Area Real Estate News & Market Trends

You’ll find our blog to be a wealth of information, covering everything from local market statistics and home values to community happenings. That’s because we care about the community and want to help you find your place in it. Please reach out if you have any questions at all. We’d love to talk with you!

May 8, 2023

Vancouver Island Real Estate Statistics April 2023

 

BUYERS TAKING MEASURED APPROACH IN SPRING MARKET

In Nanaimo, BC – According to the Vancouver Real Estate Board. Last month, there were 391 sales of single-family homes in the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB) area, a 22% decrease from one year ago (500) and a 3 % increase from March 2023 (381). Sales of condo apartments in April came in at 77, declining by 31 % year over year and increasing by 17 % from the previous month. In the row/townhouse category, 88 units changed hands in April, down 6%  from one year ago and up by 14 % from March.

Active listings of single-family homes were 956 in April, up from 731 one year ago. VIREB’s inventory of condo apartments hit 304 last month, up from 174 listings in April 2022. There were 246 row/ townhouses for sale last month compared to 150 one year ago.

The board-wide benchmark price (MLS® Home Price Index) of a single-family home was $738,600 in April 2023, down 14 % from one year ago and up by 1% from March. In the apartment category, the benchmark price was $410,000 last month, a 10 % decrease from April 2022 and up by 1% from March. The year-over-year benchmark price of a townhouse was $563,600 in April, down 7% from one year ago and a slight increase from March.

In Campbell River, the benchmark price of a single-family home was $677,800 in April, down 11 per cent from the previous year. The Comox Valley’s year-over-year benchmark price dropped by 10 per cent to $797,000. In the Cowichan Valley, the benchmark price was $743,300, a 14 per cent decrease from April 2022. Nanaimo’s year-over-year benchmark price dropped by 16 per cent to $753,000, while the Parksville-Qualicum area saw its benchmark price decrease by 14 per cent to $850,500. The cost of a benchmark single-family home in Port Alberni was $515,400, down 16 per cent from the previous year. For the North Island, the benchmark price of a single-family home decreased by four per cent to $422,300.

 

Please note: The Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB) transitioned to a new MLS® System in July 2020 and now uses a significantly different data model, which has affected our categories and terminology. For the board- supplied graphs, single-family is now referred to as single-family detached, apartment as condo apartment, and townhouse as row/townhouse, which now includes patio homes. However, when reporting HPI numbers, VIREB still refers to single-family, apartment, and townhouse in the media release.

 

 

HOW TO READ THE TABLES

Benchmark Price: Estimated sale price of a benchmark property. Benchmarks represent a typical property in each market.

Price Index: Index numbers estimate the percentage change in price on typical and constant quality properties over time. All figures are based on past sales.

Month/Year Change Percentage: Percentage change of index over a period of (x) month(s) year.

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SINGLE-FAMILY BENCHMARK PRICE AND HPI

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NOTE: VIREB’s HPI benchmark prices were recalculated to adjust for changes to new MLS® System software implemented in July 2020. This has resulted in changes to some of our historical benchmark prices, many of which have increased. Benchmark prices reported beginning in January 2021 are correct as of this writing.

SINGLE-FAMILY BENCHMARK PRICE AND HPI

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NOTE: VIREB’s HPI benchmark prices were recalculated to adjust for changes to new MLS® System software implemented in July 2020. This has resulted in changes to some of our historical benchmark prices, many of which have increased. Benchmark prices reported beginning in January 2021 are correct as of this writing.

APARTMENT BENCHMARK PRICE AND HPI

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NOTE: VIREB’s HPI benchmark prices were recalculated to adjust for changes to new MLS® System software implemented in July 2020. This has resulted in changes to some of our historical benchmark prices, many of which have increased. Benchmark prices reported beginning in January 2021 are correct as of this writing.

APARTMENT BENCHMARK PRICE AND HPI

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NOTE: VIREB’s HPI benchmark prices were recalculated to adjust for changes to new MLS® System software implemented in July 2020. This has resulted in changes to some of our historical benchmark prices, many of which have increased. Benchmark prices reported beginning in January 2021 are correct as of this writing.

