Highlights of Dexter’s October 2023 Report

Sometimes you just wonder about the short memories of Metro Vancouver home buyers and sellers. How many times have people been moaning about a tick-up in mortgage rates, about a perceived lack of homes, about too many investors and the lack of affordability. About world events hurtling us to a recession.

Plenty, so it sounds as familiar today as it did in say 2000, or in the misty past of four weeks ago when headlines and pundits were all about a housing shortage, soaring interest rates and rising home prices.

Yet, if one looks at the Metro Vancouver market this October of 2023, it is the most welcoming environment in years for both buyers and sellers.  But many appear blinded by the brilliance of what is in plain sight. Is it time for a reality check?

Housing shortage?  The Canadian Press headline this week is “Housing supply outpacing demand in Vancouver market.” This is because there are now 11,599 homes for sale in Greater Vancouver, up 12.6% from a year ago and above the 10-year average. The Fraser Valley has another 6,580 active listings, 17% higher than in October 2022. That is a total of more than 18,000 residential properties for sale, yet total October sales in the entire region were less than 3,000. Message: there is a terrific selection of homes for sale right across the Lower Mainland.

Soaring interest rates? The Bank of Canada did not increase interest rates at the October setting and now there is growing belief that rates will be coming down, perhaps as early in Q2 2024.  Economists, including those at Desjardins. “We’re not going back to zero. But I could see rates falling to about 2.5% in terms of the Bank of Canada’s policy rate,” Desjardins told Bloomberg News. Among the reasons is that many people who took out mortgages during the 2020-21 boom will renewing next year and the Bank of Canada is feeling the pressure.

Rising home prices? The median price of a detached house over the first 10 months of this year is down in nearly every market except Vancouver, West Vancouver and Surrey. The median – when half the prices are above and half below the line – provides a clear trendline. For clarity the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver uses median prices to show year-over-year and month-over-month trends in its internal sales and listing reports. This shows that, since October 2022, detached house prices are down $126,500 in both Burnaby and South Delta; down $168,000 in Port Moody, $50,000 lower in Richmond and down $100,000 in North Vancouver.

For buyers this is great time to be shopping for a home, with lower prices, a huge selection and stable and soon to be falling mortgage rates. Buyers are very price sensitive  and there is a feeling of being able to negotiate and having the upper hand on sellers. While some areas may appear to be in a seller’s market, buyers don’t believe it and are trying to get the deals they have long been hoping for. This will continue into 2024 until the first interest rate declines start. Buyers, your time is now.

Sellers, especially those in top-tier markets of Vancouver and West Vancouver, or with prime listings anywhere, are attracting traffic and there have been some multiple offers.  In many markets, including North Vancouver, Burnaby South, Port Moody, New Westminster and Ladner, the sales-to-new-listing ratio is higher than 50% and competing bids are not unheard of in the current market.

There is also a wild card in the housing mix now. The B.C. Housing Ministry has confirmed that every detached housing lot in the province (except Vancouver, which has a similar density plan) will now be allowed to add three to four new housing units. But it is up to the discretion of the host municipality whether these new units are rentals or strata units, or a combination of both. (Most members of the Union of B.C. Municipalities appear to be leaning towards rentals.) Investors should ascertain what type of housing will be allowed under the local upzoning, but the new rules will certainly increase the demand for single-detached properties and land assemblies right across the province.

One thing is likely certain: five, 10 or even one year from now, many will be looking back to the autumn of 2023 and saying, ”I should have bought then.”

Regional Reports for Metro Vancouver October 2023 

Greater Vancouver: Total residential sales just missed the 2,000 mark, reaching 1,996 in October, which was up 4% from a month earlier and also up 4% from October of 2022. We are seeing a balanced market with total listings of 11,599, up from 10,305 a year ago. The sales-to-new-listing ratio is running at 42%, down from 47% in October 2022 but reflective of a solid market. By property type, the sales ratio to total active listings is 12.9 per cent for detached houses, 20.9 per cent for attached, and 21.5 per cent for apartments. The benchmark price for all residential properties is currently $1,196,500, a 4.4% increase over October 2022 and a 0.6% decrease compared to September 2023. The benchmark price for a detached home is $2,001,400.This is a 5.8% increase from October 2022 and a 0.8% decrease compared to September 2023. The benchmark price of an apartment home is $770,200, up 6.4% from October 2022. The townhouse benchmark price is $1,100,500, up 6% from last October. All strata prices were up 0.2% compared to September 2023.

Vancouver Westside: It is the higher end of the housing ladder that is holding firm on the Westside. Despite a median price of $3.36 million more detached houses – 71 – sold in October than in a month or a year earlier and were the second highest of any Greater Vancouver market. The sales-to-listing ratio for detached houses, at 45% was the highest for any sector on the Westside. At the same time, when the most expensive new condo tower – Curv – began pre-selling in the West End, 100 condos sold despite starting prices at more than $2,000 per square foot.  Even with total condo sales down from September, October condo transactions averaged 8 per day at a median price of $844,800. Two-bedroom condos are the tougher sale in this current market. This is flagged as a buyer’s market due to a higher supply, but with a 35% sales ratio despite an increase in active listings to 2,629 properties.

Vancouver East Side: Townhouse and duplex sales almost doubled in October compared to September, with the benchmark townhouse price up 10% year-over-year to $1,118,500. Detached house sales, at 78, were the highest in Greater Vancouver with a median price of $2,045,000. Total units sold in October were 231 up 20% from both September 2023 and October 2022. The supply of total residential listings is down to 5-month’s supply and the sales-to -listings ratio of 41% compares to 31% in September 2023 and 44% in October 2022. This is technically a balanced market, but it feels like a seller’s advantage at times.

North Vancouver: With total transactions of 194, October marked the highest monthly sales since June 2023 and slightly higher (up 0.5%) from October 2022. Condos led the sales pace, with 98 transactions at median of $826,500, while 59 detached house sold at a median of $2,050,000 – a price $50,000 lower than a year ago. Active listings were at 621 at month end compared to 614 at that time last year and 627 at the end of September, but new listings in October were down 22% compared to September. This is a seller’s market with total residential listings down to a 3 month’s supply and sales to listings ratio of 52% compared to 35% in September 2023.

West Vancouver:  Evan at a median price of $3,650,000, detached house sales led the West Vancouver market, with 27 sales, tied with the same month a year earlier, though condos posted the strongest uptake, with 60% of the new listings selling at a median of $1,320,000, by far the highest price of any B.C. market. Total active listings were 609 at month end compared to 589 at that time last year and 626 at the end of September , though new listings in October were down 33% compared to September 2023. This is a buyer’s market, despite the premium prices, with an 11-month supply of listings and a sales ratio of 32%, highest for an October in two years.

Richmond: This is a buyer’s market due to the healthy six-month supply of 1,268 active listings, but sellers are still attracting buyers, as total monthly transactions are steady at 217,  the benchmark price 5.6% higher than in October 2022 and the sales-to-listing ratio is running at 45%, up from 43% in September 2023. A glitch is in the condo market, especially in new projects, where an October sales downturn is related both to higher lending rates and new  provincial legislation banning many short-term rentals. Still, benchmark condo prices remain 10% higher than a year ago, at $736,400. Benchmark detached house prices, at $2,155,600, have not budged in six months.

Burnaby East: This is the only balanced market in Burnaby, with 21 total sales in October and active listings at 105 at month end, resulting in a 5-month supply of listings and new listings selling at ratio of 45%. Benchmark prices are also balanced, with the composite up 1% from September 2023 at $1,192,600, the highest in Burnaby.

Burnaby North: A seller’s market in October saw total sales jump 21% from a month earlier to 137 transactions as new listings dropped 4% and the sales-to-listing ratio firmed at 47%, nearly equal to October 2023. With a total 4-month supply of active listings and benchmark prices up across all sectors, sellers are excited. Higher demand is expected for detached houses as the provincial zoning for two to four new housing units on detached lots rolls out. The Burnaby mayor fears speculation will drive house prices – already up 7.2% from a year ago in North Burnaby to $2,070,000 – even higher.

Burnaby South: With the highest benchmark detached house prices in Burnaby, at $2,199,700 in October, and total sales at 120, nearly even with a year ago, this is a seller’s market. There were just 515 active listings at months end and new listings were down 19% from September. With a just a 4-month supply and the sales ratio at healthy 53%, this is could be the hottest Burnaby market this autumn.

New Westminster: Detached house buyers are apparently discovering that New Westminster prices, now benchmarked at $1,550,700, are about $200K to $500K lower than in neighbouring Burnaby or Coquitlam and just 3.2% higher than a year ago. The higher detached sales in October– at 16 nearly double that in October 2022 – could also reflect investors looking to assemble lots because the Royal City is keen on the new provincial higher-density regulations. Note that the townhouse benchmark price is $963,700, so adding 2 strata units to a detached lot should prove profitable. All in all, this is a seller’s market with a tight 4-month supply of total listings and a sales-to-listing ratio at 53%.

Coquitlam: Total sales in October were down 2%, to 170 transactions, from September 2023 and new listings dipped 8% month-over-month in an active but balanced Coquitlam market. Prices are firm, with detached benchmarks virtually unchanged in three months at $1,796,500. It is ditto for townhouses, at $1,062,000; and condo apartments, where the $723,300 benchmark was up just 1% from six months ago. Total residential listings are up to 5 month’s supply and the sales-to-listings ratio of 41% compares to 38% in September 2023 and 58% in October 2022.

Port Moody: With the highest home benchmark price in the TriCities, at $1,139,900 in October, this is a seller’s market with a strong overall sales-to-listing ratio of 60% and just a 3-month supply of listings. Total sales in October, at 51, were up 16% from September 2023 and 16% higher than a year earlier. Supply of new homes will begin to increase in 2024 as two large single-family and multi-family projects start to take shape.

Port Coquitlam: While total transactions dipped down 17% from September to 54 sales in October, this small city remains a seller’s market, with a total sales-to-listing ratio of 47% . With a benchmark price of $954,500 and condo apartments at $631,000, these are the lowest in the TriCities, which keeps Port Coquitlam popular with buyers, who now have more than 200 active listings to choose from.

Pitt Meadows: With a benchmark home price of $925,800, Pitt Meadows has been an affordable market that has attracted a lot of development in the past three years. However, this will be a challenge soon as the city plans to boost community amenity contributions (CACs) for new housing, as most larger centres already have. The proposed increases, to be decided Nov. 7, 2023, are: single-family houses, from $4,500 to $5,200; Townhouses up $600 to $4,600; and condo apartments up $500 to $3,500 per unit. The CACs are on top of development cost charges from the city and Metro Vancouver. This is a seller’s market, with just 91 active listings and a sales ratio of 44% in both October and September.  There were only 6 condo listings and 20 townhouses listings as of the end of October.

Maple Ridge: Total sales in October were 110 up from 108 in September 2023 and up from 99 in October 2022. This is now a buyer’s market with a steady 7-month supply of total listings, 747, at month’s end and a sales ratio of 33%. The detached house price index has tracked down 2.1% over the past three months to $1,280,100 and townhouse benchmarks are unchanged since August at $771,300, with condo prices dipping to $531,600, the lowest in Greater Vancouver.

Ladner: Talk about a balanced market: Ladner’s 24 total sales in October were the same as in October 2022 and the sales-to-listing ratio was 50%. Active listings were at 119 at month end compared to 117 at the end of September. The composite benchmark home price is $1,116,200, nearly unchanged (down 1.8%) from three months ago. We have long wondered how Ladner has missed the boat on developing its downtown waterfront, which could be a terrific residential and retail opportunity.

Tsawwassen: Western Investor, a popular real estate publication, has named South Delta, primarily Tsawwassen, as one of the top 5 towns for real estate investing in 2024, citing the go-ahead for the giant Roberts Bank port and the new Massey Tunnel project. However, October sales, at just 27, were down 36% from a month earlier and 4% lower than a year ago, so the hype may be premature. This is a buyer’s market right now, with a 7-month supply of listings (188), a sale-to-listing ratio of 36% and the benchmark home price unchanged from a year ago at $1,128,900. It could be the time to get in early.

Surrey: The average detached house price in Surrey increased 9.5% year-over-year to $1,690,000 in October and shot up 9.8% to just over $2 million in South Surrey-White Rock, and total detached sales increased 12.4% from October 2022 to 145 transactions. Detached sales in the city are outperforming the strata sector, as the lower-priced products are more sensitive to interest rates. “What we’re seeing in the Fraser Valley and indeed across the province is the impact of sustained high interest rates,” said Narinder Bains, chair of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. “We anticipate the trend will continue until we start to see some downward movement in the [Bank of Canada] rate.”

The waiting game in the Metro Vancouver housing market continues but more sellers are joining in and some are becoming impatient. One month a trend does not make. But we certainly saw more listings come on the market in Metro Vancouver in September – more so in the first half. As September moved on through the second half of September, fewer listings came on than in the first half and perhaps this was a cloud burst of new listings and not a constant shower. Much like the rain in September that came in fits and starts, while we have more inventory, it’s still far short of what’s needed.

The wild card is the direction of interest rates and, to an extent, that of the provincial economy. In any case, the pot on the table is getting larger as September saw 5,564 new listings pushed into play, the highest number since May 2023 and nearly 30% higher than in September 2022. Meanwhile, 1,926 properties were sold this September, almost as low as September of 2022, with just 1,701 transactions last year.  Today, with 11,382 active listings in Greater Vancouver and another 6,532 in the Fraser Valley – and the sales-to-listing ratio falling – we believe some sellers will tire of waiting. The question is just how many.

We can expect some asking prices to come down, especially in the detached-house sector. Arguably this has already happened.

