experiencing increases of more than 100 per cent. The highest was Regina (173 per cent) and the lowest, London-St. Thomas (68 per cent).

The report said that the value of residential building permits issued nationally in the 10 years was $340 billion, while $450 billion was spent on renovations.

Cat: Canada Real Estate

Canadian home values have doubled since 2000

A new report suggests that the average home value has doubled in most of Canada's big cities since the millennium.

Re/Max says it examined the value of homes in 16 major markets across Canada, calculating the changes that occurred from 2000 to 2010.

The real estate organization found that an average home in these markets was worth $339,030 as of last year, more than double the average price of $...163,951 in 2000.

Re/Max says that Canadians have spent an estimated $450 billion on renovations over the decade, while more than $340 billion in residential building permits were issued.

This heavy-duty investment has helped build value in individual properties while an increasing number of people looking for housing has helped spur demand.

"They key to Canada's housing evolution has been an increase in population," says Michael Polzler, the executive vice president of Re/Max Ontario-Atlantic Canada Inc.

With further sharp population growth expected in the years ahead, Polzler says that portends "continued investment and continued growth in Canadian housing values."

The hundreds of billions poured into rejuvenating homes and properties across the country have also created new trends in urban neighborhoods, Re/Max says in its report.

In cities where space is scarce, residents are increasingly seeing small properties snapped up and turned into new structures, whether personal residences, townhomes or high-rise apartment buildings.

Condominiums have also become more popular and more varied in terms of what they can offer. Re/Max says buyers can now choose from mixed-use residential, live-work studios, lofts, townhomes and condo bungalows in major markets.

The 16 markets that Re/Max studied were: Greater Vancouver; Victoria; Kelowna, B.C.; Edmonton; Calgary; Regina; Saskatoon; Winnipeg; Ottawa; Greater Toronto; Hamilton-Burlington; Kitchener-Waterloo in Ontario; London, Ont.; Saint John, N.B.; Halifax-Dartmouth and St. John's.
No markets from Quebec or the Territories were included in the Re/Max analysis.

Cat: Canada Real Estate

Greater Vancouver home sales trend toward buyers’ market over summer

VANCOUVER, BC – August marked the third consecutive month that home sale activity in Greater Vancouver was below the 10-year average for the month. In contrast, home listing activity in the region has exceeded the 10-year norm every month since the beginning of the year.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales of detached, attached and apartment properties on the region’s Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) reached 2,378 in August. This total represents an eight per cent increase compared to the 2,202 sales in August 2010, but also ranks as the third lowest total for August in the last 10 years.

“MLS® statistics continue to indicate that we’re in a balanced market,” Rosario Setticasi, REBGV president said. “However, with a sales-to-actives listings ratio of 15 per cent, Greater Vancouver is in the lower end of a balanced market and has been trending toward a buyers’ market over the past three months.”

New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver totalled 4,685 in August. This represents a 24.9 per cent increase compared to August 2010 when 3,750 properties were listed for sale on the MLS® and an eight per cent decline compared to the 5,097 new listings reported in July 2011. Last month’s new listing total was the highest volume recorded for August in 16 years.

At 15,437, the total number of residential property listings on the MLS® increased 1.4 per cent in August compared to July 2011 and rose 0.1 per cent compared to this time last year.

The MLSLink® Housing Price Index (HPI) benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouver over the last 12 months has increased 8.5 per cent to $625,578 in August 2011 from $576,597 in August 2010.

“Year over year, prices are up. However, in the detached home category, benchmark prices have come down slightly in each of the past two months,” Setticasi said. “It’s important for people entering the market to understand that activity can differ significantly depending on the area and property type.”

Sales of detached properties on the MLS® in August 2011 reached 1,020, an increase of 14.2 per cent from the 893 detached sales recorded in August 2010, and a 25.4 per cent decrease from the 1,367 units sold in August 2009. The benchmark price for detached properties increased 11.7 per cent from August 2010 to $888,243.

Sales of apartment properties reached 955 in August 2011, a 2.1 per cent increase compared to the 935 sales in August 2010, and a decrease of 34.8 per cent compared to the 1,464 sales in August 2009. The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 5.6 per cent from August 2010 to $407,457.

