BC home sales less volatile
“BC home sales have trended on an annual rate of 84,000 to 86,000 units over the past three months, down from the 108,000 unit pace recorded in the fourth quarter of last year,” said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. A total of 85,028 MLS® residential unit sales were recorded in 2009. “Higher home prices, particularly in Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Victoria as well as a recent lift in mortgage interest rates has eroded affordability and had an impact on overall housing demand,” added Muir.
The BC residential sales dollar volume increased 73 per cent to $13.5 billion in the first four months of 2010, compared to the same period last year. Residential units sales rose 47 per cent to 26,669 units year-to-date, while the average MLS® residential price climbed 17 per cent to $507,616 over the same period.