Let’s look at the environment through a potential detached house seller’s lens. The unpopular Bank of Canada shouldn’t raise interest rates again at its October sitting. I doubt even the Governor of the BOC knows for sure what to do. Let’s hope they don’t fall for the increase in jobs reported today in Canada and base a rate increase on that number. The B.C. Finance Minister just released an economic outlook that forecasts provincial GDP growth shrinking to 0.4 percent next year. Consumer confidence is fragile.  If the rate does increase, even by a modest 0.25 percent as it did in August, it would further drag down detached house sales that are already lagging. In September, the sales-to-active listing ratio for detached houses in Greater Vancouver fell to 12.6%, signalling a buyer’s market. The benchmark detached house price fell 0.1% from a month earlier and it hasn’t budged in three months.

Those eager to sell a detached house may decide to drop their asking price now because the demand for homes benchmarked at more than $2 million will shrink even further. On the bellwether Westside of Vancouver, for example, the average sale price of a detached house was $403,000 lower in September than in January 2023. This doesn’t mean prices fell by that much, but that the composition of sales was such that more homes for less money sold than in January. With the cost of borrowing, lower price points are more attractive.

Some owners have taken measures to hang onto their houses: 33.3% of Canadian mortgage holders now have amortization periods that exceed 30 years, some surpassing 40 years. A handful can’t hang on.

Buyers, therefore, should continue to search through the expanded listings of detached houses and prepare to be aggressive when making offers. There could be some true bargains out there as owners and investors grapple with higher mortgage rates and flatline prices. Right now, in most detached markets, buyers have the advantage.

For wily investors with deep pockets, the new blanket zoning of Vancouver residential lots for up to six housing units, including strata corporations, could also represent an opportunity. Warning: the city expects to allow only about 150 such applications annually.

However, those hoping that a surge in new home supply, as being pushed by both the province and the federal government, will lead to lower home costs could be disappointed.

In October Metro Vancouver, which represents 21 municipalities, plans to increase development cost charges (DCCs) on new residential construction to pay for water and sewage upgrades. The increases would occur every January over the next three years beginning in 2025. For the City of Vancouver and parts of Burnaby, DCCs on a single-detached home would increase 240 percent from $10,027 to $34,133. Townhomes will also see a significant increase – up 256 percent to $30,861 by 2027. New condo apartment fees will increase 235 percent, to $20,906, during the same period. Depending on the sub-region location, the proposed combined total DCCs rate increases to $24,106 per single-family lot, $22,182 per townhouse unit, and $14,657 per apartment unit. These charges would only apply to market housing, the kind most people want.

Summary of the regional numbers for September 2023

Greater Vancouver: The composite residential benchmark price hit $1,203,300 in September, which was a 0.4% decrease compared to the $1,208,400 in August, which was a decrease from the $1,210,700 benchmark in July. By property type, the benchmark price is now $2,017,100 for single-detached homes, $1,098,400 for townhouses, and $768,500 for condominiums, with all three representing decreases between 0.1% and 0.5% from August. All sectors are seeing sales increases of between 5.3% and 5.8% when compared to September 2022. Total units sold in September were 1,926, down from 2,296 (16%) in August, down 21% from July 2023 and down 35% in June 2023, but up from 13% compared to September 2022, but 18% lower than in pre-pandemic September 2019. Active Listings were at 11,382 at month-end compared to 10,424 at that time last year and 10,082 at the end of August. New Listings in September were up 38% compared to August 2023. The inventory of total residential listings is up to 6 month’s supply (balanced market conditions) and a sales-to-new-listings ratio of 35% compared to 57% in August 2023 and 39% in September 2022. The sales-to-active listings, though is 13%.

Vancouver Westside: This is considered the premier housing market in B.C., if not in Canada, but September held some surprises. With 1,155 new listings, the sales ratio is 29%, the lowest level since January 2023, and the number of active listings, at 3,225 at month’s end, was the highest since July of 2021. With just 338 sales in September, the sales ratio to active listings was just 13%, which is in a buyer’s market. The benchmark detached house price in September was $3,553,600, up 1% from a month earlier and 8% higher than a year ago. Townhouses are benchmarked at $1,457,900, down 2.7% from August 2023, while condos are benchmarked at $1,331,600, nearly unchanged for the past two months. This is a buyer’s market in all sectors with a 7-month supply and low absorption. The Westside is prime for purchase with the largest selection in almost two years.

Vancouver East Side: Detached house benchmark prices are up 10% from six months ago but have flatlined recently, up just 1% since the second quarter and down 0.8% from August to $1,898,100. More detached houses sold (68) on the East Side in September than in any other market except Richmond (74). With Vancouver’s recent density changes for single-family lots, we expect East Side detached sales to increase. Total home sales in September were 192, down 23% from August and lower than in June and July 2023. Active Listings were at 1,157 at month-end compared to 1,088 at that time last year and 1,013 at the end of August. The supply of total residential listings is up to 6 months and sales to listings ratio of 31% compared to 66% in August 2023 and 40% in September 2022. This is a balanced market leaning towards a buyer’s advantage.

North Vancouver: There is some evidence that condo apartment sales are waning but certainly not in North Vancouver, where they represent half of all sales in September. The 84 condo sales followed 85 transactions in August, compared with 57 in September 2022. The benchmark condo price has paused, however, at $811,900, over the past three months. This may reflect a surge in condo listings, with 213 added in September, nearly double that of a month before. The result is the sales-to-listing ratio fell to 39%, down from 74% a month earlier, and opening a buyer opportunity. North Vancouver’s total residential property sales in September were 169 up from 160 in August, and up 33% compared to September 2022. Total new listings were up 86% compared to August 2023 and 111% higher than in September 202. Aside from condos, this is considered a seller’s market, with a tight supply continuing in the townhouse and detached house sector.

West Vancouver: The provincial government is pushing West Vancouver to bring more than 1,400 new housing units to the market and wants 60% of them to be rentals, half at below-market rents. Patience will be needed. Only 2,885 homes have been built in the exclusive community over the past 10 years and half of these were detached houses that now sell at a median price of $3 million. Condo apartments benchmarked at $1,331,600 in September and the 3 townhouses that sold this month were priced at more than $1.4 million each. Some reprieve for those seeking affordable housing is that West Vancouver is now a buyer’s market with a 12-month supply of total listings (626) and a sales-to-listing ratio at a low 21% in September.

Richmond: More detached houses sold – 74 – in Richmond than in any other Greater Vancouver market in September, perhaps partially due to price increases pausing over the past three months at a benchmark of $2,179,100. There was also a greater selection as 179 new listings were added, up from 150 a month earlier. The sales-to-new-listing ratio for detached houses is 41% and it averages 43% for strata units. Though total residential sales in September were the lowest in three months, at 256, Richmond is considered a balanced market with a 5-month supply, and the benchmark price has held steady since the second quarter at $1,184,700.

Burnaby East: Total sales reached just 18 transactions in September, the lowest level since May and most benchmark prices have followed suit with detached houses down nearly 6% over the past three months to $1,861600 and condo prices down 0.5% to $796,200. Townhouse benchmarks, though, are up 7% in the same period to $913,900, reflecting the low inventory. Total residential listings are up to 5 month’s supply and sales to listings ratio of 37% compared to 82% in August 2023 and 63% in September 2022 in this balanced market.

Burnaby North: The home of the Amazing Brentwood and related high-rise towers has a strong condo sector, but prices have stabilized recently, with the condo benchmark September price at $746,000, virtually unchanged (- 1%) from three months ago. Detached houses are trading at $2,048,900, down 0.1% from August 2023. Total sales in September were 113, down compared to August and 34% below June of this year. Active listings were 561 at month-end compared to 431 at that time last year and 495 at the end of August, due to an 8% rise in new listings month-over-month in September. This is a balanced, market with a 5-month supply of listings and sales-to-listing ratio of 37%.

Burnaby South: The most expensive Burnaby sub-market, the benchmark detached house price in September dipped 2.3% from August to $2,197,100 in September, reflecting an overall 5% sales decline, month-over-month. The benchmark was down 1% from August but remains 6% higher than a year ago. With total sales of 126 in September and active listings reaching 518 after a 31% surge in new listings in September from August, this is seller’s market. There is just 4-months’ worth of inventory and the sales-to-listing ratio is a strong 45%.

New Westminster: Total sales have been tracking down since June and settled at 72 in September, still up from 67 transactions in September 2022. Townhouse benchmark prices increased 1.3% from August, to $971,900, with condo apartment prices up 0.4% to $661,900. Detached-house benchmarks dropped 3.1% from August to $1,538,000 but remain up 3.4% from a year ago.

A total of 72 properties sold in September and active listings slipped down slightly to 298 at month end, despite an 11% increase in new listings compared to a month earlier. This remains a seller’s marker with just a 4-month supply of inventory and a sales-to-listing ratio at a healthy 42%.

Coquitlam: Coquitlam is becoming one of the better markets in Metro, with September new listings up 49% from August 2023 and sales up 19% from a year earlier, with 170 transactions in September.

The sales-to-listing ratio is running at 38%, but this is considered a seller’s market due to a tight 4-month supply of listings, which totalled 697 at month’s end. The benchmark price has held steady for three months at $1,112,900 and the detached-house benchmark is also stable, up 2.3% from a year ago at $1,789,300 as of September.

Port Moody: Port Moody finally has new strata projects underway, welcome because the total inventory of listings in September was 185, down from 187 a year ago, while sales totalled 43 units. New listings increased 30% from August, however, and the sales-to-listing ratio is 43% in this seller’s market. Even with just a 4-month supply of inventory, the benchmark composite home price in September was down about 1% from three months earlier, at $1,125,600, but still the highest in the Tri-Cities market.

Port Coquitlam: With a composite benchmark of $958,600, Port Coquitlam is one of the more affordable sub-markets in Metro and prices have been slowly declining over the past three months, as in most areas. Detached house benchmarks were down 2.1% from August at $1,408,000.  Total residential sales in September were down 4% from a month earlier at 65 transactions in this seller’s market.

There is a mere 3-month supply of listings – a total of 191 – and the sales-to-listing ratio of 47% is among the strongest in the region.

Pitt Meadows: With just two dozen sales in September, typical for Pitt Meadows, this is still considered a seller’s market because of the lack of listings – just 86 – and a sales success ratio of 45%.

The composite benchmark price is $958,600, down 0.2% over the past three months, but still 4.4% higher than in September 2022.

Maple Ridge: With 108 total sales in September, transactions have been tracking down for a year, dropping 10% from August, 24% compared to July and down 5% from September 2022. Prices have held firm, however, with the composite benchmark still 4% higher than a year ago at $999,600 and the detached house benchmark 5% higher on the year at $1,297,200. This is a balanced market leaning towards a buyer’s advantage, with a sales ratio of 31% and a 6-month supply of total listings.

Ladner: Total units sold in September were 26, up from 24 in August, the same as July 2023, and up from 20 in September 2022. A quiet market, with the composite benchmark price at $1,178,700, unchanged from August and up 7.8% from a year earlier. The action was in a 91% surge in new listings from August, bringing the total inventory to 117, but still only a 5-month supply in this mostly seller’s market, where the sales-to-listing ratio is running at 40%.

Tsawwassen: Plans are afoot to transform the aging Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall into a mixed-use development with hundreds of new strata homes. South Delta in general is on the cusp of growth with the approval of the Roberts Bank superport and work starting next year on the Massey Tunnel replacement. This could by why housing sales in September, at 42, were up 50% from August and 100% higher than in September of 2022, the biggest year-over-year increase in Metro Vancouver.

The benchmark detached house price jumped 3% from August to $1,594,500 and strata prices also edged up. New listings in September were up 37% compared to August 2023 and the sales-to-listings ratio hit 57% compared to 52% in August in this strong seller’s market.

Surrey: Detached house sales in Surrey in September were up 36% from a year earlier, but have been declining recently, dropping 3% from August 2023 to 170 transactions, while the benchmark price dipped 0.2% month-over-month to $1,671,900. Townhouse sales also reached 170 in September, but the benchmark price, at $883,500, was up 0.2% from August and 6% higher than a year earlier, based on 139 sales in September, down 27% from a month earlier, the benchmark condo price is $539,500, down 1% from August but 4% higher than year earlier. This reflects what is happening across the Fraser Valley. “With inventory levels continuing on a slow and steady rise, together with slow sales, what we are seeing is a more balanced market,” said Narinder Bains, chair of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board.

Highlights of August Dexter Report

• Bank of Canada holds prime rate at 5% but keeps door open to further hikes
• Median price of a West Side detached house up $1 million in past year
• Total new listings have been falling, month-over-month, since May
• East Vancouver is leading all markets in detached house sales
• South Delta detached houses are moving to a buyer’s market

It is a sad commentary on the Greater Vancouver housing market when buy and sell decisions hinge more on minuscule interest rate moves than on the pragmatic needs of consumers.  But that is what is happening. Two more consecutive Bank of Canada rate hikes in June and July – at 0.25% each – were enough to drive August housing sales down to the lowest level in six months and stall a rally in new listings, which fell 16% from a month earlier.

The Bank of Canada held the prime rate at 5% at its September 6 setting, but any confidence was dashed as the Bank warned that it would not hesitate to jack rates higher if the economy – and the housing market – began to heat up again.

The best advice for buyers is simply to take today’s higher lending rates into the equation and do the best to negate them. It is clear the Bank of Canada is failing, failing to admit it overshot on rate increases over the past year and trying to maintain the illusion it knows what it is doing.

Those considering purchasing a home between now and the next Bank of Canada scheduled rate hike announcement on October 25th should secure a pre-approved 120-day mortgage and talk to a mortgage professional about the best rate and term.

However, buyers and sellers should not be blinded by interest rate fluctuations. It is likely, considering the economic damage already done, and political pressure, that Bank of Canada rates will not increase again this year. Instead, buyers should concentrate on property values and sellers on matching their price to the market.