Attached property sales in August 2011 totalled 403, a 7.8 per cent increase compared to the 374 sales in August 2010, and a 33.9 per cent decrease from the 610 attached properties sold in August 2009. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 4.5 per cent between August 2010 and 2011 to $511,433.

Cat: Vancouver Real Estate

One-fifth of Greater Vancouver real estate sales over $1M

More than one-fifth of homes sold in Greater Vancouver so far this year went for $1 million or more, according to the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board.

Three-quarters of those million or multi-million dollar properties are located in West Vancouver, the West Side or Richmond. Another fifth sold for $350,000 or less at locations throughout the lower mainland.

The region's notoriously pricy market has already spurred a sequel to the popular online game Crack Shack or Mansion, which challenges players to distinguish between pictures of million-dollar homes and properties involved in alleged drug production.

Real Estate Board president Rosario Setticasi says high-end listings are seeing more activity than they did one year ago.

"This is causing today's average prices in the region to be less reflective of the total activity occurring in the marketplace," Setticasi said in a release.

The Multiple Listing Service Link Housing Price Index benchmark price for all residential properties in the area in the last year has increased more than six per cent to $627,568.

But May still saw a seven per cent increase in detached, attached and apartment sales over the same month last year, from 3,156 to 3,377, and an increase of nearly 5 per cent over April 2011.

Despite the fact that sales are on the rise, they're still below the 10-year average by 8.1 per cent. There were also fewer properties listed this May than last.

The current market favours sellers, according to the board.

Cat: Vancouver Real Estate

Vancouver River District – The last water front community in the city

River District, a 130-acre development on the shores of the Fraser River and Southeast Vancouver, celebrated its official opening Saturday.

"It's a truly sustainable, walkable green community," said Ben Taddei of developer ParkLane Homes, in partnership in the massive project with Polygon Homes.

The waterfront development -adjacent to Champlain Heights and the West Fraserlands -features over 20 acres of parks, 10 volleyball courts, and retail space in its newly unveiled "Experience Centre": a multi-use building that already includes Romer's Burger Bar and Urban Rec store.

The Experience Centre, a privately funded community building, is also in partnership with Family Place and includes a drop-in centre for parents and children in the area. Seventy units of the first phase of apartments have been sold within the first three weeks.

River District is expected to become a community of approximately 15,000 residents over the next 15-20 years, and "will be the town centre for this part of the city," said Taddei. Polygon Homes is also a developer in the project. River District has received national attention, winning the "Best Neighbourhood Plan" award for the Canadian Institute of Planning in 2006. Future phases of the community will include a restaurant on the water, two schools -including a high school and elementary school -a community centre, park space and a waterfront pier.

© Copyright (c) The Province

Cat: Vancouver South Real Estate

BCREA Housing Market Update - BCREA June Mortgage Rate Forecast (June 2011)

BC Real Estate Association (BCREA) Chief Economist Cameron Muir discusses the May 2011 statistics and an in depth look at BCREA's June Mortgage Rate Forecast.

Cat: Vancouver Real Estate

Vancouver is Canada's most expensive housing market, report says

Vancouver is Canada's most expensive housing market, with average prices for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home coming in at over $1.546 million, according to the Coldwell Banker Real Estate Home Listing Report.

The report, released Wednesday, is a snapshot survey of average listing prices for four-bedroom, two-bathroom homes in 70 Canadian markets over a six-month period from September 2010 to March this year on coldwellbanker.com.

Vancouver was followed by Kelowna, B.C., at $1.087 million and Burnaby, B.C., at $797,455.

Fort McMurray, Alta., was fourth overall at $652,382 followed by West Kelowna, B.C., ($640,055), Oakville, Ont., ($624,914), Victoria ($540,087), and Surrey, B.C., ($536,109).

Calgary is ranked the ninth, with an average price of $534,912. Sherwood Park, Alta., rounded out the top 10 at $534,850.

In the survey, Vancouver was ranked the third most expensive market in North America behind California's Newport Beach ($2.5 million US) and Pacific Palisades ($1.6 million US).

