SURREY, BC – Property sales in the Fraser Valley decreased by over 35 per cent in April 2022 compared to the previous month, and while the figure is still the sixth-highest April on record for the past ten years, it marks the first time monthly sales have fallen below the ten-year average since June 2020.
In April, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) processed 1,637 sales on its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®), a decrease of 45.7 per cent compared to April 2021 and a 36.6 per cent decrease compared to March.
“We would typically see a flurry of activity around this time of the year,” said, FVREB President, Sandra Benz, “however that’s not been the case so far. While it’s still too early to say whether this trend will endure, the slowing of sales combined with an increase in active listings is helping to restore a semblance of balance to the market, which is encouraging for homebuyers.”
Last month, the Board received 3,622 new listings, a decrease of 27.8 per cent compared to April 2021, and a decrease of 20.9 per cent compared to March 2022. The total month-end active inventory in April was 5,387, 14.6 per cent higher than in March.
“In an effort to stem inflation worries, the government has moved quickly to implement interest rate hikes,” added FVREB CEO Baldev Gill. “In fact, we’re already back to rate levels we haven’t seen since 2019. This will put an added burden on homebuyers, particularly on first-timers, who will have to meet more stringent stress test conditions. Ultimately, this will likely result in a decrease in demand, which may slow price growth, however it will do little to resolve the underlying issue of low inventory.”
Across Fraser Valley, in April, the average number of days to sell a single-family detached home was 16 and a townhome was 13 days. Apartments took, on average, 13 days to sell.
MLS® HPI Benchmark Price Activity
Single Family Detached: At $1,731,000, the Benchmark price for an FVREB single-family detached home increased 0.2 per cent compared to March 2022 and increased 33.8 per cent compared to April 2021.
Townhomes: At $902,500, the Benchmark price for an FVREB townhome increased 1.8 per cent compared to March 2022 and increased 38.3 per cent compared to April 2021.
Apartments: At $649,500 the Benchmark price for an FVREB apartment/condo increased 1.0 per cent compared to March 2022 and increased 35.6 per cent compared to April 2021.
SURREY, BC – For the third consecutive month, new listings in the Fraser Valley continued to climb in March giving buyers more to choose from, helping to increase overall active inventory to levels not seen since last July.
Property sales remain robust, as Benchmark prices, the price of a ‘typical’ home, continued to increase month- over-month.
In March, the FVREB processed 2,580 residential and commercial sales on its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®), a decrease of 22.5 per cent compared to March 2021 and 41.4 per cent more than were processed in February.
Sandra Benz, President of the Board, said of this month’s statistics, “Sales were strong again in March as more new listings continued to come on stream. We’re hopeful this will contribute to a slowing in price growth, which is good news for the home-buying public. Other encouraging signs, such as less open house traffic and fewer multiple offers, may help us get to a more balanced market, however until the fundamental issue of lack of supply is addressed, we won’t see that happen anytime soon.”
The Board received 4,580 new listings in March, a decrease of 10.0 per cent compared to March of last year, and 22.4 per cent more than were processed in February. Total active inventory for March was 4,699, a decrease of 6.2 per cent compared to last year’s 5,012 active listings, however 24.0 per cent higher than last month.
Baldev Gill, Chief Executive Officer of the Board, added, “We may not see the impact of recent interest rate hikes on the market trends until later in 2022. With fixed rates nearly double what they were a year ago, new homebuyers will likely be more impacted than other segments of the home-buying public, as mortgage stress test conditions become more stringent. We hope to see equal efforts from government to address inventory issues tohelp make housing more affordable.”
Across Fraser Valley, in March, the average number of days to sell a single-family detached home was 12 and a townhome was 14 days. Apartments took, on average, 11 days to sell.
MLS® HPI Benchmark Price Activity
Single Family Detached: At $1,726,900, the Benchmark price for an FVREB single-family detached home increased 3.4 per cent compared to February 2022 and increased 39.5 per cent compared to March 2021.
Townhomes: At $886,400, the Benchmark price for an FVREB townhome increased 5.4 per cent compared to February 2022 and increased 41.9 per cent compared to March 2021.
Apartments: At $643,000, the Benchmark price for an FVREB apartment/condo increased 4.6 per cent compared to February 2022 and increased 38.2 per cent compared to March 2021.