Buyers cannot ignore the investment dynamics this year. In the past six months, as both sales and listings fell, prices have continued to increase. The August 2023 benchmark price, at $1,208,400, is $65,000 higher than in March of this year. The benchmark detached house price was up $156,000 to $2,018,500 in the same period and the typical condo apartment price increased by nearly $40,000 while townhouse benchmark prices have risen 5% since March to $1,103,900. But August benchmark prices across Greater Vancouver were down 0.2% from July 2023 and strata prices have barely budged in three months.

A key reason for a lack of new listings is universally higher prices that have frozen sellers in place and lower rates they currently have on mortgages. A look at the 20 Greater Vancouver markets shows that the August benchmark price varies very little from Bowen Island ($1.41 million) to the Westside of Vancouver ($1.34 million) or from East Burnaby ($1.19 million) to Ladner ($1.17 million). The potential of pocketing a healthy dividend when moving within the region is diminished, persuading many potential sellers to stay put.

It currently feels like a market waiting for an excuse to buy mixed with a reluctance to sell.

Growing pent up buyer demand may be the best way to explain the status of the market. But without any increase in listings, it makes it difficult for that pent up demand to release. And there’s little to suggest we’ll see any increase in supply.

Banks are working with homeowners to keep mortgages funded – one option is allowing 30-year amortizations – and many with lower rate mortgages are unwilling to dive into the high interest rate pool and make a move. Expect that when the mortgage climate changes to more favourable buyer conditions, sales levels will increase in a significant way. The number of new listings in August was 6% below the 10-year average and has been falling, month-over-month, since May. This has kept it a seller’s market with only a 4-month supply of listings available – even with the low sales levels. This is going to keep the overall inventory of listings at two thirds the level they should be to get to balance or to favour buyers.

The bottom line is that September, often a bellwether month for sales, could ring in a traditional market rally, especially with no further increase in lending rates. This is the time for buyers and sellers to take advantage of the upturn.

If you are considering a sale, it is better to list now before fall competition increases. For those looking to buy, the current price stability offers a short-time opportunity.

Regional market data for August 2023

Greater Vancouver: There were a total of 2,296 sales in August, down 6% from July and 23% fewer than in June 2023, but up 21% from August of 2022. Active listings were 10,082 at the end of August, compared to 10,099 at that time last year and 10,301 at the end of July. New listings in August were down 16% compared to July 2023, but up 19% compared to August 2022. Despite a rally over the past six months, overall prices have stabilized. The composite home price in August, at $1,208,400, was up just 2.5% from August 2022, though 27.6% higher than in August of 2020. With a tight supply and a sales-to-listing ratio of 57% in August, Greater Vancouver remains in a seller’s market.

Fraser Valley: The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board recorded 1,273 sales in August 2023, a decrease of 6.9% compared to July. Sales were up 25.2% compared to August 2022. New listings dropped to 2,622 in August, down 8.2% from July, but 28.2% above August 2022. Active listings have been rising since last December and grew again in August by 1.5%, from July, to 6,291, just 7% off the 10-year average. The overall benchmark home price in August was $978,066 and all sector prices were nearly unchanged (down 0.6%) from July 2023 but up slightly from August 2022. The biggest year-over-year price move was condo apartments, up 2.5% from August 2022, to $553,500.

Vancouver Westside: There was a price shocker in this trendsetting market in August. Only 141 detached houses were listed for sale and 69 of them sold for a median price of $4,070,000, almost exactly $1 million more when compared to August 2022. We believe this is an unprecedented one-year median price increase anywhere at any time in Canada. To say detached demand is high is an understatement. Strata action was more muted, with townhouse and condo apartment sales and median prices nearly level with July 2023. Condo medians, at $820,875, were nearly the same as in August 2022.

Total August sales were 433, down 1% from July 2023, and up 18% from August 2022. New listings in August were down 20% compared to July 2023, but up 13% compared to August 2022. The inventory of total residential listings is steady at 5-month supply, creating a balanced market with an August sales-to-listings ratio of 53%.

Vancouver East Side: More detached houses sold on the East Side in August than in any other market in Greater Vancouver. The 80 detached transactions were also much higher than in August 22, when 57 houses sold. Prices are the key. At a benchmark of $1,913,500, East Vancouver detached prices are $1.6 million less than on the neighbouring Westside and about $100,000 below the Greater Vancouver benchmark. Some of the sales impetus could be from investors trying to assemble East Vancouver detached lots in anticipation of the higher-density zoning expected this fall, which would allow up to six housing units on detached lots. Total August sales reached 250, down from 286 (13%) in July 2023, but up from 196 in August 2022. Active listings were at 1,013 at month end, though new listings in August were down 25% compared to July 2023. This is a seller’s market with a tight supply and a sales-to-listing ratio at 66%, the highest since August 2021.

North Vancouver: The strata market is strong in North Vancouver, with a sales-to-new listing ratio of 74% and sales up sharply from both a month and a year earlier, even as sales of detached houses fell. There were 85 condo apartment sales in August, at a benchmark price of $817,400, up 0.4% from July 2023. There were 38 townhouse sales, at a benchmark of $1,312,100, but this price was down nearly 3% from a month earlier. Detached house prices, benchmarked at $2,268,000, have not budged in three months, but remain 2.4% higher than a year ago. The supply of total residential listings is steady at a tight 3-month supply, confirming this as a seller’s market.

West Vancouver: August sales were up month-over-month driven by the detached segment – not hearing that very often these days, especially in West Vancouver. It was the highest detached absorption rate since April for the community. Total sales were 57 in August and detached transactions accounted for 34 sales, at a benchmark price of $3,273,900, a price up 10% from six months ago, but still 2.4% below August 2022.

New listings in August were down 20% compared to July 2023 and down 3% compared to August 2022. This is a buyer’s market, with a 10-month supply of listings and a 39% sales-to-listing ratio.

Richmond: Richmond prices have flatlined over the past three months, though they remain about 4% higher than a year ago, with the benchmark price at $1,187,900.

Listings are down, as are new home starts. As of August 1, only 273 new condos had started, for example, down from 378 at the same time last year, and total listings were down to 1,162 at month’s end, about 200 units lower than a month earlier. We estimate there is only a 4-month supply in this seller’s market, with a sales-to-listing ratio at 64%, up from 54% a month earlier.

Burnaby East: This is a seller’s market but with few sellers and even fewer buyers, with just 31 sales in August from a total inventory of 83 homes for sale. There is only a 3-month supply on the market and the sales ratio is running at 82%, the highest in at least two years. The benchmark home price in August was $1,195,100, down 0.7% from a month earlier, but up nearly 7% from August 2022.

Burnaby North: Total sales in August reached 139, down 13% from July 2023 but up 16% from August of last year. We may see an increase in sales of detached houses right across Burnaby this year as the City prepares to allow laneway homes on detached lots. The laneway houses can be up to 1,500 square feet but they are also restricted to long-term rentals. The benchmark price of a Burnaby North detached house is $2,047,100, up 10% from six months ago but unchanged from July 2023. New listings in August were down 11% compared to July 2023, but up 36% compared to August 2022. Total residential listings reflect a 4-month supply, and the sales-to-listings ratio is 54% in this seller’s market,

Burnaby South: While total sales are up from last year, they have been tracking down for three months, with the 133 transactions in August down 24% since June and 4% below July 2023. Prices dipped 0.3% from July to a composite benchmark of $1,138,100. New listings in August were down 10% compared to July 2023, but up 26% compared to August 2022. Residential listings are steady at 3 month’s supply, but the detached market is flirting with a buyer’s market. The overall sales-to-listings ratio is 62% compared to 59% in July 2023, and 73% in August 2022.

New Westminster: The Royal City was recently named the most livable city in the Lower Mainland and Number 3 in B.C., but after a surge in July sales, it posted one of the biggest declines in month-over-month sales in August. Total August sales, at 87, were down 27% from July 2023 but up from 77 transactions a year earlier. New listings dropped 16% from July, but total active listings are steady at 299 units. This includes a welcome increase in townhouse listings, which are now at a 5-month supply. Prices are holding firm, with townhomes benchmarked at $959,600, up 3% from a year ago; condo apartments also up 3% at $659,200; and detached houses at $1,587,300, unchanged from July 2023 but 9% higher than a year earlier. New West remains a seller’s market with a sales-to-listing ratio of 56%.

Coquitlam: With the imminent start of the massive Fraser Mills development and other condo projects, Coquitlam will be seeing higher starts by next year, but new supply so far in 2023 has plunged. Only 795 new homes have started, compared to 1,923 in the first seven months of 2022. Meanwhile, new listings in August were down 28% compared to a month earlier and total active listings, at 599, are down from 636 in July 2023. All sector prices are unchanged from July 2023, with the benchmark price up a mere 1.2% from a year earlier. With just a 3-month supply of listings and a sales ratio of 69%, this is a seller’s market despite the flatline prices.

Port Moody: Another strata/rental project in Port Moody has stalled at the design approval stage in a city that has had challenges getting new projects to market. The latest is a proposed six-storey, 60-unit project on St. John’s with 30 strata condos. New listings in August were down 31% from both July 2023 and August 2022 and there are only 167 active listings, lowest in a year. Still, with recent approvals, 306 new apartments have started so far in 2023, compared to just 5 a year ago, so there is progress on supply. Total sales in August were down 31% from July with 58 transactions. Condo benchmark prices are steady at $729,600 and detached houses at $2,076,500, are down 2.8% from August 2022, one of the few year-over-year declines in detached values. This is a balanced market with a total sales-to-listing ratio at 75%, compared to 43% a year ago and a healthy 6-month supply of detached listings.

Port Coquitlam: A total of 60 properties sold in August, down 5% from July and off 11% from August 2002. New listings are tracking down and total active listings at the end of August were 169, compared to 172 a month earlier. With a sales-to-listing ratio of 60%, this is a healthy seller’s market and worth a look at by buyers. The benchmark home price was unchanged from July at $971,400, the lowest price in the Tri-Cities.

Pitt Meadows: Aside from Squamish and the Sunshine Coast, Pitt Meadows posted the biggest month-over-month detached house price drop in August, with the benchmark price down 2.8% from July 2023, to $1,317,800. Total units sold in August were 23, down 4% from July 2023 but up 35% from August 2022 so the detached price slide is a bit of a puzzle. The supply of total residential listings is steady at 3 month’s supply, while the sales-to-listings ratio of 60% confirms this as a seller’s market.

Maple Ridge: Total sales in August were 119, down 17% from July 2023, but up from 113 transactions in August 2022, New listings in August were down 4% compared to July 2023 and up 17% compared to August 2022. The total supply of residential listings is up to 5-month supply (balanced market conditions), with a sales-to-listings ratio of 43% compared to 50% in July 2023. The benchmark price, at $1,005,700 has held steady (up 1.5%) since August of last year.

Ladner: While detached house listings are now at 6-month supply and in a balanced market condition, the strata sector is a different story with a shortage of both townhouses and condo apartments. Total new listings August were down 43% compared to July 2023. Despite the shortfall, prices are stable: the townhouse benchmark in August was $988,000, unchanged from July, while the condo benchmark was up 2%, month-over-month, to $731,900. Detached prices were unchanged from July, at $1,446,000, up 2% from a year ago. This is a seller’s market with a sales-to-listing ratio of 73% and a tight inventory.

Tsawwassen: Detached houses are now in a buyer’s market with a 9-month supply and August benchmark prices are down 3% from a year ago to $1,547,800. Opportunity awaits detached buyers here. Townhomes are maintaining sales levels while there were more condo sales than new listings in August. There were just 28 sales in all during August, down 15% from July 2023. Active Listings were at 162 at month end compared to 179 at that time last year and 161 at the end of July. With a 6 month supply of total residential listings and sales success ratio of 52%, this is a balanced market.

Surrey: B.C.’s second-biggest city posted mixed results in August, with detached sales and prices flatlining from a month earlier and sales of strata units falling from July 2023. Detached sales reached 175, unchanged from a month earlier, while the benchmark price was down 0.5% month-over-month to $1,675,900. Townhouse sales fell 13%, month-to-month, to 189 transactions and the benchmark price was down 1.3% to $881,600. Condo apartment sales were down 7.6% from July at 207 units and the benchmark price was off 1% to $548,200.

Written by Kevin Skipworth for Dexter Realty

Highlights

• May average home price $200,000 higher than in January

• May home sales-to-listing ratio a sizzling 59%

• Total sales are the highest this year and higher than in May 2022

• Surrey detached new listings were up 53% from April 2023

• Overall higher listings may point to a price plateau this summer

After five months that defied most predictions and pundits, the Metro Vancouver housing market has righted itself – as we’ve been saying the last few months, while quickly shifting to a seller’s market. But the potential is there to be more balanced between buyers and sellers as we sail into the summer.

May exposed a slight tilt in that balance in favour of buyers, with sellers about to face a more competitive environment with the increase in new listings that happened in May. And depending on what happens with the Bank of Canada’s interest rate announcement on Wednesday, that could change some buyers’ ability to compete.

Back in January and before – when the headlines were full of predictions of a recession and a continued housing downturn – we urged homebuyers to jump into the market to take advantage of the dip. Since then, the average home price in Greater Vancouver has shot up by $200,000 and the sales-to-listing ratio has risen from 29% to 61% in April before settling to 59% in May, close to the hottest markets in 2021 and early 2022.

We based our forecast not only on the strength of the regional economy but on decades of experience as real estate professionals at Dexter Realty. We have seen deep downturns and heady highs before, so we understand the patterns and how quickly it can change.

While May 2023 marked the fifth straight month-over-month increase in sale and price, it also sent the first signals of a chance for a market shift.