TOWNHOUSE BENCHMARK PRICE AND HPI

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NOTE: VIREB’s HPI benchmark prices were recalculated to adjust for changes to new MLS® System software implemented in July 2020. This has resulted in changes to some of our historical benchmark prices, many of which have increased. Benchmark prices reported beginning in January 2021 are correct as of this writing.

TOWNHOUSE BENCHMARK PRICE AND HPI

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NOTE: VIREB’s HPI benchmark prices were recalculated to adjust for changes to new MLS® System software implemented in July 2020. This has resulted in changes to some of our historical benchmark prices, many of which have increased. Benchmark prices reported beginning in January 2021 are correct as of this writing.

 

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AVERAGE, MEDIAN, AND BENCHMARK PRICE (HPI) COMPARISONS

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RESIDENTIAL - SINGLE-FAMILY DETACHED ACTIVE MLS® LISTINGS/SALES

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Posted in Market Updates
Jan. 8, 2023

Community Centers & Wedding Venues Cowichan

Cowichan Houses for Sale will come with some west coast world class indoor and out door recreation, community and culture. Island Ryan has written up a detailed list to assist his clients that are looking for a place to host a party, throw a fundraiser or even looking for wedding venues in Cowichan.

 

 

Somenos Community Hall

3248 Cowichan Valley Hwy, Duncan, BC V9L 5Z4

(250) 510-5255

 

Cowichan Community Centre

2687 James St, Duncan, BC V9L 2X5

(250) 748-7529

 

Mesachie Lake Community Hall

9315 S Shore Rd, Lake Cowichan, BC V0R 2G0

(250) 749-6223

 

Vimy Community Hall

3968 Gibbins Rd, Duncan, BC V9L 6G4

No phone number. Contact form on website only.

 

Glenora Community Hall

3660 Glenora Rd, Duncan, BC V9L 6S3

(250) 748-0329

 

Saltair Community Centre

3850 S Oyster School Rd, Ladysmith, BC V9G 1Z4

(250) 210-8180

 

Cowichan Lake Community Services

121, Point Ideal Dr, Lake Cowichan, BC V0R 2G0

(250) 749-6822

 

The HUB at Cowichan Station

2375 Koksilah Rd, Duncan, BC V9L 6M5

(250) 746-1794

 

Mill Bay Community Hall

1035 Shawnigan Lake-Mill Bay Rd, Mill Bay, BC V0R 2P2

(250) 743-5922

 

Lake Cowichan Centennial Hall

309 S Shore Rd, Lake Cowichan, BC V0R 2G0

(250) 749-3322

 

Diamond Community Hall

4962 Christie Rd, Ladysmith, BC V9G 1J3

250-245-8317

 

Honeymoon Bay Community Hall

10022 Park Dr, Honeymoon Bay, BC V0R 1Y0

(250) 749-3841

 

Cobble Hill Community Hall

3550 Watson Ave, Cobble Hill, BC V0R 1L0

(250) 743-5431

 

Crofton Community Centre Society

8104 Musgrave St, Crofton, BC V0R 1R0

 (250) 246-3009

 

North Oyster Community Centre

13467 Cedar Rd, Ladysmith, BC V9G 1H6

(250) 924-7793

 

Island Savings Centre

2687 James St #2687, Duncan, BC V9L 2X5

(250) 748-7529

 

Stu Armour Hall

1438 Fisher Rd, Cobble Hill, BC V0R 1L0

(250) 743-5431

 

Cowichan Green Community Society

360 Duncan St, Duncan, BC V9L 3W4

(250) 748-8506

 

Shawnigan Lake Community Centre

2804 Shawnigan Lake Rd, Shawnigan Lake, BC V0R 2W0

(250) 743-1433

 

Cowichan Performing Arts Centre

2687 James St, Duncan, BC V9L 2X5

(250) 746-2722

 

Jan. 2, 2023

Canadian Interest Rates Forecast

Canadian Monthly Interest Rate Forecasts

Canadian home owners are pissed and they want answers. The average Canadian home owners have never seen such high interest rate increases in such a short amount of time.

Here are the past interest rate change announcements:

Canadian Interest Rate History Nanaimo Real Estate

"The budget will balance itself", Justin Trudeau.

As you can see, in the table above, there has not been a 4% increase in interest rates in the last decade. The kicker is this happened in a time frame of 1 year! 

