Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) – April Report
Spring months bring balance to Greater Vancouver housing market
VANCOUVER, B.C. – June 4, 2013 – While the number of home sales in Greater Vancouver continued to trend below the 10-year average in May, the balance of sales and listings meant continued market stability this spring.
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver reached 2,882 on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in May 2013. This represents a one per cent increase compared to the 2,853 sales recorded in May 2012, and a 9.7 per cent increase compared to the 2,627 sales in April 2013.
Last month’s sales were 19.4 per cent below the 10-year sales average for the month, while new listings for the month were 7.4 percent below the 10-year average.
“We’ve seen some steadying trends over the last three months,” Sandra Wyant, REBGV president said. “The number of homes listed for sale has been keeping pace with the number of property sales, leading to a balanced sales-to-listings ratio. This is having a stabilizing influence on home price activity.”
New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver totalled 5,656 in May. This represents an 18.3 per cent decline compared to the 6,927 new listings reported in May 2012 and a 3.7 per cent decline from the 5,876 new listings in April of this year.The total number of properties currently listed for sale on the MLS® in Greater Vancouver is 17,222, a 3.4 per cent decrease compared to May 2012 and a 2.9 per cent increase compared to April 2013.
The sales-to-active-listings ratio currently sits at 17 per cent in Greater Vancouver. This is the third straight month that this ratio has been above 15 per cent. Previous to this, May 2012 was the last time this ratio was above 15 per cent.
The MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouver is currently $598400. This represents a decline of 4.3 per cent compared to this time last year and an increase of 1.8 per cent compared to January 2013.
Sales of detached properties reached 1,212 in May 2013, an increase of 2.7 per cent from the 1,180 detached sales recorded in May 2012, and a 22.8 per cent decrease from the 1,570 units sold in May 2011. The benchmark price for detached properties decreased 5.2 per cent from May 2012 to $917,200.
Continued Sales of apartment properties reached 1,136 in May 2013, a decline of 1.7 per cent compared to the 1,156 sales in May 2012, and a decrease of 7.5 per cent compared to the 1,228 sales in May 2011. The benchmark price of an apartment property decreased 3.7 per cent from May 2012 to $365,600.
Attached property sales in May 2013 totalled 534, an increase of 3.3 per cent compared to the 517 sales in May 2012, and a 7.8 per cent decrease from the 579 attached properties sold in May 2011. The benchmark price of an attached unit decreased 3.2 per cent between May 2012 and 2013 to $454,90
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Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) – April Report
Spring delivers greater balance to Greater Vancouver housing market
A closer relationship between home buyer demand and the supply of homes for sale has been having a stabilizing impact on home prices in the Greater Vancouver housing market over the last three months.
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver reached 2,627 on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in April 2013. This represents a 6.1 per cent decrease compared to the 2,799 sales recorded in April 2012, and an 11.9 per cent increase compared to the 2,347 sales in March 2013.
Last month’s sales equate to the lowest April total in the region since 2001 and 20.9 per cent below the 10-year sales average for the month.
“While the number of home sales remains below average, properties that are priced right are selling and we’re seeing greater balance between buyer demand and the number of homes listed for sale. This is having a steadying influence on home prices in the region,” says Sandra Wyant, REBGV president.
New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver totalled 5,876 in April. This represents a three per cent decline compared to the 6,056 new listings reported in April 2012 and a 21.4 per cent increase from the 4,839 new listings in March of this year. Last month’s new listing count was 0.4 per cent above the region’s 10-year new listing average for the month.
The total number of properties listed for sale on the MLS® in Greater Vancouver is 16,730, a 1.2 per cent increase compared to April 2012 and an 8.2 per cent increase compared to March 2013.
The sales-to-active-listings ratio currently sits at 15.7 per cent in Greater Vancouver. This is the second consecutive month that this ratio has been above 15 per cent. Previous to this, May 2012 was the last time this ratio was above 15 per cent.
“There have been modest increases in home prices across the region over the last three months. This comes on the heels of home price declines of approximately five to six per cent in Greater Vancouver during the last half of 2012,” Wyant said.
The MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouver is currently $597,300. This represents a decline of 3.9 per cent compared to this time last year and an increase of 1.6 per cent compared to January 2013.
Sales of detached properties reached 1,064 in April 2013, a decrease of 5.5 per cent from the 1,126 detached sales recorded in April 2012, and a 24.1 per cent decrease from the 1,402 units sold in April 2011. The benchmark price for detached properties decreased 5.2 per cent from April 2012 to $914,000. Since January the benchmark price of a detached home has increased 1.4 per cent.
Sales of apartment properties reached 1,052 in April 2013, a decline of 11.6 per cent compared to the 1,190 sales in April 2012, and a decrease of 12.4 per cent compared to the 1,201 sales in April 2011. The benchmark price of an apartment property decreased 2.6 per cent from April 2012 to $365,900. Since January the benchmark price of an apartment home has increased 2.1 per cent.
Attached property sales in April 2013 totalled 511, an increase of 5.8 per cent compared to the 483 sales in April 2012, and a 17.8 per cent decrease from the 622 attached properties sold in April 2011. The benchmark price of an attached unit decreased 3.5 per cent between April 2012 and 2013 to $455,200. Since January the benchmark price of an attached home has increased 1.2 per cent.
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2013 will be a challenging year for home sellers
The current supply of homes for sale in Richmond at over 10 months of inventory is putting pressure on home sellers who want to sell their homes in a hurry. It is very challenging for home sellers to deal with when buyers are in no hurry to buy. In spite of low interest rates at all-time-low of 3.0% or less for 5-year fixed mortgages, buyers are staying on the sideline. Many resale homes are languishing on the market due to buyers not willing to pay the prices sellers are expecting from their homes.
The first salvo from Parc Riviera
Parc Riviera, a riverfront project in north-east Richmond is a 20-acre master planned community with five acres of parks and riverfront trails. The project featured a Clubhouse and a Daycare is planned for the area. The developer is now offering pre-construction sale of condos starting from the mid $200,000’s. The selling prices for the first phase of condos and townhouses at Parc Riviera could set the stage for Richmond home prices to come down. The ad placed in Vancouver 24 Hrs and Richmond News boldly advertised townhouses selling from $369 per sq ft and condos from $386 per sq ft. With condos starting at $277,900 and townhomes starting at $399,900. Current selling price per sq ft for resale wood-frame condo in Richmond is around $405 to $420 per sq ft. There is a price advantage for home buyers to consider buying their new homes at Parc Riviera instead of the more expansive resale homes elsewhere in Richmond.
How resale condos and townhouses compared?
Home prices at Parc Riviera are priced some 10% to 15% lower than the selling prices of resale condos and townhouses transacted the past 3 months. Current resale lowrise wood-frame condos and townhouses are priced from $435 to $475 per sq ft. Recent condos in Richmond were sold at prices from $400 to $450 per sq ft.
The overhang of too many homes chasing too few buyers could only mean lower selling prices for sellers. Motivated sellers would take low-ball offers to sell their homes. A likely scenario is for condo and townhouse prices to come down to $400 per sq ft or lower. Condo owners who bought the past 3 years when selling in today’s market, stand to lose thousands of dollars.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are not intended to be a forecast of future events, a guarantee of future results or real estate market patterns, and are subject to change based on market and other conditions. The information and discussion on topics of interest are not intended to be a comprehensive discussion of the strategies or concepts mentioned.
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