While we are still in a seller’s market in most areas and property types, if the increase in new listings continues, this will favour buyers. And perhaps some buyers are waiting for the June 7 Bank of Canada announcement, which could affect mortgage rates.

The evidence is in the number of sales and listings in May, and when they occurred. It is all about momentum.

In May 2023 a total of 3,411 residential properties sold in Greater Vancouver, not only the highest sales of this year but the first month in 2023 that sales were higher than the same time a year earlier and the first time this trend occurred in the last few years.

The average (not benchmark) home price in May reached $1,315,617, the highest level since April 2022 and up nearly 3 per cent from May of 2022.

This would all point to a seller’s market, except that, unlike previous months this year, May sales were slightly lower in the second half of the month compared to the previous two-week period to start May. At the same time, new listings increased, rising from 2,909 at mid-month to 5,776 at month’s end, compared to 4,399 in April 2023. May tends to be the most active month of the spring market, so we could see that shift come June.

In the Fraser Valley, new listings in May, at 3,533, were 42% higher than in April (with detached listings up a startling 61%) while sales increased just 10% month-over-month to 1,711.

So, as May ended, we were seeing parallel momentums: many more listings and perhaps the peak of sales.

While the last few months have been characterized by multiple offers and increasing prices, we will now see more competition among sellers. It will take many more listings to ease the competition amongst buyers but May was a start.

With the increase in listings comes some great opportunities for buyers. Work with an experienced REALTOR® who can sniff out the right property that’s gone under the radar. This isn’t 2021 when prices went wild. There is now a sense of control, and, for some properties, buyers are not willing to compete or take on the price that sellers are asking.

Buyers must practice patience now, which is difficult after months of low inventory. We are going to see listings increase, the sales-to-listing ratio settling down and more competitive pricing offered by sellers. In short, hopefully we’ll see some balance come into the market for the first time in in three years.

Of course, all real estate markets are unique, and not all will follow the same trajectory immediately.

There were 9,293 active listings at month end, above the 8,790 at the end of April. Yet some areas had fewer active listings in May than a month earlier, so it’s important to look locally when doing direct comparisons.

Vancouver East saw a slight uptick in the sales-to-listings ratio while North Vancouver maintained its high rate at 66%. Both locations were called out by the provincial government for not doing enough to supply housing in its recently released list of the municipalities that aren’t building enough homes. Port Moody, on the heels of less sales in May compared to April, saw its absorption rate fall from 91% to 65%.

Ladner led the way in May with a 108% sales-to-listings ratio as there were more sales than new listings there. Not surprising, Delta was also cited by the province for not supplying enough homes.

Overall Greater Vancouver remains with 3-months’ supply of listings – and with the current number of sales we’d need to double the number of active listings to get into a truly balanced market, but listings are finally increasing.

Best advice to buyers: Work with your trusted REALTOR®, get pre-approved for financing, narrow your search and be ready when your agent finds that ideal property. Do your homework and keep within your budget.

Best advice to sellers: Prices have risen 1.5% per month this year, but do not expect that to be automatic. A property priced right will attract a slew of potential buyers (it is not uncommon to see 40 people through a weekend open house) but if it is priced above the market or not showhouse ready, buyers now have the option to move on to the next new listings.

 A summary of the regional markets 

Greater Vancouver: A total of 3,411 residential properties sold in May, up 24% from a month earlier and, for the first time this year, higher than in the same month in 2022, when 2,947 transactions were counted. The surge in prices surprised us all, even the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV). “Back in January, few people would have predicted prices to be up as much as they are – ourselves included,” Andrew Lis, REBGV’s director of economics and data analytics said. “Our forecast projected prices to be up by about 2% at year-end. Instead, home prices are already up about 6% or more across all home types.”

As of May 23, the composite benchmark price was $1,118,000, up 1.3% from a month earlier; the detached house price was up 1.8% to $ $1,953,600. While townhouse prices remained virtually the same as in April, at just over $1 million, condo apartment prices were up 1.1% month to month to $760,800.

Active Listings were at 9,293 at month end compared to 8,790 at the end of April; new listings in May were up 31% compared to April 2023. Month’s supply of total residential listings is steady at 3 month’s supply (seller’s market conditions) and sales to listings ratio of 59% compared to 62% in April 2022 and 45% in May 2022.

 Fraser Valley:  Total Valley sales reached 1,711 in May 2023, up 25% from May 2022 and 10% higher than in April 2023. With new listings up 42% from April, there were total active listings of 5,588 at the end of May, 20% higher than a month before. The benchmark composite home price in May was $961,702, up 6.7% from April 2023 and 3% higher than in May 2022.

Vancouver Westside: Metro’s bellwether housing market saw 624 sales in May, up 33% from a month earlier and 7% higher than in May 2022. The May 2023 benchmark detached house price has increased 5.7% (or $193,000) in the past six months and took another 0.5% step up from April to $3,338,800. Townhouses sold for $1,457,500, down 3% from April, and condo apartments sold in May 2023 at a benchmark of $849,800, up 4.8% over the last three months. Active listings were 2,115 at month end compared to 2,460 at that time last year and 1,992 at the end of April, but new listings in May were up 40% compared to April 2023. With a 3-month supply of total residential listings, the sales-to- listings ratio is a healthy 53% compared to 56% in April 2023 and 46% in May 2022.

Vancouver East Side: Vancouver is one of the cities named as needing to increase new home starts and it is easy to understand, since East Vancouver, like the Westside, also has just a 3-month supply and a sales-to-listing ratio above 50%. The problem is new homes are more expensive, largely because of government fees and taxes, which have increased sharply. A recent study showed a typical new $840,000 condo apartment in Vancouver includes $327,565 in government costs. An Eastside resale condo had a benchmark price of $707,000 in May, up 1.9% from a month earlier, while townhouses were at $1,109,100, the same as in April, and detached houses sold in May for at a benchmark of $1,822,700, up 2.5% from a month before. Total May sales were 360, up 35% from a month earlier and 13% higher than in May 2022. Active Listings were at 1,006 at month end compared to 1,173 at that time last year and 939 at the end of April. This is a full-on seller’s market.

North Vancouver: Total housing sales in May were 288, up 32% from a month earlier and 3% above May 2022. The composite benchmark home price is $1,397,500, up 5.5% from six months ago and 1.8% higher than in April 2023. While new listings increased 32% from April, total active listings were 514 at the end of May, representing just a 2-months’ supply of housing, with townhouses down to a 1-month inventory. The sales-to-listing ratio has held steady at 66% for two months. The benchmark price for a detached house is now just 4% below May 2022, and, at $2,269.400, the highest level this year.

West Vancouver: The benchmark price of a detached house in West Vancouver in May was nearly unchanged from six months ago, at $3,111,600. Total housing sales, mostly detached houses, were 80 in May, up 16% from April 2023 and 16% higher than in May 2022. With 529 total active listings, there is a 7-month supply in a balanced market where the sales-to-listing ratio is 35%.

Richmond: Two large strata projects in Richmond totaling 1,200 units have been cancelled, the latest the 400-condo Minora Square on May 26, where pre-sale buyer deposits are being refunded. Perhaps a resale condo is a safer bet, since Richmond has also raised new condo development cost charges to around $25 per square foot. In May, a total of 396 homes sold in Richmond, leaving a total inventory of 1,043 properties (a drop from 1,602 at the end of April), or about a 3-month supply, with a 61% sales-to-listing ratio. Prices are rising sharply. The benchmark detached house price is up 7.7% since December 2022, at $2,189,600; and the benchmark condo price in the same period is up 9.6% to $747,00. Townhouse prices are 0.2% higher than a year ago, at $1,119,900.

Burnaby East: Burnaby East saw 39 home sales in May, up from both April 2023 and May 2022 and it now has 90 active listings. With a sales ratio of 57%, the benchmark home price is up 4% since the start of the year, at $1,159,600. This is a seller’s market with just a 2-month supply of homes on the market.

Burnaby North: Burnaby has the most new housing in the works across the region, with a total of 10,630 new strata units envisioned in four massive projects from Brentwood to the Edmonds area, according to an open house May 30 at Burnaby City Hall. All four sites require rezoning. However, Burnaby also wants to increase development fees to help cover the cost of an extended array of infrastructure, including firehalls, RCMP police stations, homeless shelters and “composting and organic processing facilities,” which will add to new strata prices. The new homes are needed. Burnaby North has just a 2-month supply of active listings and they are selling at a pace of 63% per month. The benchmark condo price is now $805,800 and townhouses sell for $902,200, both up about 6% from the first of this year.

Burnaby South: Total units sold in May were 233, up 8% from a month earlier and 43% higher than in May 2022. The benchmark composite home price is up 5.5% since January 1, at $1,112,300; and detached house prices are up 8% in the same period to $2,177,100, the highest in Burnaby. New listings in May were up 20% compared to April 2023 but down 7% compared to May 2022. The supply of total residential listings, at 404, is steady at a 2 month’s supply (seller’s market conditions) with a sales-to-listings ratio of 73%.

New Westminster: The benchmark price for a detached house in the Royal City was $1,525,800 in May, up 5% from the start of 2023, but the overall composite price remains among the lowest in Metro, at $827,600. A total of 142 residential properties sold in May, 26% higher than a month earlier and up 27% from May 2022.  Active Listings were at 258 at month end compared to 313 at that time last year and 238 at the end of April. This is about a 2-month supply as the sales-to-new-listing ratio has been running at 70% in both May and April.

Coquitlam: Total May sales reached 284, up 35% from April 2023 and 16% higher compared to May 2022. Active Listings were at 555 at month end compared to 642 at that time last year and 495 at the end of April; new listings in May were up 38% compared to April 2023, perhaps because sellers see what is happening. The benchmark home price has increased 4.7% so far this year to $1,114,900 and the sales-to-listing ratio has been over 60% for four months. This is a strong seller’s market.

Port Moody: This Tri-City community has a history of slow development, and it is on the list of cities where the province wants to see more housing starts. Port Moody now charges $33,453 per detached or duplex lot in development fees and tacks from $11 to $14 per square onto new strata units, so that will add to new home prices. Right now there is just a 2-month supply with only 184 active listings. Benchmark home prices are still 9% below May 2022, at $1,112,300. The sales to listing ratio, though, was 65% in May and 91% in April, so supply could disappear quickly.

Port Coquitlam: Total units sold in May were 91, up from 76 in April 2023 and the very same at in May 2022, but the composite benchmark home price is down 6.9% year-over-year, at $951,800. Detached houses were benchmarked in May at $1,392,100, up 8.5% from January 1, but still 8% lower than a year ago. While new listings in May were up 89% from April 2023, there are only 153 active listings, enough to last about two months, with a sales-to-listing ratio running at 62%.

Pitt Meadows: Just 30 homes sold in May, but that was 44% better than April 2023 and higher than the 28 sales in May 2022. Detached home prices, while lower than last year, have soared 10% from the start of this year to a 2023 high of $1,274,800 in May. Active Listings were at 71 at month end compared to 84 at that time last year and at the end of April; New Listings in May were down 17% compared to April 2023 and the hot sales-to-listings ratio of 86% shows the current supply may not last long.

Maple Ridge: With 218 sales in May, total transactions were up 35% from a month earlier and 23% higher than in May 2022. The benchmark detached house price has increased 7.6% over the past three months to $1,261,700, with townhouse prices up to $768,100 after a 2.4% increase from a month earlier. The post-COVID slump in Maple Ridge appears over, with a sales-to-listing ratio in May of 63% and 62% in April in what has become a seller’s market with 539 active listings available.

Ladner: Delta is another of the Metro region cities called out by the province for not building enough new homes. Ladner, for example, only has 85 active listings (down from 100 at the end of April) and the May sales-to-new-listing ratio was 108% and new listings were down 14% from April 2023, while sales increased 26% to 54 transactions. The benchmark home price in Ladner is up 7.2% since the start of the year, at $1,144,200. There were more strata sales than new listings in May, which saw townhouse benchmark prices rise 10.4% so far this year to $973,800. Condo benchmark prices are at $704,800 in May, up less than 2% since January, however.

Tsawwassen: Total units sold in May were 62 up 15% compared to April 2023, up 44% higher than in May 2022. Active listings were steady at 166 at month end compared to 165 at that time last year and 167 at the end of April; New Listings in May were up 23% compared to April 2023. Total residential listings are at a 3 month’s supply (seller’s market conditions) and the sales to listings ratio of 68% compares to 73% in April 2023. The benchmark home price in May was $1,221,900, up 5.6% from the first of this year but nearly 9% below the price in May 2022. Townhouse sales are particularly slow and the benchmark price of a townhouse, at $1,005,700 in May, has barely budged in two months.

Surrey: B.C.’s second-biggest city saw 855 total sales in May, almost evenly divided among detached, townhouse and condo properties, but there the similarity ends. Detached sales, at 284, were up 44% from a year earlier and 11.4% from April 2023. The average detached price was $1,784,000 in May, up 8% from a month earlier. There were 246 townhouse sales, up 8% from a year earlier and 14% higher than a month earlier, while the average townhouse price was up just 0.3% from April 2023 to $878,396. Condo apartment sales, at 225, were up 1.8% year to year, and 1% month to month, while the average price was up 3.3% from last year and 6.6% from April 2023, at $560,180.

Highlights of Dexter Realty’s March 2023 Report: 

• Benchmark prices are 22% higher than three years ago

• Greater Vancouver sales are up 146% from January 2023

• Greater Vancouver Benchmark detached-house price rise $60,000+ this year

• First-time homebuyer incentive starts April 1

• Five-year fixed mortgages are now the lowest-rate option

• Fraser Valley home sales soared 72% in a month

March came in like a tiger and went out like a lion with housing sales doubling over the last two weeks of the month and a total of 2,535 sales up 38% from a month earlier and a startling 146% rebound from the 1,030 transactions in January 2023.