What is really really confusing is the "stress test" which was implemented to protect average Canadian home buyers from interest rate increases. Why bother implementing a "stress test' if you are going to just blow past it with interest rate increases after sky high real estate price increases? Is the bank of Canada and Canadian government trying bankrupt the middle class? 

 

Bank of Canada interest rate announcements scheduled for 2023 (source BoC):

  • Wednesday, January 25, 2023
  • Wednesday, March 8, 2023
  • Wednesday, April 12, 2023
  • Wednesday, June 7, 2023
  • Wednesday, July 12, 2023
  • Wednesday, September 6, 2023
  • Wednesday, October 25, 2023
  • Wednesday, December 6, 2023

 

When is the next Bank of Canada rate increase and what can I expect?

The current market overnight interest rate forecast for the next 12 months is (source: Word of Mouth in Industry):

  • No change January 25th, 2023
  • A 0.25% increase March 8, 2023
  • No change April 12, 2023
  • A 0.25% increase June 7, 2023
  • No change July 12, 2023
  • No change September 6, 2023
  • No change October 25, 2023

*there is no way to predict the future to our knowledge, yet. The above forecast is a guesstimate. Please take as a potential guide, not factual knowledge of exact rate increases.

 

 

Central Bank of Canada Overnight Interest Rate: 4.25% (source: BoC)

Posted in Market Updates
Oct. 30, 2022

Realtors Care Vancouver Island Blanket Drive

The REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive will be held annually in November starting with 3 Royal LePage real estate offices located on Mid Island, Vancouver Island. This year it will be running from November 14-21, 2022.
The organization will be collecting blankets, shoes and clothing for the homeless and other people in need.
The 3 Royal LePage real estate offices that will act as donation collection depots are:
  • Royal LePage Nanaimo Realty (4200 Island Hwy N, Nanaimo) (250) 758-7653
  • Royal LePage Ladysmith Realty (410 A 1st Ave, Ladysmith) (250) 245-0545
  • Royal LePage Gabriola Realty (575 N Rd #1, Gabriola) (250) 247-2088
Promotion, pick-up and distribution of donations are handled by REALTOR® volunteers.
Some of Mid Island's most marginalized residents are in much need for
  • socks
  • new underwear
  • clothing
  • blankets
  • and compassion

To Like and Share within the community click this LINK https://www.facebook.com/blanketdrivevancouverisland

Sept. 21, 2022

Cool Runnings For Market Conditions

SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

NANAIMO, BC – Supply is up, and transactions were down in August.

In August, active listings of single-family detached properties (not acreage or waterfront) jumped to 1,368, a 153% increase from August 2021. VIREB’s inventory of condo apartments hit 332 last month, up from 164 listings 12 months ago. There were 280 row/townhouses for sale last month compared to 109 one year ago.

Increased supply is great news for buyers, giving them more options to choose from and easing the pressure to move too quickly when making an offer. 

307 single-family-home sales in August, a 33% decrease from one year ago and up by 3% from July. There were 66 condo apartment sales last month, a decline of 33% year over year and down by 12% from July. In the row/townhouse category, 51 units changed hands in August, down 43% from one year ago and the same number as in July.

After a long period of steadily rising prices in virtually every VIREB region, slight month-over-month price dips began appearing in June. However, 2022 continues to post higher prices than seen in 2021.

 

VIREB wide benchmark prices of a single-family homes reached $842,800 in August, up 18% from one year ago. In the apartment category, it hit $444,800 last month, a 22 per cent increase from August 2021. The benchmark price of a townhouse increased by 19%, climbing to $615,400 in August.

 

MLS® SALES SUMMARY - AUGUST 2022

Full the full stats report provided by the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board CLICK HERE

Posted in Market Updates
Sept. 15, 2022

Housing recession?

A housing recession is a term used to describe a recession within the housing industry. A softening of the industry or the housing market. 

Are we in a housing recession? Short answer is Yes. We are in a housing recession. 

What does that mean? Well, The number of transactions and numbers of homes sold are down and it is thought for the next foreseeable future this will be the case here in BC, Canada. The numbers of new homes being built is down currently and will continue to slow. Builders nationally are slamming on the break as far as building new homes.

