Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Historically normal activity keeps the Greater Vancouver housing market in a balanced state

REBGV Stats November 2011

The Greater Vancouver housing market saw relatively typical home sale and listing activity in November.

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 2,360 in November. This represents a 5.9 per cent decline compared to the 2,509 sales in November 2010 and a 1.9 per cent increase compared to the 2,317 sales recorded in October 2011.

Looking back further, last month’s residential sales total is 5.8 per cent below the ten-year average for sales in November.

“The pace of home listings entering the market eased slightly in November, compared to recent months, while sale levels remained fairly normal for this time of year,” Rosario Setticasi, REBGV president said. “November activity helped put our market firmly in balanced territory.”

New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver totaled 3,222 in November. This represents a 26.3 per cent decline compared to the 4,374 new listings reported in October 2011, but a 6.3 per cent increase compared to November 2010 when 3,030 properties were listed for sale on the MLS®.

Looking back further, last month’s new listing total is 2.1 per cent above the ten-year average for November.

The total number of properties currently listed for sale on the Greater Vancouver MLS® sits at 14,090, a decline of 9 per cent compared to October 2011 but an increase of 13 per cent when 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 7.2 per cent to $622,087 in November 2011 from $580,080 in November 2010.

 

REBGV NOV 2011 Graph

Since reaching a peak in June of $630,921, the benchmark price for all residential properties in the region has declined 1.4 per cent.

Sales of detached properties on the MLS® in November 2011 reached 916, a decrease of 12.8 per cent from the 1,050 detached sales recorded in November 2010, and a 21.3 per cent decrease from the 1,164 units sold in November 2009. The benchmark price for detached properties increased 11.4 per cent from November 2010 to $890,204.

Sales of apartment properties reached 1,000 in November 2011, a 4.9 per cent decrease compared to the 1,052 sales in November 2010, and a decrease of 28.4 per cent compared to the 1,396 sales in November 2009. The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 2.7 per cent from November 2010 to $399,686.

Attached property sales in November 2011 totaled 444, a 9.1 per cent increase compared to the 407 sales in November 2010, and a 15.1 per cent decrease from the 523 attached properties sold in November 2009. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 4.5 per cent between November 2010 and 2011 to $510,960.

 

 

Cat: Vancouver Real Estate

Surrey rated B.C.'s hottest housing investment market

Surrey rated B.C.'s hottest housing investment market

Surrey is the hottest market for housing investment in British Columbia, according to a rating by Real Estate Investment Network.

REIN, a leading real estate research organization, ranked Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows No. 2, with Kamloops holding the third spot.

Vancouver was ranked No. 11, after No. 10 Prince George.

REIN said its report, Top British Columbia Investment Towns 2011, looks at the prospects for real estate investment opportunities across the province, and identifies the top regions that will outperform in the coming decade.

REIN said in a news release that the report looks at such factors as:

Is the area's population growing faster than the provincial average?

Are new infrastructures being built to handle that growth?

Is the area creating new jobs and taking steps to maintain current employment levels?

Will the area benefit from an economic or real estate ripple effect?

Has political leadership created an economic growth atmosphere?

Are there major transportation improvements in the works?

The top towns ranked in the report are:

No. 1: Surrey

No. 2: Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows

No. 3: Kamloops

No. 4: Abbotsford

No. 5: Fort St. John

No. 6: Dawson Creek

No. 7: Kelowna

No. 8: Comox Valley

No. 9: Penticton

No. 10: Prince George

No. 11: Vancouver

 

Surrey Real Estate

 

Cat: Surrey Real Estate

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Photography by Lyon's photostream

Metro Vancouver real estate prices up 7.5 per cent year over year: report

 

New listings are sharply higher than a year ago, but much lower than September

Benchmark home prices in Metro Vancouver have increased 7.5 per cent to $622,955 in October 2011 from $579,349 in October 2010, according to the latest monthly report from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

However, since reaching a peak in June of $630,921, the benchmark price — that of a typical home — for all residential properties in the region has declined 1.3 per cent.

The report also said that sales of detached properties in October reached 974, about the same as October 2010.

As well, new listings for all properties totaled 4,374 in October, an 18.3-per-cent increase compared toVancouver Real Estate October 2010, when 3,698 properties were listed for sale, and a 23-per-cent decrease compared to the 5,680 new listings in September 2011.

The total number of properties listed for sale now sits at 15,377, 9.3 per cent higher than the 14,075 properties listed for sale during the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the benchmark price of a single family detached home in the Fraser Valley in October was $530,335, an increase of 4.9 per cent compared to $505,759 in October 2010 and on par with the price in September, according to the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board.
 

Cat: Vancouver Real Estate

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Gregor Robertson of Vision Vancouver's victory speech

Gregor Robertson of Vision Vancouver's victory speech Vancouver mayor re-elected.

 

 

Cat: Vancouver

Canadian home sales edge higher in October

 

According to statistics released today by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), national resale housing activity picked up a little further in October 2011 following the uptick in September.
Homes sold through MLS® Systems of real estate Boards and Associations in Canada rose 1.2 per cent in October 2011 from the previous month. While national sales activity levels are still best described as average, the monthly rise in October sales built on the 2.5 per cent gain in September, and lifted activity to the highest level since January.

 

 

Cat: Canada Real Estate Market

BCREA Housing Market Update (November 2011)

BC Real Estate Association (BCREA) Chief Economist Cameron Muir discusses the October 2011 statistics.  

Cat: Vancouver Real Estate