The composite benchmark home price increased by 3% from the end of January.
With the number of listings we have, it is a spring seller’s market with momentum.
In the Fraser Valley, sales in March were 72 percent higher than in February and, at 1,550, total transactions were above the 1,000-unit level for the first time since August of 2022. More surprising is the retreat of active listings, with detached and townhome listings down 20 to 30% year-over-year, even as much as 50% down in some pockets. This has shifted a lot of those markets to 2 to 3 months supply.

Some were surprised at the performance, including most media who are comparing the current market with last year, which is meaningless. The first quarter of 2022 was still in a once-in-a-century pandemic and the Bank of Canada had just started eight straight mortgage rate increases that spooked buyers and sellers alike.

Within the next few months, sales will begin to surpass the same month in 2022 and the headlines and perception of the current sales and price momentum will change.
The Bank of Canada’s next interest rate announcement is scheduled for April 12. It’s widely anticipated that the Bank will hold the key overnight rate at 4.5%. Also, after the April break is when lenders tend to come out with their spring mortgage promotions, which should help with the downward pressure on rates.

Fixed-rate mortgage rates are already falling. As of March 30, the lowest rates in Canada were for five-year fixed-rate mortgages at 4.29% for insured mortgages and 4.59% for uninsured home loans, according to a survey by rate.com.

Also, April 1 is the official launch of the new federal Tax-Free-Savings Account for home buyers. It allows a young couple to save up to $80,000 for the down payment on their first home on a tax-free basis. Not a huge incentive but enough to encourage some tenants into ownership.

The market has changed this spring and you can see and feel it on the street. Buyers who have come back into the Greater Vancouver market already know the score. They are seeing multiple offers on desired properties and benchmark prices that have been rising an average of $15,000 a month so far this year.

Everything is up except listings and even they will not likely stay this low for long as more sellers recognize prices are firming and buyers are back.

March saw 4,317 new listings for residential properties, which was nearly 1,000 more than in either February or January. This was a 35.5% decrease compared to the 6,690 homes listed in March 2022, however, and was 22.3% below the 10-year seasonal average. The overall sales-to-new-listing in March was 57%, which compares to the sales-success ratios during the hot market of 2021.

The total number of homes listed for sale at the end of March in Greater Vancouver was 8,617, an 8% increase compared to March of last year. Don’t be surprised to see a sudden spike in sellers this spring, since March had the lowest number of new listings for that month since 1995.

For those who are considering a sale, now is the time to list your property before the rush of new listings begins and competition for buyers increases.

It is resale listings that will deliver the most homes: Metro Vancouver’s total non-rental housing starts so far this year are just 700 units higher than in 2022.

Don’t count on the B.C. government’s latest ‘Homes for People’ plan to suddenly increase the supply or lead to lower housing prices. The plan, introduced in early April, includes automatic rezoning of every single-family lot in the province to allow up to four housing units. But this has yet to be put into legislation, so at this point, it is just a promise. We’ll have to wait until the fall to see what this may look like and the timing of it being in effect.

The City of Coquitlam has had a similar plan in place for years, allowing fourplexes, smaller lots and laneway houses in most single-detached neighbourhoods in the city since 2011.

Since then, however, the composite benchmark price of a Coquitlam detached house has increased 143%, compared to an average of 80% in the rest of Greater Vancouver; Coquitlam’s rental vacancy rate is among the lowest, at 0.7%, and the city’s rental rates are the same or higher than anywhere else in the region. Also, Coquitlam is currently sitting with just a 2 months supply of housing, mostly strata units. Clearly, the Metro region has a long way to go in adding supply if progressive Coquitlam can’t even keep up.

The B.C. plan to mandate four-plex density zoning on detached lots will increase the price of a house for rental investors or developers but it won’t deliver more homes people can buy. In the 30-page Homes for People report, strata is never even mentioned. This means house owners who opt into the plan must also become landlords, which many owners have no interest in.

The Homes for People plan is really a ‘houses for rental investors, speculators and tenants.’ This is not a bad thing, but it falls far short of the altruistic hyperbole that always surrounds such government announcements.

Bottom line: We are now at the start of the first normal market in three years. We don’t have ultra-low ‘quantitative easing’ interest rates; the sales-to-listing ratio is becoming balanced; and prices and sales are steadily increasing. All we now need is back-to-normal listings, which, hopefully, we can move toward this spring.

March 2023 report on regional markets:

Greater Vancouver: This is now a near-classic seller’s market. Greater Vancouver is down to a mere 3-month supply of townhouses and apartments available for sale, while detached houses are at a 4-month supply. Something to note: the benchmark composite home price is now 22% higher than it was three years ago when the global pandemic began. Detached sales improved significantly in March, in some areas leading in comparison to last month. While strata units were in seller’s market conditions last month, detached has also shifted to a seller’s advantage, based on current inventory levels. The benchmark price for all residential properties is currently $1,143,900. This represents a 1.8% increase compared to February 2023. The March benchmark detached house price is $1,861,800, up 2.7% – or about $50,000 – from a month earlier. “On the pricing side, the spring market is already on track to outpace our 2023 forecast, which anticipated modest price increases of about 1% to 2% across all product types,” noted Andrew Lis, director of economics and data analytics for the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

Fraser Valley: Total housing sales in March posted a 72.6% increase from a month earlier and the 1,550 transactions marked the first-time monthly sales topped 1,000 since August 2022. New listings, at 2,559, were 32% higher than in February, but still 44% below last year, while active listings were up 2.8% over last month. However, listings remain among the lowest March level in a decade. The Fraser Valley Real Estate calls it a week seller’s market, with the overall sales ratio at 31% and townhouse sales-to-listing ratio at 62%. Benchmark prices for detached houses increased 1.9% month-to-month, to $1,390,600. Townhouses were up 2.3% from February, at $794,400; and condo apartments reached $521.800 also, up 2.3% from a month before.

Vancouver Westside: Multiple offers are back in the most-watched market as sales of detached houses in March were the highest since March 2022 and benchmark prices shot up 3.7% from February 2023, to $3,218,500. With 94 sales from 177 listings, the sales ratio was 57% in this seller’s market. Total March residential sales were 449, up 42% from February 2023, and 131% higher than in January 2023. Active listings were at 1,977 at month-end compared to 2,065 at that time last year and 1,923 at the end of February; new listings in March were up 29% compared to February 2023. The supply of total residential assets for sale is down to 4 months and the overall sales-to-listings ratio is 49% compared to 44% in February 2023 as the Westside readies for an active spring.

Vancouver East Side: March sales were 143% higher than in January 2023 and 45% above February 2023, at 287 transactions. With total supply down to 899 properties and new listings up 20% from February, we are calling this a seller’s market. The sales-to-new-listing ratio in March was 62%, compared to 68% a year ago. The benchmark detached house price was up 2.1% from February 2023 and the benchmark price rose 1.7%, month-over-month to $1,135,500. Condo sales led the market in March, with 111 transactions at a median price of
$665,000.

North Vancouver: New listings didn’t last long in March, with a 72% sales-to-listing ratio and total sales of 215 properties, led by 111 condo apartment sales at a benchmark of $782,800, a price up 2.5% from a month earlier. Townhouses are benchmarked at $1,304,000 with detached houses at $2,141,300, both marginally higher than in February. Total new listings rose 45% from a month earlier, but with sales up 44% month-over-month, a 58% sales-to-listing ratio and prices rising across the board, this remains a strong seller’s market.

West Vancouver: Since the first of this year, 135 homes have sold in West Vancouver and 64 of them sold in March when sales were up 129% from January. But new listings were up just 6% from February and the total inventory of 463 properties represents about a 7-month supply. This buyer’s market is seeking balance with a sales ratio of 39% and the benchmark home price at $1,274,300, up 2.2% from February 2023 but 8% lower than in March 2022. Looking for a deal? West Vancouver’s detached house prices are down 9% from a year ago, at $3,019,500.

Richmond: Richmond posted the largest month-over-month house price increase in the region, with March detached house prices up 6.6% from February to $2,108,100. Total sales were also much higher, rocketing up 55% from a month earlier. Detached sales were up 50% at 95 transactions. Richmond is a seller’s market on steroids, with a sales-to-new-listing ratio of 74%, compared to 49% in February and 63% in March of last year, and total inventory is down to three months.

Burnaby East: Modest increases in home sales, up 5% from February to just 20 transactions in March, compared to a 135% increase in listings would normally signal a buyer’s market. But with just a two-month supply of total active listings and a 43% sales-to-listing ratio, we are calling this to the seller’s advantage. The benchmark home price in March was $1,156,600, up 2.2% from a month earlier but down more than 10% from the same month last year.

Burnaby North: Detached house prices edged up 2% from February to $1,878,200 in March, the highest increase in Burnaby but still 10% below March 2022. Townhouse and condo prices were virtually unchanged from February 2023. This is a seller’s market with a sales-to-new-listing ratio of 71% and just a two-month supply on the market. There are 388 active listings on the market, with new listings up 17% from February 2023. Total sales in March tallied 169 transactions, the highest level so far this year.

Burnaby South: Total sales have been rising month-over-month in the first quarter and reached 130 in March, at a benchmark home price of $1,075,100. This remains a seller’s market, though sales are still down 40% from a year ago and prices are 8.5% lower.  Active listings were 408 at month-end compared to 395 at that time last year and 377 at the end of February. Total listings are steady at 3 month’s supply and the sales-to-listings ratio of 55% compares to 57% in February 2023 and 59% in March 2022.

New Westminster: There is a wide price spread for condo apartments in New Westminster, where the condo benchmark price is $648,000. Dig down and you will find the median condo price varies from a low of $455,000 in the West End of the Royal City to $522,000 in the uptown and peaked at $885,000 in Queensborough, based on March sales stats. That is why it is a good idea to have a knowledgeable real estate agent to guide you if you are a new buyer in historic New West. The overall market is active, with total sales of 96 in March, which was 140% higher than in January 2023 and up 46% from February. This is a seller’s market still, with a sales-to-listing ratio of 68% and just 229 properties on the market.

Coquitlam: As noted above, Coquitlam was a pioneer in up-zoning detached homes to create more housing units per lot, which the city started in 2011, and the BC government now wants to mandate across the province. The rather unsettling result is that, 12 years later, Coquitlam has only a 2-month supply of homes with just 428 on the market as of the end of March. And sales are increasing, with March transactions rising 24% from a month earlier and up 169% since January, to 196.
The benchmark price is up 2% from the start of the first quarter, at $1,065,800. This is a seller’s market, with a 64% sales-to-listing ratio, which is higher than in March 2022, and prices rising for all property types.

Port Moody: The first master-planned residential community approved and moving forward since 2004 is now pre-selling in Port Moody. The 23-acre, $1.1 billion Portwood development, by Edgar Development, includes 2,000 strata homes and about 470 rentals in the Woodland Park area. The new homes are badly needed as other new projects remain stalled and there is barely a 2-month supply of resales on the market. With total sales of 80 in March, up 70% from a month earlier, the benchmark price is up 2.4% so far this year to $1,105,200 and detached houses are selling at a benchmark of $2,107,400, up 2.4% from a month earlier. The sales-to-listing ratio is high at 70%, nearly the same as a year ago. (Incidentally, the cost for the developer to deliver Portwood included $2.85 million in public art; $30 million for a new road; 328 low-rent housing units for BC Housing, and donating 70% of the land for green space.

Port Coquitlam: Like Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam also has a plan of “gentle density” to add more housing units on detached lots. However, only 66 new homes have started in the entire Tri-Cities market so far this year. Port Coquitlam has seen housing sales double so far this year, to 69 in March and the benchmark home price is up 3.1% since January at $915,700, which is still down nearly 12% from a year ago. The sales-to-new-listing ratio in March was a balanced 54% as this seller’s market readies for the spring buying season with a total of 160 properties on the market.

Pitt Meadows: Total March sales were up 87% compared to both January and February, to 28 transactions, as the residential benchmark price edged up 2.5% from February to $846,500. This price remains 20% below March 2022. With a total of 69 active listings and a sales ratio of 65%, this is a seller’s market, but March saw a 59% increase in new listings from February, so buyer selection is improving.

Maple Ridge: Maple Ridge benchmark prices also remain nearly 20% below a year ago, with detached houses selling for $1,179,500 in March, up a modest 1.1% from the first of this year. There was a total of 149 homes sold in March, 129% higher than in January and up 16% from February. With 495 active listings on the market and 54% of new listings selling in March, this is a steady seller’s market. Buyers may want to look at townhouses, now selling for $731,700, the lowest price in the Greater Vancouver mainland market, and down 19% from March 2022.

Ladner: Ladner continues to struggle for townhouse and condo listings, with townhouses only having 1 month supply and a 92% absorption rate and condos seeing the most sales since October 2021. In March, total sales of all property types were up 138% from January and the sales-to-listing ratio hit 55%. But this is not a balanced seller’s market, with townhouse prices up a market-leading 8.6% since the first of the year, to $998,500; and condo prices up 6.5% in the same period to $714,300. The supply of total residential listings is down to a 3-month inventory at the current sales pace.

Tsawwassen: Sunny Tsawwassen turned on the heat in March, with housing sales up 40% from a month earlier to 35 units. The strata market is sizzling, with townhouse benchmark prices rising 11.5% since January 1, to just over $1 million; and condo prices up 6.6% in the same period to $740,600 – a price slightly above March 2022 and 37% higher than even three years ago. This is pegged as a balanced market with a sales-to-listing ratio of 43%, but sellers are fully in control of the tight townhouse and condo sector.

