Office Operation Updates

The BCREA Economics Department forecasts that the number of homes changing hands on the Multiple Listing Service® will exceed 100,000 in 2015. That’s the third strongest unit sales figure on record and marks the first time since 2007 that BC home sales will exceed the ten-year average.While sales are expected to decrease somewhat in 2016, the forecast is still strong with an expectation of 93,7…

Home sales reached near record levels in November even as home listings began the traditional year-end decline.The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Metro Vancouver reached 3,524 on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in November 2015. This represents a 40.1 per cent increase compared to the 2,516 sales recorded in November 2014, and a 3…

Employment in Canada declined by 36,000 jobs in November, largely as the result of losses in part-time work. The national unemployment rate edged 0.1 points higher to 7.1 per cent.  Total hours worked, which is strongly correlated with economic growth, is up 1.1 per cent over the past 12 months while total employment is up 0.7 per cent over that time period.In BC, employment fell by 1,400 j…

Canadian housing starts increased 7.2 per cent in November to 211,916 units at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR).  The six-month trend in Canadian housing starts of 208,401 units SAAR has risen for several months and is currently above the rate of household formations in Canada, a sign that new home construction could slow next year. Housing starts in BC fell 24 per cent follo…

Vancouver, BC – December 14, 2015. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that a total of 8,032 residential unit sales were recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in November, up 34.5 per cent from the same month last year. Total sales dollar volume was $5.38 billion, up 56.4 per cent compared to the previous year. The average MLS® residential price in the pro…

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.4 per cent in November compared to the same month last year. While the transportation component, which contains gasoline prices, edged lower, prices were up in seven of the eight major index components. The largest increase came from food prices, which rose 3.4 per cent. The Core CPI, which excludes the volatile components like food and gasoline, was right on…

Canadian housing starts closed the year down close to 20 per cent, falling from 212,028 units at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) in November to 172,965 units SAAR in December.  The six-month trend in Canadian housing starts of 203,500 units SAAR was also down. For the year 2015,  total Canadian housing starts were up 6 per cent over 2014.  Large declines in oil-producing provinces such a…

Vancouver, BC – November 12, 2015. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that a total of 8,725 residential unit sales were recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in October, up 14.1 per cent from the same month last year. Total sales dollar volume was $5.8 billion, up 32.3 per cent compared to the previous year. The average MLS® residential price in the province r…

Vancouver, BC – November 25, 2015. The BCREA Commercial Leading Indicator (CLI) declined for a second consecutive quarter, falling 0.2 index points in the third quarter to 120.0. The index was still 1.2 per cent higher year-over-year, due to strong momentum from 2014 that carried into the early months of this year.Third quarter jitters in financial markets and modest employment losses overwhelm…