Windsor, Ont., was Canada's most affordable market at $144,456.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Cat: Vancouver Real Estate

Housing Market Update REBGV  (March 2011) – Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver

Home buyers and sellers enter the housing market at near record pace in March

Activity in the Greater Vancouver housing market continued to strengthen in March with both the number of homes sold and added to the region’s Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) reaching near record levels.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales of detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver reached 4,080 in March 2011. This represents a 31.7 per cent increase compared to the 3,097 sales recorded in February 2011, an increase of 30.1 per cent compared to the 3,137 sales in March 2010 and an 80.1 per cent increase from the 2,265 home sales in March 2009. The all-time sales record for March occurred in 2004 when 4,371 transactions were recorded.

“Our market has had a very strong start to the spring season,” Rosario Setticasi, REBGV president said. “With home sales above 4,000 and nearly 7,000 home listings added to the MLS® in March, it’s clear that home buyers and sellers view this as a good time to be active in their local housing market.”

New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver totalled 6,797 in March 2011. This represents a 3 per cent decline compared to March 2010 when 7,004 properties were listed for sale on the MLS®, an all-time record for March. Compared to February 2011, last month’s new listings total registered a 19.4 per cent increase.

At, 13,110, the total number of residential property listings on the MLS® increased 9.9 per cent in March compared to last month and declined 3 per cent from this time last year.

“Conditions favour sellers at the moment, but we’re seeing differences in home-price trends and overall activity depending on the region and property type,” Setticasi said.

The MLSLink® Housing Price Index (HPI) benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouver over the last 12 months has increased 5.4 per cent to $615,810 in March 2011 from $584,435 in March 2010.

Sales of detached properties on the MLS® in March 2011 reached 1,795, an increase of 34.4 per cent from the 1,336 detached sales recorded in March 2010, and a 100.1 per cent increase from the 897 units sold in March 2009. The benchmark price for detached properties increased 8.3 per cent from March 2010 to $866,806.

Sales of apartment properties reached 1,622 in March 2011, a 29.6 per cent increase compared to the 1,252 sales in March 2010, and an increase of 66.2 per cent compared to the 976 sales in March 2009. The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 2.1 per cent from March 2010 to $403,885.

Attached property sales in March 2011 totalled 663, a 20.8 per cent increase compared to the 549 sales in March 2010, and a 69.1 per cent increase from the 392 attached properties sold in March 2009. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 3.6 per cent between March 2010 and 2011 to $511,039.

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) - February 2011 Report

According to statistics released today by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), national resale housing activity in February 2011 ran close to the five-year average for the month, continuing a theme that has characterized the past four months. Seasonally adjusted home sales activity edged down 1.6 per cent in February 2011 compared to the previous month on a national basis. Sales activity eased in almost two-thirds of all local markets from the previous month, offsetting monthly increases in activity among other markets including Vancouver and Calgary.

REBGV reports increased housing demand in February

(For the full report please see the bottom of the post)

Demand for detached homes continues to be strong across Greater Vancouver, with particularly high sales volumes occurring in Richmond and Vancouver Westside.

For the past two months, the number of properties listed for sale and those sold on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in Greater Vancouver outpaced the 10-year average in both categories. From a historical perspective, February’s 3,097 home sales outpace the 2,742 home-sale average recorded in the region over the last ten years.

“We saw an increase in demand across our region last month as more buyers entered the market in advance of the spring season,” said Jake Moldowan, president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV). “The intensity of this activity varied between communities. Our statistics tell us that single detached homes in Richmond and the west side of Vancouver remain the most sought after properties in our marketplace.”

Between November 2010 and February 2011, the MLSLink® Housing Price Index (HPI) benchmark price of a detached home in Richmond increased $190,739 to $1,099,679; in Vancouver West, detached home prices increased $222,185 to $1,850,072. In comparison, detached home prices across the region increased $51,762 between November 2010 and February 2011 to $848,645.

“To effectively analyse real estate statistics for the purpose of buying or selling a home, it’s critical to focus on your neighbourhood of choice because, like we see today, conditions and prices can fluctuate significantly within the same city or municipality,” Moldowan said.

Looking across the region, the REBGV reports that residential property sales of detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver reached 3,097 on the MLS® in February 2011. This represents a 70.3 per cent increase compared to the 1,819 sales recorded in January 2011, an increase of 25.2 per cent compared to the 2,473 sales in February 2010 and a 109.3 per cent increase from the 1,480 home sales in February 2009.