Surrey: The city posted an 84.8% increase in detached-house sales in March compared to a month earlier, with the composite benchmark price unchanged at $1,503,200, though still down 19.5% from March 2022. Townhouse sales were up 59% from February and condo sales rose 48%, month-over-month, to 217 transactions at an average price of $536,054. With active listings, sales and prices rising this year in every market from North Surrey to South Surrey-White Rock, B.C.’s second-biggest city is shaping up as a very active spring market, with buyers holding a slight edge.

• Prices increased month-over-month for the first time since May 2022

• Housing sales are up 77% from January; new listings are up just 5%.

• Multiple offers are being seen on Westside detached houses.

• Top townhouse market: New Westminster.

• Undersupplied North Vancouver is now a seller’s market.

The last three years have been an anomaly for housing markets around the world and Greater Vancouver is no exception. That is why it is virtually useless to compare our current, back-to-reality environment with what was happening a year or two years ago during a once-in-a-century event.

In 2021, we were in the grip of a global pandemic and a home-buying frenzy with mortgage rates at record lows. In February 2022, housing sales and prices hit a white-hot peak just before the federal government hosed it down with the first of eight straight interest rate increases through the Bank of Canada.

Today, in February 2023, the panic buying is history, mortgage rates have stabilized, and buyers are back into the first normal housing market in four years. Driven by buyer demand and low supply, February marked the first month-to-month home price increase in nine months.

Greater Vancouver housing sales, at 1,824 transactions in February, were up 77% from January 2023 and 21% higher than in February 2019, before the whole pandemic-influenced housing boom-and-bust began. February sales were also higher than in November and December 2022, and, we believe, signal the start of a strong spring selling season.

Buyers are already competing with other buyers for far fewer listings. The number of new listings in February was the lowest for that month going back to pre-1991, much the same as it was in January. Compared to January 2023, listings were only up 5%.

But, since sales have been slower over the past 10 months, a total of 8,283 homes were on the market at the of February, above the 7,862 active listings at the end of January and a few hundred more than in December 2022.

With buyers flowing back into the market, immigration hitting record levels and interest rates settling down, this appears a prime time to encourage housing starts. However, governments at all levels appear to be doing their best to stunt new home construction.

The federal government has banned foreign buyers for two years, including those investing in residential land, if the developer has less than 97% Canadian ownership. For example, a 3,000-unit Burnaby residential development, now under construction, would not be allowed today because the developer is based out of London, England. The recent collapse of major condo developers in Metro Vancouver could be traced to the ban’s impact on companies with as little as a 3% foreign ownership. This has put thousands of new homes at risk.

The B.C. government is spending $500 million to stop or stall the private redevelopment of 50 and 60-year-old rental buildings into modern, higher-density housing projects.

Metro municipalities are jacking up development cost charges, even as housing starts fall. Among the examples is Richmond, where housing starts so far in 2023 total just 73 units, down 80% from the 381 starts at the same time a year ago. Richmond is raising DCC rates on single-family lots by $20,000 to $61,138, and raising the DCC rate for condo apartments and townhouses by 43% to more than $34 per square foot. This means that a modest new townhouse of 1,200 square feet will now cost about $41,000 just in city development fees.

All governments preach about addressing the supply of ‘missing middle’ housing for families, which translates as townhouses. Yet only 3 townhouse units have started so far this year in the City of Vancouver, compared to just 21 units a year ago at this time – and a mere 90 townhouse units were started in all of 2022 across Metro Vancouver.

For residential investors, the consistent housing shortage is a blessing, which is why Metro Vancouver has become a “buy and hold” housing environment. Owners know that the law of supply and demand ensures that home prices will keep increasing. So they wait it out. In markets where sales levels are declining, an increase in new listings would add to the active listing count and provide downward pressure on prices.

That’s not the Metro Vancouver market, where sales are turning back up.

Any increase in new listings will be absorbed by buyers. With the level of competition we are now seeing in the market, buyers are craving listings and competing for different product types in different areas. Active listing counts are up about 500 since the end of December. Absorption rates today are twice what they were in a similar market in 2019, and are only held in check by the lack of homes on the market.

The bottom line: Greater Vancouver listings are scarce at a time when they should be double what they are.

Prior to 2015, having 15,000 to 20,000 active listings in Greater Vancouver was the norm. Since then, we’ve barely scratched above 15,000 and right now we are at half that level. Restrictive zoning and slow-moving development approvals continue to barricade supply. And without that supply, a seller’s markets will continue, at whatever level of demand we have in the market.

A look at the Regional housing numbers: 

Greater Vancouver: Total housing sales were up 77% compared to January 2023, while new listings were up 5%. The result was the composite benchmark home price posted the first month-over-month increase since May of 2022, rising 1.1% to $1,123,400. Detached house prices rose 0.7%, to $1,813,000; condo apartment prices rose 1.6% to $732,200; and townhouse benchmark prices were up 1.8%, compared to a month earlier, to $1,038,500. Active Listings were at 8,283 at month-end compared to 7,062 at that time last year and 7,862 at the end of January. Greater Vancouver’s detached housing market is now seen as a balanced market, with both condo apartments and townhouses in a seller’s market. The total sales-to-new-listing ratio in February was 51%, compared to 30% in January 2023 and 62% in February 2022.

Fraser Valley: The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 898 sales in February, an increase of 43.5% over January 2023, but still only half as many as were recorded a year ago. February new listings were up by 5.7% over January 2023 to 1,938 but 48.25% lower than in February 2023. Active listings were up 7% from a month earlier. The composite benchmark home price in February was $946,700 up 0.5%  from January 2023 and the first month-over-month increase since April 2022. Further, the benchmark price is 36% higher than in pre-pandemic February 2020.

Vancouver Westside: February total sales, at 316, were up 63% from January 2023 and would have been even higher if more listings were available. One Westside house had 16 offers on it at the end of February, an indication of the demand. New listings were down 1% from January, but active listings as of month end were at 1,923, representing about a six-month supply. The sales-to-new-listing ratio is running at 44%, up from 27% a month earlier. There is a severe shortage of townhouses, with nearly half the 91 new listings selling in February at a median price of more than $1.48 million. No new townhouses have started construction this year on the Westside. The February benchmark price for a detached house on the Westside jumped 2.7% from a month earlier, to $3,103,100.

Vancouver East Side: Total housing sales in February, at 198, were up 68% from January 2023, but new listings were up by only 6%, while the sales-to-new-listing ratio reached a balanced 52%, up from 33% in January, and close to 55% ratio in the hot market a year ago. This is a market to watch. Benchmark prices were up in all sectors from a month earlier, led by a 2.9% surge in townhouse prices to $1,052,500. The supply of total residential listings is down to five months supply, with condos in seller’s market conditions. Benchmark condo prices were up 1% from January, to $683,600, based on 101 sales, double the number a month earlier.

North Vancouver: This perpetually under supplied market is a seller’s market with only a three-months supply of listings, even with growth in active listings of townhouses and condos. A total of 150 sales were seen in February, up 83% from a month earlier, but active listings were just 20 homes higher, at 436 units. With the sales-to-listing ratio at 59%, townhouse prices shot up 4.1% from January 2023, to $1,286200, and detached and condo benchmark prices were up nearly 2% from a month earlier.

West Vancouver: Sales increased 54%, month over month to 43 transactions, but because of a 21% spike in new listings, there is now a 10-month supply of homes, in this buyer’s market for detached houses. It remains a seller’s market for townhomes, because the supply is so low, perhaps one reason West Vancouver’s population is declining. West Van posted a modest decline in most prices compared to January, except for condo apartments, which were up 2.7% to a region-leading $1,228,900.

Richmond: Despite the angst in Richmond’s strata market – where an 800-unit development has gone into receivership and starts have plunged 80% from a year ago, total sales in February were up 89% from January. The benchmark composite home prices rose 2% from a month earlier with condos selling for $735,800; townhouses at $1,083,100; and detached houses at just over $2 million. With an overall sales-to-listing ratio of nearly 50%, the detached-house market is in balanced conditions, with a seller’s market building steam in the strata sector.

Burnaby East: Total sales in February were 21, up 133% from a month earlier and the sales-to-listing ratio hit a stunning 105%, compared to a low of 20% in January 2023 and 52% in February of last year. This is a seller’s market on steroids with the composite benchmark price up 2.2% month-over-month to $1,102,900, the highest in Burnaby.

Burnaby North: With total sales up 113% from January 2023, to 134, and total active listings down 10%, this is also a seller’s market with a mere three-month supply of listings and a sales ratio of 66%. The saving grace is the high number of new condos coming to the market in the Brentwood-Gilmore area. The composite home price was up from January, led by a 2.4% surge in townhouse prices to $892,100.

Burnaby South: Many Burnaby buyers were southbound in February, driving total sales up 119% from a month earlier, to 118 transactions. Active listings were 377 at month end compared to 352 at the end of January, which translates to a three-month supply at the current sales pace. The composite benchmark price was up nearly 1% from January at $966,500. The sales-to-listing ratio is a healthy 57% with the strata sector in seller’s market conditions.

New Westminster: For buyers looking for scarce townhouses, the Royal City has a good selection. Only 3 townhouses sold in February and there is nine-month supply on the market. Benchmark townhouse prices, however, increased 4.4% from January 2023, to $932,200, the same price as in February 2023. Total housing sales in February were 65% higher than a month earlier, at 66, at new listings inched up by 1%. The overall sales-to-listing ratio is 62%, up from 38% in January 2023 with a buyer’s market for townhouse and condos and a balanced market for detached houses, where prices are up 2.4% or about $34,000 – from a month earlier at $1,418,100.

Coquitlam: It seems hard to understand with the amount of new multi-family construction over the past two years, but Coquitlam is seeing a shortage of strata homes. Coquitlam had one of the biggest turnarounds in February with sales up 116% compared to January. Townhouse sales went from 4 in January to 40 in February. With that, there is just a two-months of inventory for townhouses and condos. The composite benchmark price is up 0.7% from a month earlier, but townhouse prices rose 2.5% from January to $999,900. With an overall sales-to-listing ratio of 67%, this is a seller’s market for strata units and balanced in the detached sector.

Port Moody: Even with total listings of 200 at the end of February, and a significant increase in townhouse and condo listings, strata units are in a seller’s market, along with detached houses. There were more sales than new listings compared to January, with a 104% sales increase from the month previous, to 47 transactions while only 91 new listings in February compared to 103 in January. More than half (52%) of the new listings sold in February, while the composite benchmark price increased 1% to $1,093,100, the highest in the Tri-Cities.

Port Coquitlam: There is only a one-month supply of townhouses with twice as many sales as new listings in February. Total housing sales reached 40, up a modest 18% from January 2023. The total supply of residential listings is down to four months, meaning a balanced market conditions for detached houses, with townhouses and condos in seller’s market conditions. The overall sales-to-listing ratio is a healthy 46% and the composite benchmark price has held steady (up 0.7%) for three months at $900,900.

Pitt Meadows: Sales didn’t budge month-over-month, with 15 transactions in February, while new listings fell 29% compared to January 2023. The total inventory remains at a four-month supply in this balanced market, with a sales-to-listing ratio of 55%. The composite benchmark home price fell 0.6% from January to $825,900.

Maple Ridge: Total housing sales in February were up 98% from January 2023 to 129 transactions, but new listings were down 4% from a month earlier. With a sales-to-listing ratio of 62%, the same as in February of last year and up from 30% in January 2023, this is a sellers’ market with just four months of inventory. Still, Maple Ridge plans to increase development cost charges this year to $41,000 for a new detached house, up from $22,465, and raise per-square-foot fees for new condo and townhouse units by 80%. The composite benchmark home price in February was up about 1% from January, at $918,300, but townhouse prices rose 3.5%, month over month, to $723,600.

Ladner: The townhouses market saw significant increases in sales and listings accounting for as many sales in February as detached and condos combined. Still, the total market was fairly brisk, with 27 transactions, up 69% from a month earlier and higher even than in February of last year. Townhouse prices spiked up 6.7% from January 2023 tied as the highest increase in Metro Vancouver – to $988,600. New listings were up 42% from a month earlier and there were 98 active listings as February ended. With a sales-to-listing ratio of 44%, this is a balanced market slanting towards a seller’s advantage for townhouses and condos.

Tsawwassen: Detached house listings were down 41% compared to January, while condos remain with a three-month supply. Detached houses and townhouses are in a balanced market. Total sales were rather tepid, at 25 transactions compared with 20 in January 2023 and 73 in February 2022. Perhaps buyers are tired of the back-and-forth Massey Tunnel replacement plan that doesn’t seem to ever get off (or under) the ground. This was noticeably absent from the recent provincial budget announcement and its three-year infrastructure plans. Despite a sales ratio of 47%, the composite benchmark price was down 3.7%, month-over-month, to $1,112,800, led by a sharp 7% drop in detached house prices.

Surrey: Benchmark home prices in Surrey were higher than in January, the first month-over-month increase since April of 2022. Detached house prices were up 0.7% to $1,503,200; townhouse prices rose 1% to $ $ 803,100 and condo apartment benchmark prices were up 1.4% to $522,700. The outlier is South Surrey-White Rock’s detached market, where prices slipped down 1.4% from January to $1,776,300, still the highest price in the Fraser Valley. With total Surrey sales up 61% from January 2023, at 132 transactions, and new listings up less than 15%, Surrey is considered a balanced market.

1. Check your roof: March is a good time to inspect your roof for any damage caused by winter weather. Look for missing or damaged shingles, as well as any signs of leaks.

2. Clean gutters: Clear out any debris that has accumulated in your gutters over the winter months. This will ensure that water can flow freely away from your home.

3. Inspect windows and doors: Check for any cracks or gaps in the caulking around windows and doors. This will help prevent drafts and improve energy efficiency.

