A total of 460 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this February, 35.9 per cent fewer than the 718 properties sold in February 2022 but a 65.5 per cent increase from January 2023. Sales of condominiums were down 39.7 per cent from February 2022 with 161 units sold. Sales of single family homes decreased 28.8 per cent from February 2022 with 220 sold.

“Last month we talked about the optimism building in the local market that our REALTORS® saw, and now we can see it in the market statistics,” said Victoria Real Estate Board Chair Graden Sol. “We can confirm the return of buyer confidence by the increase in sales through the late winter. The market is seeing some positive headwinds as we move into springtime, which is traditionally the busiest market for home sales. Inventory levels are starting to increase, a welcome trend when compared to the record lows of last year. We’re also seeing a stabilization at some price points and properties that are priced in accordance with current market conditions are selling at a good pace.”

There were 1,809 active listings for sale on the Victoria Real Estate Board Multiple Listing Service® at the end of February 2023, an increase of 4 per cent compared to the previous month of January and a 113.1 per cent increase from the 849 active listings for sale at the end of February 2022.

“The market today is different than we have seen in recent years,” adds Sol. “There’s plenty of demand from buyers, and we are still low in inventory, but there are opportunities in a less pressurized environment for consumers to get into a new home. Most buyers will find they have more time to view homes, make decisions and do their due diligence in this somewhat more relaxed market. Of course, we are heading into a new season which is typically very active. The statistics in this report reflect what happened last month. Prudent buyers and sellers will seek the knowledge of their Realtor to determine the up-to-the-minute conditions and how to best navigate the market.”

The Multiple Listing Service® Home Price Index benchmark value for a single family home in the Victoria Core in February 2022 was $1,321,400. The benchmark value in February 2023 decreased by 5.6 per cent to $1,247,200, down from January’s value of $1,251,100. The MLS® HPI benchmark value for a condominium in the Victoria Core area in February 2022 was $580,900, while the benchmark value in February 2023 decreased by 2.2 per cent to $568,200, down from the January value of $578,300.

A total of 460 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this February, 35.9 per cent fewer than the 718 properties sold in February 2022 but a 65.5 per cent increase from January 2023. Sales of condominiums were down 39.7 per cent from February 2022 with 161 units sold. Sales of single family homes decreased 28.8 per cent from February 2022 with 220 sold.

“Last month we talked about the optimism building in the local market that our REALTORS® saw, and now we can see it in the market statistics,” said Victoria Real Estate Board Chair Graden Sol. “We can confirm the return of buyer confidence by the increase in sales through the late winter. The market is seeing some positive headwinds as we move into springtime, which is traditionally the busiest market for home sales. Inventory levels are starting to increase, a welcome trend when compared to the record lows of last year. We’re also seeing a stabilization at some price points and properties that are priced in accordance with current market conditions are selling at a good pace.”

There were 1,809 active listings for sale on the Victoria Real Estate Board Multiple Listing Service® at the end of February 2023, an increase of 4 per cent compared to the previous month of January and a 113.1 per cent increase from the 849 active listings for sale at the end of February 2022.

“The market today is different than we have seen in recent years,” adds Sol. “There’s plenty of demand from buyers, and we are still low in inventory, but there are opportunities in a less pressurized environment for consumers to get into a new home. Most buyers will find they have more time to view homes, make decisions and do their due diligence in this somewhat more relaxed market. Of course, we are heading into a new season which is typically very active. The statistics in this report reflect what happened last month. Prudent buyers and sellers will seek the knowledge of their Realtor to determine the up-to-the-minute conditions and how to best navigate the market.”

The Multiple Listing Service® Home Price Index benchmark value for a single family home in the Victoria Core in February 2022 was $1,321,400. The benchmark value in February 2023 decreased by 5.6 per cent to $1,247,200, down from January’s value of $1,251,100. The MLS® HPI benchmark value for a condominium in the Victoria Core area in February 2022 was $580,900, while the benchmark value in February 2023 decreased by 2.2 per cent to $568,200, down from the January value of $578,300.

A slight uptick in sales and inventory, but Victoria real estate market still requires commitment to homes

A total of 480 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this October, 35.6 per cent fewer than the 745 properties sold in October 2021 but a 17.1 per cent increase from September 2022. Sales of condominiums were down 39 per cent from October 2021 with 152 units sold. Sales of single family homes decreased 32.2 per cent from October 2021 with 230 sold.

 “Inventory has remained stable this month and for the first time since May 2022, we see a slight increase in the month over month sales,” says Victoria Real Estate Board President Karen Dinnie-Smyth. “We noted last month that the number of sales for September did not necessarily reflect the on-the-ground activity in the marketplace. October sales have shown what the industry has been experiencing, an increase in activity, more sales and well-priced homes receiving plenty of attention – some receiving multiple offers. If you are considering selling a property, the continually evolving market conditions this month reinforce the need for up-to-date analysis of how to price your home during this type of market. With many micro-markets within the Greater Victoria area conversations with your local REALTOR® on how the housing market is performing in your specific area will be crucial to your success.”

