Home listings increase while buyers remain in holding pattern

1,818 Sold 1,103 Sold (-39.3%) Residential property sales in Metro Vancouver

Home listings continue to increase across all housing categories in the Metro Vancouver* housing market while home buyer activity remains below historical averages. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential home sales in the region totalled 1,103 in January 2019, a 39.3 per cent decrease from the 1,818 sales recorded in January 2018, and a 2.9 per cent increase from the 1,072 homes sold in December 2018. Last month’s sales were 36.3 per cent below the 10-year January sales average and were the lowest January-sales total since 2009.

Phil Moore, REBGV president "REALTORS® are seeing more traffic at open houses compared to recent months, however, buyers are choosing to remain in a holding pattern for the time being."

There were 4,848 detached, attached and apartment homes newly listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in Metro Vancouver in January 2019. This represents a 27.7 per cent increase compared to the 3,796 homes listed in January 2018 and a 244.6 per cent increase compared to the 1,407 homes listed in December 2018. The total number of homes currently listed for sale on the MLS® system in Metro Vancouver is 10,808, a 55.6 per cent increase compared to January 2018 (6,947) and a 5.2 per cent increase compared to December 2018 (10,275). For all property types, the sales-to-active listings ratio for January 2019 is 10.2 per cent. By property type, the ratio is 6.8 per cent for detached homes, 11.9 per cent for townhomes, and 13.6 per cent for condominiums.

Sales-to-active listings ratio - January 2019 Detached homes 6.8% Townhomes 11.9% Condominiums 13.6% Total 10.2%