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Housing supply and demand reach closer alignment in January

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Jeff Benna (RE/MAX Real Estate Services)

VANCOUVER, B.C. – February 2, 2010 – Diverse selection and favourable interest rates continue to drive demand in the Greater Vancouver housing market.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 1,923 in January 2010, an increase of 152.4 percent compared to January 2009 when 762 sales were recorded and a 23.5 percent decline compared to the 2,515 sales recorded in December 2009.

In terms of historical perspective, January ranked as an average month for number of residential housing sales over the past decade, with higher sales in January 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006.

Over the last 12 months, the MLSLink® Housing Price Index (HPI) benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouver increased 17.2 percent to $573,241 from $489,007 in January 2009. This price is 0.8 percent above the previous high point in the market in May 2008 when the residential benchmark price sat at $568,411.

“Although home prices in the region have largely returned to their previous peaks, we still see a significant number of first-time and move-up buyers in the market, thanks to low interest rates and the diverse range of properties available today,” Jake Moldowan, REBGV president-elect said.

“There is also closer alignment between supply and demand in today’s housing market. At 18 percent, the salesto- active listings ratio in January is approximately 10 percent lower than we’ve seen in our market over the last six months,” Moldowan said.

New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties in Greater Vancouver totalled 5,147 in January 2010. This represents a 39.1 percent increase compared to January 2009 when 3,700 new units were listed, and a 139.1 percent increase compared to December 2009 when 2,153 properties were listed on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in Greater Vancouver.

At 10,218, the total number of property listings on the MLS® increased 14 percent in January compared to last month and declined 26 percent from this time last year.

“Looking ahead, it’s difficult to know exactly what the Olympic effect will be on our market in February, although I think it’s fair to say it should be a quieter period for home buyers and sellers and so, in fact, may be a good time for motivated buyers to search for properties,” Moldowan said.

In January, sales of detached properties increased 141.4 percent to 705 from the 292 detached sales recorded during the same period in 2009. The benchmark price, as calculated by the MLSLink® Housing Price Index, for detached properties increased 19.5 percent from January 2009 to $788,499.

Sales of apartment properties in January 2010 increased 146.8 percent to 891 compared to 361 sales in January 2009. The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 15.2 percent from January 2009 to $385,487.

Attached property sales in January 2010 are up 200 percent to 327, compared with the 109 sales in January 2009. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 13.4 percent between January 2009 and 2010 to $482,478.

Market Report Feb 2010