 There were 2,192 active listings for sale on the Victoria Real Estate Board Multiple Listing Service® at the end of October 2022, a decrease of 4.7 per cent compared to the previous month of September but a 111.6 per cent increase from the 1,036 active listings for sale at the end of October 2021.

 “With new mayors and councillors heading to work in several of our municipalities, we hope to see strong commitments to positive ways to manage the current and future housing needs of our communities high on council agendas,” adds President Dinnie-Smyth. “The future cost of housing is at stake. The pressure on pricing and in the market overall will not resolve until we see material improvements in the number and types of properties available in the Greater Victoria area. Rentals, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes and beyond are all needed to help ensure that we do not face another cycle of rapid price increases due to lack of inventory in the future. We hope that all municipalities will be looking at gentle density improvements that will ensure more homes for more people in their community planning.”

 The Multiple Listing Service® Home Price Index benchmark value for a single family home in the Victoria Core in October 2021 was $1,216,900. The benchmark value for the same home in October 2022 increased by 10.2 per cent to $1,341,400 but was down 1.7 per cent from September's value of $1,364,200. The MLS® HPI benchmark value for a condominium in the Victoria Core area in October 2021 was $524,500, while the benchmark value for the same condominium in October 2022 increased by 14.9 per cent to $602,700, down by 2.4 per cent from the September value of $617,400.

 Read the statistics package here.

 The release and the full statistics package will be posted to the VREB website at www.vreb.org/current-statistics later this afternoon.

• Times Colonist
• 3 Jan 2020

A sandy beach on James Island, near Sidney. The privately-owned island was once again the most valuable piece of private property in the Capital Regional District at $56.47 million.

January 2, 2020,

Victoria Real Estate Market wraps up a relatively flat year for home sales A total of 402 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this December, 7.2 percent more than the 375 properties sold in December 2018 and a 30.3 percent decrease from November 2019. Sales of condominiums were up 17.5 percent from December 2018 with 121 units sold. Sales of single-family homes increased 13.8 percent from December 2018 with 198 sold.

A grand total of 7,255 properties sold over the course of 2019, 1.47 percent more than the 7,150 that sold in 2018. 2019 sales came in at slightly under the ten-year average of 7,413 properties sold.

“Overall, our market throughout 2019 can be characterized as still active, slow to grow and low in supply,” says 2019 Victoria Real Estate Board President Cheryl Woolley. “Last year we saw many prospective buyers sit on the sidelines waiting for inventory to be added. As a result of this unmet demand, there was and continues to be a push from consumers to create townhomes and condos at accessible price points. We began 2019 discussing the potential impact of various taxes and lending rules introduced by the federal and provincial governments that were designed to calm housing market activity - although this activity had already begun to slow following our hyper-active market in 2016/17. The most impactful government change we saw was the tighter mortgage lending rules, which lowered consumer borrowing power and made many unable to qualify for the value of mortgages they had in the past, therefore compressing more demand into our mid- and lower-priced property market.”

There were 1,952 active listings for sale on the Victoria Real Estate Board Multiple Listing Service® at the end of December 2019, a decrease of 18.6 percent compared to the month of November and a 1.8 percent decrease from the 1,988 active listings for sale at the end of December 2018.

“Constant demand on this middle housing segment has put a moderate amount of pressure on pricing,” adds Woolley. “And although we did not see huge price increases through 2019 as we did in the run-up through 2016, we do see buyers entering into multiple offer situations and competing for properties. The high end of the market – over $1.5 million – has been softer, which is nice for a very small percentage of buyers in our area, but difficult on sellers who have seen some equity erode. The theme heading into 2020 does for now appear to be the limited selection of single-family homes and growth in pressure for more condos and townhomes. What remains consistent is that in this complex market, buyers and sellers value the assistance of their REALTOR® to navigate one of the biggest purchases most will make in their lifetime."

The Multiple Listing Service® Home Price Index benchmark value for a single-family home in the Victoria Core in December 2018 was $860,400. The benchmark value for the same home in December 2019 decreased by 0.6 percent to $855,000, slightly less than November’s value of $855,400. The MLS® HPI benchmark value for a condominium in the Victoria Core area in December.

VREB

Study Reveals ‘Starbucks Effect’ on Home Prices. 

Having a Starbucks open near a neighbourhood could increase nearby home values, potentially by a few thousand dollars, a new study from Harvard Business School finds. The study’s authors focused on the gentrification of neighbourhoods using Yelp data but discovered the “Starbucks effect” during their research.

lauramusikanski - Morguefile

Using Yelp data to find the entry of each Starbucks in a ZIP code, researchers found a 0.5 percent increase in housing prices within a year after a Starbucks opens. 

Harvard economics professor Edward Glaeser says he believes the home price rises are not due to the actual Starbucks opening but may be more of an indicator of affluent customers in the area.

"The presence of a Starbucks is far less important than whether the community has people who consume Starbucks," Glaeser notes in the paper. "Consequently, we think that this variable is likely to be a proxy for gentrification itself. … The most natural hypothesis to us is that restaurants respond to exogenous changes in neighbourhood composition, not that restaurant availability is driving neighbourhood change.”

Overall, gentrification, according to the paper says, is “strongly associated” with increases in the numbers of grocery stores, cafes, restaurants, and bars.