4. Service your air conditioning unit: If you have a central air conditioning system, it’s a good idea to have it serviced before the hot weather arrives. This will ensure that it’s running efficiently and reduce the risk of breakdowns.

5. Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors: Test your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure that they’re working properly. Replace any batteries that are low.

6. Clean your dryer vent: Lint buildup in your dryer vent can be a fire hazard. Clean it out to improve efficiency and reduce the risk of fire.

7. Check plumbing for leaks: Look for any leaks in your plumbing system, including under sinks and around toilets. Fix any leaks promptly to prevent water damage.

8. Inspect your deck or patio: Check for any damage to your deck or patio caused by winter weather. Repair or replace any damaged boards, and clean and stain or seal the wood if necessary.

9. Check your lawn and garden tools: Get your lawn and garden tools ready for spring by cleaning them and sharpening blades if necessary.

10. Prepare for spring cleaning: Make a plan for your spring cleaning tasks, and take inventory of any cleaning supplies you’ll need to stock up on.

Are you thinking of selling your home this year? If so, you might be paying extra attention to housing market news covered by the regional and national media.

While that news can be helpful information, it can sometimes say little about what’s happening in your particular neighbourhood. In fact, it’s possible for there to be a balanced market nationally or regionally, while at the same time your street may be experiencing a hot seller’s market!

That’s why it’s important to understand what’s happening in your local “micro” housing market when you’re selling your home.

What do you need to know about your local real estate scene? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Is our neighbourhood a seller’s, buyer’s, or balanced market right now?

• If we list our home this month, will there be any competing listings in our area? If so, how many?

• How long is the average listing in our area taking to sell? A week? A month?

• How much are properties like ours in the neighbourhood selling for?

• How desirable is our neighbourhood? How many buyers are actively looking to move here? Are there currently buyers eager to purchase a home like ours?

• What are the demographics of buyers looking to buy in our neighbourhood?

• How important is it to fix up and stage my home if I decide to sell?

Getting these local insights will be far more helpful than the national news when you put your property on the market. So, find out what’s happening right here, in your neighbourhood.

How do you do that? Call me today. 778.828.9891

January 2023 signalled early that it would end with what the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says is “among the lowest sales month in recent history.”

As of mid-month, total transactions had reached just 334 properties, well below the 795 in mid-December 2022 or the 778 in mid-January 2022. The slow sales reflected not only higher mortgage rates but a barrage of anti-demand government policies that started the New Year.

Having dealt with a City of Vancouver Empty Homes Tax, the provincial Speculation and Vacancy Tax and a provincial foreign buyer’s tax, effective January 1, we now have a provincial three-day Home Buyer Rescission Period (or ‘cooling-off’ period), a two-year ban on foreign buyers across Canada, a national Underused Homes Tax – essentially a Canada wide empty-homes tax for foreign owned properties – and a national anti-flipping tax which would see any profits for sales within a year of purchase taxed as business income. And of course, Canada’s prime lending rate has doubled from a year earlier, due to eight straight Bank of Canada increases.

It is wonder all this didn’t kill home buying all together. Yet a close look at Metro Vancouver shows flashes of high-performing regional markets in January and evidence that, despite misplaced and heavy-handed government policies, many people remain eager to purchase.

January ended with 1,030 properties sold of all types across Greater Vancouver, meaning sales more than doubled in the past two weeks of the month compared to the first half. As well, new listings increased from 1,379 in the first two weeks of January to end with 3,384, but this was still the lowest number of new listings for a January going back to before 1991 – more than thirty years ago.

This speaks to the one thing keeping prices from declining more than they have. Sellers are not desperate. There is a lot of equity in owning a home and that keeps buyers from going into the market and from sellers rushing to get out. Since the start of the pandemic three years ago, the composite home price in Greater Vancouver has increased by 26%, or about $286,000. The typical detached house is now worth $411,000 more than in January 2020, at a January 2023 benchmark of $1,801,300.

If there is one prediction that could be made about this market, it’s that listings will not be coming in abundance.

Despite all the government rhetoric about creating more housing, policies are failing to address the underlying lack of supply. In 2022, for instance, total non-rental housing starts in Metro Vancouver fell 18% from a year earlier to just 16,116 units. And, despite a year-over-year increase in rental construction, Metro Vancouver rents are now the highest in history and the most expensive in Canada.

In some markets, the low inventory sparked bidding wars in January and turned key suburban municipalities into seller’s markets as tenants aimed to move into ownership and owners tried to improve their housing.

Here are some markets bucking the downward sales trend:

• A Richmond condo listing attracted 11 offers in January as the local condo market moved from a balanced to a seller’s advantage.

• In North Vancouver, townhomes and condos are in a seller’s market with January townhouse sales at similar levels to January 2022.

• The strata sector was in seller’s market conditions in North Burnaby, New Westminster and even Coquitlam, despite a multi-family building boom in all three cities.

• In 12 of the 22 Greater Vancouver markets, townhouse prices increased from December 2022 to January 2023 and were up an average of 0.8% across the entire region to $1,020,400, while benchmark condo apartment prices rose 1% month-over-month to $720,700.

These are not the signs of a distressed housing market – there are instead signals that buyers, confident that interest rate hikes have ended for now, are willing to come back into the market. If there were more listings, there would be more sales. It is as simple as that.

And listings of resale housing are starting to increase. The total number of homes currently listed for sale in the Greater Vancouver is 7,478, a 32.1% increase compared to January 2022 and 1.3% higher compared to December 2022.

All predictions are that 2024 will see improved housing sales and ascending prices. This is the year for buyers to position themselves for that recovery in a still vibrant housing environment with upside potential. In fact, we believe 2023 will be a much stronger market than most pundits are predicting.

Despite headwinds through 2023, there is far too much demand to keep this real estate market from doing anything but grow.

Summary of Greater Vancouver markets in January 2023

Greater Vancouver: With total housing sales down 56% this January compared to January 2022, the January 2023 composite home price was 6.6% lower year-over-year and a mere 0.3% lower than in December 2022, to $1,111,400. Total active Listings were 7,862 at month-end compared to 5,987 at that time last year and 7,791 at the end of December, while new listings in January 2023 were up an expected 173% compared to December 2022. For all property types, the sales-to-listings ratio for January 2023 was 30%. By property type, the ratio is 28% for detached homes, 28% for townhomes, and 33% for apartments. With 571 transactions in the month, condos accounted for more than half of all sales in January, with townhouse sales at 156 and detached house transactions at 295. With an 8-month supply of inventory, this is overall a buyer’s market that is gaining strength.

Fraser Valley: With 626 transactions in January 2023, housing sales were off 12.6% compared to December 2022 and down by 52.2% compared to January 2022 to the lowest level in 10 years. The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board reports that “pent-up demand that has been building since the last quarter of 2022 will likely give rise to a sales uptick, especially if rate hikes subside, which we expect will be the case.” New listings saw an increase of 128.3% over December 2022 to 1,833 but remain at the lowest level for January since 1984. Active listings rose 5% to 4,118 compared to December 2022 and were up 76.6% compared to January 2022. At $942,200, the composite benchmark home price edged down 1.4% from December and was off 15% compared to January 2022.

Vancouver Westside: Total sales in January were 194, down 56% from the same month a year earlier and 20% below December 2022. New listings were up 196% compared to December but 29% lower than a year ago. There are less detached homes for sale than at this time last year, but this may change. In January, the City of Vancouver introduced Adding Missing Middle Housing and Simplifying Regulations in Low Density Neighbourhoods, which would see the opportunity to develop multi-unit housing in single-detached RS zones throughout the city. The proposed changes allow up to four units on a typical 33-foot city lot, and 6 units on a 55-foot lot, subject to two rounds of public engagement. A final report and public hearing to be brought before Council in the fall of 2023. Meanwhile, investors and developers will be angling to purchase detached houses to take advantage of the upzoning. The benchmark price of the 25 detached houses sold in January on the Westside was $3,020,600, down 11.6% from a year earlier. The supply of total residential listings is up to 9 month’s supply (buyer’s market conditions) and sales-to-listings ratio is 27% compared to 100% in December 2022 and 44% in January 2022.

Vancouver East Side: Upzoning of detached house lots may eventually have an even greater impact on the East Side, due to the addition of two SkyTrain extensions and lower prices. The typical detached house sold in January for $1,664,900, or about half that of the Westside, and down 9.3% from a year earlier. Total sales of all properties were 118 in January, down 54% from a year ago. Condos sales, with 56, led local transactions and the benchmark condo price held steady from December 2022, at $676,800. Total active listings were 867 at month end compared to 739 at that time last year and 880 at the end of December 2022. The supply of total residential listings is steady at a 7 month’s supply (balanced to buyer’s market conditions) and the sales-to-listings ratio of 33% compared with 85% in December 2022 and 54% in January 2022.

North Vancouver: A deep sleep in sales was seen in January with only 82 transactions, down 45% from a year earlier. Only 18 detached sales were seen, with the benchmark price of $2,033,000 down just 2.3% from a month earlier and 9.5% below January 2022. Meanwhile, 48 condos sold at a benchmark of $749,000, down less than 1% from December 2022. Both townhomes and condos are in seller’s market conditions with townhouse sales at similar levels to January 2022. Total active listings were at 416 at month end compared to 291 at that time last year and 385 at the end of December 2022. Total residential listings are up to 5 month’s supply (balanced market conditions) and the sales-to-listings ratio of 35% compared to 132% in December 2022 and 55% in January 2022.

West Vancouver: Benchmarked at $3,074,400 in January, West Vancouver detached house prices are holding remarkably steady, down just 0.6% from a month earlier and less than 6% below January 2022, based on 16 sales. Total properties sold in January were 28, down 30% from December 2022 and down 38% from January 2022. The total residential listings are up to 15-month’s supply and the sales-to-listings ratio of 22% compared to 85% in December 2022 and 32% in January 2022. This is a full-on buyer’s market for those who can afford it.

Richmond: For the first time in two years, the average (not benchmark) home price in Richmond dipped below the $1 million mark in January, falling to $977,143, which was down from more than $1.2 million a year earlier. While total sales in January, at 120, were off 65% from a year earlier, there was action in the strata market. In one case a condo apartment attracted nearly a dozen offers. There were 81 condo sales in the month at a benchmark price of $720,700, a price up 4.6% from a month earlier and 3% higher than in January 2022. Richmond benchmark townhouse prices, at $1,065,600, are 2% higher than a year ago and edged up 1.5% from December 2022. Total active listings were 942 at month end compared to 752 at that time last year and 919 at the end of December. Richmond is a buyer’s market with an 8-month supply and a sales-to-listing ratio at a weak 29%.

Burnaby East: Only 9 homes sold in January, perhaps the lowest ever recorded and below even the sluggish January 2019 which posted 11 transactions. Listings are increasing, posting a 214% spike up from December, which may keep prices in check. In January, the composite home price was $1,079,300, down 5.3% from a year earlier. There is 10-months of housing inventory in this buyer’s market, where the sales success ratio is a low 20%.

Burnaby North: Total sales were down 56% from a year earlier with 63 transactions in January at a composite benchmark of $954,200, a price down 4.7% year-over-year and off 1.1% from December 2022.(Benchmark prices slipped below $1 million last August and have been slowly descending since). Despite a lot of new condos being built over the past three years, condo prices are holding firm, benchmarked at $696,600 in January, a price 0.2% higher than in January 2022. This is considered an overall balanced market, with about a six-month supply of total listings and a sales-to-listings ratio of 31%

Burnaby South: Just 54 sales were seen in January, down from 94 a month earlier and 64% below the pace in January 2022. The composite benchmark price of $1,052,800, however, was up marginally from December 2022 and down less than 1% from a year ago. Active listings were at 352 at month end compared to 283 at that time last year and 344 at the end of December. This is a buyer’s market, despite the sticky prices, with an inventory of a 7-months’ supply and a sales-to-listing ratio of 33%, far below the 152% seen in December 2022.

New Westminster: New West flirted with a seller’s market in December 2022 but was more balanced in January as sales dipped to 40 transactions, down 25% from a month earlier and 61% below January 2022. There has been increased action in the detached housing market, particularly in the Sapperton and the Massey-Victoria Heights areas, where quick sales were seen, some above asking, at the end of January. While the benchmark detached house price is $1,384,000, New Westminster has one of the lowest composite home prices in a SkyTrain-served community, at $782,300. Both benchmark townhouse prices ($892,300 ) and condo apartments ($622,500) are higher now than a month and a year ago, which is rare in Metro Vancouver. This is considered a balanced market, with a 6-month supply of listings and a sales-to-listings ratio of 38%.

Coquitlam: Coquitlam posted 73 residential property sales in January, down 10% from December 2022 and 58% less than in January 2022, and this is considered a buyer’s market with 484 active listings – about a 7-month supply – and sales-to-listing ratio of a low 28%, compared to 107% in December 2022. Condo demand and prices are firm: 48 apartments sold in January at a benchmark price of $656,300, a price nearly unchanged (down 0.9%) from a year earlier. Just 4 townhouses sold in January, but the benchmark price of $975,000 was down just 0.3% from December 2022.

Port Moody: Total sales in January were 23 – down from 41 (44%) in December 2022 and down from 57 (60%) in January 2022. Active listings were 188 at month end, compared to 93 at that time last year and 155 at the end of December 2022. New listings in January were up 145% compared to December 2022 and up 29% compared to January 2022. This is a buyer’s market, with the composite home price virtually unchanged from a year ago, at $1,083,700.

