B.C. Real Estate Assoc. News Release: More Homes for Sale - Welcome News for Homebuyers
The British Columbia Real Estate Assciation (BCREA) released a press release yesterday morning with the title More Homes for Sale - Welcome News for Homebuyers and indeed the inventory of homes for sale in British Columia is up. Sales were down last month, but only by 1.4%. Homebuyers have more options is most areas and sellers must be realistic about the price they expect to sell for. As Cameron Muir mentions below
“competition among home sellers means curb appeal, interior condition and prudent pricing are necessary for faster sale.”
The whole press release is below and and the whole report is here.
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More Homes for Sale—Welcome News for Homebuyers
Vancouver, BC – May 14, 2008. British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports residential sales dollar volume on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in BC dipped 1.4 per cent to $4.1 billion in April, compared to April 2007. Residential unit sales declined 11 per cent to 8,623 units during the same period. The average MLS® residential price in the province reached $478,044, up 11 per cent from April 2007.
“Rising inventories are providing more choice for consumers and exerting less upward pressure on home prices,” said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. Active MLS® residential listings in the province were up 37 per cent to 47,923 units in April. “The combination of a slower pace of home sales and some profit taking by investors is contributing to a balance between housing demand and the supply of homes for sale.”
“While homebuyers now face less competition for the homes available for sale,” added Muir, “competition among home sellers means curb appeal, interior condition and prudent pricing are necessary for faster sale.”
In the first four months of the year, MLS® residential sales volume in the province fell 1.8 per cent to $13.2 billion compared to the same period in 2007. Residential unit sales declined 13 per cent to 27,730 units, while the average MLS® residential price increased 13 per cent to $474,993.
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Matthew Collinge: Vancouver REALTOR®
