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Glimmer of hope for Fraser Valley home buyers as new listings surge in January

SURREY, BC – On the heels of the busiest year in history for Fraser Valley real estate, January activity saw the beginnings of a market rebalancing. Overall property sales – still the third highest ever for January – cooled compared to December while the volume of new listings improved significantly.

The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed a total of 1,310 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in January 2022, a decrease of 23.7 per cent compared to January 2021, and 27.5 per cent lower compared to December 2021.

Fraser Valley real estate market sees busiest year in 100‐year history

SURREY, BC – Fueled by the consumer response to the COVID‐19 pandemic along with historically low interest rates, total property sales in the Fraser Valley in 2021 shattered the previous annual record last set in 2016.

The FVREB processed 27,692 sales its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in 2021, an increase of 39.0 per cent compared 19,926 sales in 2020; and 15.5 per cent higher than 2016’s 23,974 sales.

Larry Anderson, President of the Board, said, “No one could have predicted how the pandemic would impact the real estate market. Our region’s relative affordability, combined with a newfound ability to work from home and the value for housing dollar in the Fraser Valley attracted buyers in numbers like we’ve never seen.

Although the red-hot Canadian real estate market has ostensibly taken a breather in recent months, the latest trends developing across Canada suggest that the boom still has room for growth this year. From strengthening demand to lacklustre new housing construction, many factors are pointing to an upward trajectory for Canadian real estate markets over the next 12 months.

Housing affordability had been a considerable issue since before the coronavirus pandemic, but it was largely concentrated in major urban centres such as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. In the aftermath of the first wave of the COVID-19 public health crisis, Canadian real estate valuations went through the roof from coast to coast.

Metro Vancouver’s* housing market saw more moderate sales, listings and pricing trends in July compared to the heightened activity experienced throughout much of the pandemic.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential home sales in the region totalled 3,326 in July 2021, a 6.3 per cent increase from the 3,128 sales recorded in July 2020, and an 11.6 per cent decrease from the 3,762 homes sold in June 2021.

Last month’s sales were 13.3 per cent above the 10-year July sales average.

Across Fraser Valley, in July, the average number of days to sell a single-family detached home was 26 and a townhome was 15 days. Apartments took, on average, 24 days to sell.
 
MLS® HPI Benchmark Price Activity

• Single Family Detached: At $1,319,200, the Benchmark price for an FVREB single-family detached home decreased 0.4 per cent compared to June 2021 and increased 30.9 per cent compared to July 2020.
• Townhomes: At $688,400, the Benchmark price for an FVREB townhome increased 1.5 per cent compared to June 2021 and increased 22.3 per cent compared to July 2020.
• Apartments: At $494,000, the Benchmark price for an FVREB apartment/condo increased 0.1 per cent compared to June 2021 and increased 13.0 per cent compared to July 2020.

While still elevated, home sale and listing activity in Metro Vancouver* has eased back from the record-setting pace seen in March and April of this year.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential home sales in the region totalled 3,762 in June 2021, a 54 per cent increase from the 2,443 sales recorded in June 2020, and an 11.9 per cent decrease from the 4,268 homes sold in May 2021.

Last month’s sales were 18.4 per cent above the 10-year June sales average.