Port Coquitlam: Buyers withdrew from Port Coquitlam in January, and we suspect relatively high prices may be to blame in the only Tricities market with no SkyTrain. The benchmark detached house has shot up 38% since January 2020 and, even with an 11% decline in the last year, is still at $1,279,200. Just 13 detached houses sold in January, down from 29 in the same month last year. However, this is technically a seller’s market because there is only a 4-month supply of listings and the overall sales-to-listing ratio is running at 44%, with detached houses at 66%.

Pitt Meadows: Total sales in January slumped 50% from a year earlier to just 15 transactions as the composite home price in the small community fell 15% in the same period to $830,600.
Still, this is also seen as seller’s market because a lack of listings translates to just a 4-month supply. The current sales-to-listings ratio of 39% compares to 191% in December 2022 and 73% in January 2022, so sellers have a fragile advantage at best.

Maple Ridge: Maple Ridge, where the composite home price of $910,000 is still 38% higher than in pre-pandemic January 2020, also saw total sales slide in January, dropped 47% from a year earlier and 17% from a month ago, to 65 transactions. The benchmark price of a detached house, the dominant sales sector, is $1,166,000, down 16.2% from a year ago and declining by an average of about 1.5% per month since last fall. New Listings in January were up 232% compared to December 2022 and the total inventory of listings is up to 7 month’s supply (balanced to buyer’s market conditions), with a sales-to-listings ratio of 30% compared to 120% in December 2022 and 51% in January 2022.

Ladner: With 16 sales in January, up from 9 in December, Ladner saw its total supply of homes for sale drop from an 8 to a 5-month inventory in January, despite new listings jumping 209% month-over-month. Detached house prices are down 16% from January 2022, to $1,267,700, but are declining 2.5% per month. This is a balanced market tilting towards a buyer’s advantage with lower prices and a rather tepid sales-to-listing ratio of 37%, about half that of December 2022.

Tsawwassen: Tsawwassen posted zero townhouse sales in January, but only having 3 new listings will lead to that. Based on December sales, therefore, the benchmark townhouse price remains 4.4% lower from a year ago, at $937,100. Detached house prices are down 11% year-over-year to $1,434,600 but remain 30% higher than in pre-pandemic January 2020.

Total housing sales were 20 in January, down 52% from a year earlier, but new listings were up 185% from December 2022. This is a balanced market with a healthy supply of listings and a sales ratio of 35%, down sharply from 115% a month earlier.

Surrey: Surrey housing sales slumped across the board in January, with detached house transactions down 67.8% year-over-year, townhouse sales down nearly 50% and condo apartment sales falling 60% compared to January 2022. Benchmark prices followed suit, with detached house prices dropping 22% to $1,552,110; townhouse prices down 16% from a year ago to $807,200 and condo prices dipping 7.5% year-over-year to $526,938. With active listings rising and sales and prices falling, Surrey is a serious buyer’s market right now. Opportunity exists in that market.

Decluttering your home is an important step in getting it ready to sell, as well as in creating a more comfortable and functional living space. Here are some top tips to help you declutter your home effectively:

Start with one room at a time.
Trying to declutter your entire home all at once can be overwhelming. Instead, start with one room and work your way through the house. This will help you to stay focused and make progress more quickly.

Make a plan.
Before you start decluttering, make a plan of what you want to accomplish. This might include things like getting rid of unnecessary items, reorganizing your space, or creating more storage. Having a clear plan will help you stay focused and motivated.

Use the “one in, one out” rule.
One simple way to keep clutter from building up is to implement the “one in, one out” rule. This means that for every new item you bring into your home, you need to get rid of one item. This will help you to stay mindful of what you’re bringing into your home and prevent clutter from building up.

Get rid of anything you haven’t used in a year.
A good rule of thumb is to get rid of anything you haven’t used in the past year. If you haven’t needed or used something in that amount of time, it’s unlikely that you will in the future.

Be ruthless when sorting through your things.
When sorting through your possessions, be ruthless. If you haven’t used it, worn it, or needed it in a long time, then it’s likely that you don’t need it.

Find a place for everything.
Once you’ve decluttered, make sure to find a place for everything that remains. This might mean reorganizing your space, getting new storage solutions, or creating a more efficient layout. By having a place for everything, it will be much easier to keep your home clutter-free in the future.

Donate or recycle.
When you declutter, it’s important to think about what you can do with the items that you no longer need. Donating items to charity or recycling them are both great options, as they allow you to declutter your home while also helping others.

Finally, maintain your decluttered space by regularly decluttering and keeping your things in place.
Decluttering is not a one-time task, it’s an ongoing process. Make it a habit to regularly go through your possessions and get rid of anything that you no longer need or use. And also keep your things in place to avoid creating clutter again.

By following these tips, you’ll be able to declutter your home effectively and create a more comfortable and functional living space.

As the calendar turned to 2023, transacting real estate in British Columbia became a lot more complicated. Having dealt with a City of Vancouver Empty Homes Tax, the provincial Speculation and Vacancy Tax and a provincial foreign buyer’s tax, we now have a provincial 3 Day Home Buyer Rescission Period, a two-year ban on foreign buyers across Canada, a national Underused Homes Tax – essentially a Canada wide empty homes tax for foreign owned properties and a national anti-flipping tax which would see any profits for sales within a year of purchase taxed as business income.

If your new years resolution was more government regulation, you got it! All these policies focus on the demand side of the transaction and guess what – they don’t and wont work! We started the year yet again with an extremely low level of active listings, and so far, that’s not changing. While sales are slow to start the year, we are only two weeks in and rescission or not, buyers are out shopping. Will they find more homes stocked on the shelves as we move through the first part of 2023, that remains an important question.

At the mid-point of January, there have been 334 sales in Greater Vancouver. This is well below the 795 at the mid-point in December and of course below the 788 at the mid-point of January last year, which was a completely different market. If we compare to January 2019, which was coming out of one of the slowest years on record, it was more closely matched with there being 396 sales in January 2019. It’s still early, and the number of sales in January in the second half tend to be more than 3 times what they are in the first two weeks. And if there is a more significant increase in the number of new listings, the number of sales will be that much higher. January 2019 finished with 1,120 sales after a similar start to this month, so it is quite likely we’ll see similar numbers if not more depending on whether sellers come to the market this month. And judging by the comments of REALTORS® over the last two weeks, open houses have been much busier than the fall, listings that were quiet are getting attention and there have been multiple offers occurring on what limited number of homes there are on the market. After sitting through the last few months of the year, some listings are seeing offers come in. Perhaps a sign that buyers are adjusting to the new levels of interest rates and that the pent-up demand is starting to get more active. And most certainly a sign that sellers may want to jump on an early spring market.

At mid-month in Greater Vancouver there have been only 1,379 new listings, which is above the 984 new listings at the mid-point of December but significantly below the 1,639 new listings at the midpoint of January 2022 and much more below the number of new listings of 1,940 at the mid-point of January 2019 – you know, that other slow market period. After seeing active listings drop below 7,000 in Greater Vancouver, there are now 7,294 listings, up, but ever so slightly. A 24% sales-to-listings ratio has helped, but with the few numbers of new listings, it’s not adding much to the well of active listings so far.

While it is too early to recognize trends in any market, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, and Port Moody appear to be the slowest out of the gate for sales. As of the middle of the month, Port Moody only had two sales – and they were condos and North Vancouver had only seen one townhouse sale. Certainly, in the case of Port Moody, the available number of new listings is a contributing factor in the low number of sales. New Westminster is following along the same path for new listings as December, very few and as a result that’s holding back sales. Coquitlam is bucking the trend with a higher pace of new listings so far in January, with the condo segment being the larger supplier of new listings. And with Coquitlam City Council starting its first meeting of 2023 by sending the Polygon proposal for a massive development out for comment that would see 2,835 units built at the Port Moody border, just north of Lougheed Highway, more supply could be on the way This would be like what Marcon Quadreal is planning to build at the corner of Lougheed and Barnet Highway. All while Port Moody is seeing a bid from Wesgroup to rezone 59 single-family homes for a high-density development. There is a focus on development in these two cites – perhaps something others should take note of. And given the lack of listings buyers have to shop from, they can’t come soon enough.

Here’s a summary of the numbers:

Greater Vancouver

334 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
793 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
788 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
977 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
538 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
396 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

1,379 new listings so far in January compared to
984 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
1,639 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
2,185 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
1,924 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
1,940 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 7,294 compared to 5,427 at mid-month in January 2022, and 8,787 at mid-month in December 2022.

Sales to listings ratio is at 24% compared to 48% at mid-month in January 2022 and 81% at mid-month in December 2022.

Vancouver West

62 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
157 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
152 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
154 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
89 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
57 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

303 new listings so far in January compared to
194 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
395 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
426 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
178 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
193 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 1,723 compared to 1,637 at mid-month in January 2022, and 2,085 at mid-month in December 2022.

Sales to listings ratio is at 20% compared to 48% at mid-month in January 2022 and 81% at mid-month in December 2022.

Vancouver East

41 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
75 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
88 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
97 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
48 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
41 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

144 new listings so far in January compared to
109 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
153 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
236 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
178 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
193 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 793 compared to 652 at mid-month in January 2022, and 979 at mid-month in December 2022.

Sales to listings ratio is at 28% compared to 58% at mid-month in January 2022 and 69% at mid-month in December 2022.

North Vancouver

20 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
69 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
49 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
55 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
30 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
31 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

93 new listings so far in January compared to
62 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
82 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
155 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
163 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
151 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 377 compared to 233 at mid-month in January 2022, and 442 at mid-month in December 2022.

Sales to listings ratio is at 22% compared to 60% at mid-month in January 2022 and 111% at mid-month in December 2022.

West Vancouver

8 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
28 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
11 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
20 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
10 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
7 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

46 new listings so far in January compared to
145 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
52 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
96 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
91 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
59 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 395 compared to 337 at mid-month in January 2022, and 496 at mid-month in December 2022.

Sales to listings ratio is at 17% compared to 21% at mid-month in January 2022 and 76% at mid-month in December 2022.

Richmond

47 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
104 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
130 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
127 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
92 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
49 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

196 new listings so far in January compared to
145 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
266 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
277 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
264 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
293 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 879 compared to 722 at mid-month in January 2022, and 1,048 at mid-month in December 2022.

Sales to listings ratio is at 24% compared to 49% at mid-month in January 2022 and 72% at mid-month in December 2022.

Burnaby East

3 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
7 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
6 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
5 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
8 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
3 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

11 new listings so far in January compared to
13 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
11 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
19 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
21 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
22 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 69 compared to 29 at mid-month in January 2022, and 91 at mid-month in December 2022.
Sales to listings ratio is at 27% compared to 55% at mid-month in January 2022 and 54% at mid-month in December 2022.

Burnaby North

21 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
46 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
36 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
61 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
38 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
22 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

70 new listings so far in January compared to
58 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
83 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
130 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
99 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
91 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 343 compared to 236 at mid-month in January 2022, and 391 at mid-month in December 2022.

Sales to listings ratio is at 30% compared to 43% at mid-month in January 2022 and 79% at mid-month in December 2022.

Burnaby South

15 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
57 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
54 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
72 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
41 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
23 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

66 new listings so far in January compared to
45 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
116 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
136 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
106 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
105 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 324 compared to 264 at mid-month in January 2022, and 835 at mid-month in December 2022.

Sales to listings ratio is at 23% compared to 47% at mid-month in January 2022 and 127% at mid-month in December 2022.

New Westminster

15 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
31 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
38 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
36 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
18 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
27 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

37 new listings so far in January compared to
22 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
62 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
100 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
18 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
27 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 203 compared to 145 at mid-month in January 2022, and 264 at mid-month in December 2022.

Sales to listings ratio is at 41% compared to 61% at mid-month in January 2022 and 141% at mid-month in December 2022.

Coquitlam

22 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
45 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
64 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
104 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
57 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
27 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

107 new listings so far in January compared to
64 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
91 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
161 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
140 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
144 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 434 compared to 255 at mid-month in January 2022, and 536 at mid-month in December 2022.

Sales to listings ratio is at 21% compared to 70% at mid-month in January 2022 and 70% at mid-month in December 2022.

Port Moody

2 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
28 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
19 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
17 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
16 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
10 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

43 new listings so far in January compared to
32 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
25 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
34 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
31 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
25 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 165 compared to 81 at mid-month in January 2022, and 167 at mid-month in December 2022.

Sales to listings ratio is at 5% compared to 76% at mid-month in January 2022 and 88% at mid-month in December 2022.

Port Coquitlam

16 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
17 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
19 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
25 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
21 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
16 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

29 new listings so far in January compared to
34 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
44 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
80 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
65 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
67 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 123 compared to 66 at mid-month in January 2022, and 166 at mid-month in December 2022.

Sales to listings ratio is at 55% compared to 43% at mid-month in January 2022 and 50% at mid-month in December 2022.

Ladner

5 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
5 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
9 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
7 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
12 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
1 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

18 new listings so far in January compared to
14 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
16 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
15 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
37 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
24 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 72 compared to 34 at mid-month in January 2022, and 86 at mid-month in December 2022.
Sales to listings ratio is at 28% compared to 56% at mid-month in January 2022 and 36% at mid-month in December 2022.

Tsawwassen

7 units sold so far in January 2023 compared to
19 units sold at mid-month in December 2022
13 units sold at mid-month in January 2022
16 units sold at mid-month in January 2021
7 units sold at mid-month in January 2020
2 units sold at mid-month in January 2019

21 new listings so far in January compared to
16 new listings at mid-month in December 2022
33 new listings at mid-month in January 2022
43 new listings at mid-month in January 2021
37 new listings at mid-month in January 2020
37 new listings at mid-month in January 2019

Total active listings are at 120 compared to 74 at mid-month in January 2022, and 135 at mid-month in December 2022.

Sales to listings ratio is at 33% compared to 39% at mid-month in January 2022 and 119% at mid-month in December 2022.