New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver totalled 5,693 in February 2011. This represents a 23.6 per cent increase compared to February 2010 when 4,606 properties were listed, and an 18.6 per cent increase compared to January 2011 when 4,801 homes were added to the MLS® in Greater Vancouver.

“With a sizeable increase in the number of properties coming onto the market for sale, there’s a good selection out there for buyers to choose from,” Moldowan said.

At, 11,925, the total number of residential property listings on the MLS® increased 14.2 per cent in February compared to last month and increased 5 per cent from this time last year.

Sales of detached properties on the MLS® in February 2011 reached 1,402, an increase of 42.6 per cent from the 983 detached sales recorded in February 2010, and a 138.9 per cent increase from the 587 units sold in February 2009. The benchmark price for detached properties increased 6 per cent from February 2010 to $848,645.

Sales of apartment properties reached 1,206 in February 2011, a 12.3 per cent increase compared to the 1,074 sales in February 2010, and an increase of 85.5 per cent compared to the 650 sales in February 2009. The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 2.2 per cent from February 2010 to $399,397.

Attached property sales in February 2011 totalled 489, a 17.5 per cent increase compared to the 416 sales in February 2010, and a 101.2 per cent increase from the 243 attached properties sold in February 2009. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 2.3 per cent between February 2010 and 2011 to $507,118.

REBGV Stats Package, February 2011

B.C. Economy is Weak

Condo Boom in Vancouver

The Sovereign Condominiums in Burnaby by Bosa Properties sells out in 1 day

Vancouver Olympic Village New Prices Revealed!

Realtor Bob Rennie dodged questions Thursday morning about whether taxpayers would even come close to breaking even on the Olympic Village development.

Hosting a media launch about sales that start Friday at what’s now branded The Village on False Creek, he said Rennie Marketing Systems was working to stabilize the city’s asset and to maximize revenue.

Rennie said he sees the downtown condo market stabilizing and the real estate market reviving from its recent slump.

Instead of aiming to sell approximately 480 unsold units like he did last May after the 2010 Winter Games ended and the property was returned to developer Millennium Water and the city, Rennie aims to sell 230 condos in two areas of the village. Of the 737 condos at the village, 263 have sold, most of them in 2007. Friday’s launch is the third time the units have gone on sale.

Receiver Ernst and Young has contracted with a company to rent approximately 114 units to get the “ghost town” populated fast. Those units don’t include the 119 rental units purpose-built by the developer or the city’s 252 market rental, co-op and below-market rental units in the village.

Rennie blamed slow sales after the Games on bad timing due to a sluggish economy.

“I do not believe we ever had a product problem,” Rennie said. “What I do have is a pricing problem, and that pricing problem on May 15 was compounded by the fact that there was 480 units for sale and people didn’t see any sense of urgency and everybody just moved to the sidelines and folded their arms.”

He’s confident the prices are appropriate now. He said market testing done before the latest sales launch attracted 31 offers in 10 days. They included 12 for units that cost more than $900,000, 11 offers for units priced from $600,000 to $900,000 and eight offers for units under $600,000.

Seven chairs sat outside the sales centre at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Fourteen chairs labelled with people’s names were positioned outside the sales centre just before 11 a.m. Thursday morning. The sales centre was to open at noon Thursday with sales to begin Friday. Rennie said he was giving a tour to 1,058 realtors through the site yesterday starting at 2 p.m.

Prices for the unsold units have been reduced an average of 30 per cent from May 2010 rates. Rennie said rates on the lower priced units weren’t reduced much—a studio now goes for $349,500 to $354,900—but prices on larger units that were priced at $1.5 million saw greater reductions.

He aims to sell 60 units in 60 days.

He noted the receiver for the village, Ernst and Young, has been tackling building deficiencies and that regular new home warranties protect owners.

Only a bank and a private liquor store operate at the village. Rennie said London Drugs is eying population numbers, negotiations are underway with an unnamed grocery store—previously the grocery seller was meant to be Urban Fare—and a consultant has been hired to focus on leasing the other commercial spaces.

The city is owed $740 million for the development.

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