Vancouver, BC – August 13, 2019. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that a total of 7,930 residential unit sales were recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in July, an increase of 12.4 percent from the same month last year. The average MLS® residential price in the province was $684,497, a decline of 1.6 percent from July 2018. Total sales dollar volume was $5.43 billion, a 10.5 percent increase from the same month last year.
“BC home sales climbed higher for the first time in 18 months on a year-over-year basis in July,” said BCREA Chief Economist Cameron Muir. Housing demand has
also trended higher since March, rising 21 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis. “Households appear to be adjusting to the tighter credit environment as the shock of the B20 stress test dissipates.”
MLS® residential active listings in the province trended lower in July, down 3 per cent from June and 6 percent from April on a seasonally adjusted basis. Active listings were up 12.4 percent to 41,621 units on a year-over year basis, while overall market conditions remained unchanged from 12 months ago with the sales-to-active listings ratio at 19.1 percent.
Year-to-date, BC residential sales dollar volume was down 18.9 per cent to $30 billion, compared with the same period in 2018. Residential unit sales decreased 14.4 per cent to 43,612 units, while the average MLS® residential price was down 5.3 per cent to $687,413.
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For more information, please contact:
Cameron Muir
Chief Economist
Direct: 604.742.2780
Mobile: 778.229.1884
Email: cmuir@bcrea.bc.ca
BCREA is the professional association for more than 23,000 REALTORS® in BC, focusing on provincial issues that impact real estate. Working with the province’s 11 real estate boards, BCREA provides continuing professional education, advocacy, economic research and standard forms to help REALTORS® provide value for their clients.
To demonstrate the profession's commitment to improving Quality of Life in BC communities, BCREA supports policies that help ensure economic vitality, provide housing opportunities, preserve the environment, protect property owners and build better communities with good schools and safe neighbourhoods.