SURREY, BC – Buyers of Fraser Valley real estate had significantly more inventory to choose from last month due to a record-breaking volume of new listings received for the month of February.
The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) received 3,742 new listings in February, an increase of 75.3 per cent compared to January, and an increase of 14.6 per cent compared to February of last year. The previous highest February for new listings was 3,283 in 2016.
The FVREB processed a total of 1,824 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in February 2022, a decrease of 35.2 per cent compared to February 2021, and 39.2 per cent higher compared to January 2022. Sales remain strong at 18 per cent above the 10-year average.
By month end, February’s total active listings available for purchase were 3,790, a decrease of 8.0 per cent compared to the same month last year, however 62.5 per cent higher than what was available at the end of January. It’s the highest month-over-month increase in active listings in the Fraser Valley in 20 years.
“Although the market is still far from balanced, it is encouraging to see new listings increase again for the second month in a row,” said Fraser Valley Real Estate Board President, Larry Anderson. “We’re hopeful that this trend will be sustained leading into the spring season as more sellers come on stream to help soften the market and provide opportunities for the many buyers who’ve been sidelined over the past year and a half.”
“Buyers are looking for value for their real estate dollar and the Fraser Valley market still delivers compared to other regions throughout the Lower Mainland,” said Baldev Gill CEO of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. “That said, supply fundamentals continue to be the number one issue facing real estate markets in all regions across the province. Until there is a concerted effort to address inventory, buyers will continue to face challenging market conditions.
” In the Fraser Valley region, the average number of days to sell an apartment in February was 12 days, and 11 days for townhomes. Single family detached homes averaged 13 days before selling. The one-year comparison is 35, 21 and 21 respectively.
MLS® HPI Benchmark Price Activity
• Single Family Detached: At $1,670,800, the Benchmark price for an FVREB single-family detached home increased 6.5 per cent compared to last month and increased 43.6 per cent compared to February 2021.
• Townhomes: At $840,900, the Benchmark price for an FVREB townhome increased 5.6 per cent compared to last month and increased 40.1 per cent compared to February 2021.
• Apartments: At $614,800 the Benchmark price for an FVREB apartment/condo increased 7.1 per cent compared to last month and increased 36.3 per cent compared to February 2021.
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.
The Board received 2,135 new listings in January, an increase of 67.1 per cent compared to December 2021, and a decrease of 23.3 per cent compared to January of last year. Total active listings for the month were 2,332, down 44.6 per cent compared to January 2021, however an increase of 19.2 per cent compared to December 2021.
Larry Anderson, President of the Board, said, “In January, REALTORS® saw the return of home sellers. Yes, sales in our region remain elevated, but a positive, early trend for 2022 is we experienced a significant increase in requests from sellers to list.
“It’s early days yet, but if this trend continues into spring, we could see an easing of the supply‐demand dynamic in our region. We have a long way to go to replenish our housing stock and bring much‐needed balance to the market, but this is a step in the right direction.”
Baldev Gill, Chief Executive Officer of the Board, said, “For almost two years, Fraser Valley REALTORS® have worked hard to help their clients navigate safely during the longest, most intense seller’s market in our Board’s history. This protracted pandemic market has resulted in considerable upward pressure on home prices.
“We anticipate the seasonal influx of new inventory, such as we’re already seeing, could provide a welcome, albeit far from fully adequate, easing of price growth moving into 2022.”
In January 2022, the average number of days to sell a single‐family detached home in the Fraser Valley was 25, compared to 35 days in January 2021; 12 days on average to sell a townhome and 17 days for apartments, compared to 28 and 37 days respectively, in January of last year.
MLS® HPI Benchmark Price Activity
Single Family Detached: At $1,569,300, the Benchmark price for an FVREB single‐family detached home increased 4.6 per cent compared to December 2021 and increased 41.8 per cent compared to January 2021.
Townhomes: At $796,500, the Benchmark price for an FVREB townhome increased 4.0 per cent compared to December 2021 and increased 37.2 per cent compared to January 2021.
Apartments: At $574,300, the Benchmark price for an FVREB apartment/condo increased 4.6 per cent compared to December 2021 and increased 30.6 per cent compared to January 2021.