Does this mean that the prices on houses are going crash? Short answer is it depends. Some areas will always be a hot spot due to location, price and demographics. Some areas will continue to rise as the demand stays strong and some will fall as over inflated values don't usually hold in a housing recession. 

IS NBOW A GOOD TIME TO BUY? Short answer; it depends. Now is when investors buy real estate because they are able to negotiate on price, possession dates and subjects (like subject to inspections, subject to financing etc.). This is also when you do not end up in multiple offers so you can take your time to pick the dream home or investment you were hoping for and don't rush into something you don't really want just so you can get into the market. Those who were waiting for the market to slow can now jump in before it is too late and they miss the boat for the last time. HOUSING RECESSION = BUYERS MARKET

 

Here is some recent stats from VIREB over the last month.

 

 

Posted in Market Updates
Sept. 12, 2022

Vancouver Island Real Estate & Underground Oil Tanks

Underground or buried residential oil tanks were commonly used all over Vancouver Island. Once the potential damage was realized this method of heating was basically abandoned along with the tanks in the ground. The oil storage tanks that were normally located in backyards, in parking lots, and buried underground were filled with sand or were capped and left underground. The problem with moving away from oil and switching to natural gas was the method in which the oil tanks were disposed. The oil storage tanks corrode over time and the remaining oil that was not capped would leak and move throughout the owner’s property, which results in serious contamination.

A recent example of how the contamination can be horrendous is in 2020, Victoria where a pair was ordered to pay more than $50,000 by the Supreme Court of B.C., to the people they sold their home to almost in 2016 after an underground oil storage tank was found on the property in Esquimalt. "Christopher Warren and Antonia Warren were ordered to pay $44,774.30 in damages, plus $10,655.03 in litigation costs to William Walton and Nikolas Hill for the costs they paid to remove the tank and to remediate the contaminated soil associated with it." Source: Vancouver Island Free Daily.

There are instances where people have had to pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for underground oil tank damage as it can also effect neighbouring properties if the contamination has gone unchecked for long enough.

For this reason whenever you are searching for a residential detached home or property on the island make sure you put into your offers subject to oil tank inspection. It is not worth the time and stress and could be a reason you lose the dream home you are searching for in the first place. Oil tanks are not the only thing to be weary of as well. Make sure to get a seasoned experienced agent on your side who knows how to protect you in what will likely be the biggest investment of your life. 

 

 

 

Posted in Real Estate Tips
Aug. 22, 2022

Why the market will NOT collapse and you can take advantage of it ????

 
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We could only WISH we had this information 15 years ago in the last "recession".
 
 
Here are your 3 KEY take aways
  1. 1. Do you think the market is CRASHING?

     

    • Real estate from 2020 (2nd Half) to Mid 2022 we were in an extreme state of high demand, and exceptionally low inventory fuelled by lower rates.
    • Crash would indicate NO demand, there appears to be still active demand based on a "regular" market (ie. not the last 2 years)
    • Immigration & additional homebuyers (ie. first timers) are waiting on the sidelines, but for how long? 

    2. Rising Rates

     

    • Qualification has decreased, yes. 
    • Applications for purchases have declined but are still on track for a normalized year and many DO qualify for their goals
    • Interest rates typically decline when we enter a recessionary period (if you believe the statistics could be in the next 12 months)

     

    3. Speaking of Recessions

  • We are not in a "housing recession" we are still seeing a lack of inventory
  • Financially people are still working, the job market is extremely strong and affordability is still high
  • In Canada we have had and continue to have exceptionally low delinquency on home loans! This means people pay their mortgages.
Posted in Real Estate Tips
Aug. 18, 2022

Tips for Booking Showings and Viewing Open Houses

Posted in Real Estate Tips
Aug. 18, 2022

Is now a good time to buy??

Right now is a perfect time to buy! It’s a buyers market! Demand is low, supply is at a high and you can put in subjects! Thats right! You can put in offers on whichever property you end up falling in love with and have that offer subject to financing, subject to inspection and many other subjects which you were not able to do when purchasing in the hot sellers market of Covid-19 because you would have been competing in multiple offers! Currently I am seeing a lot of investors purchasing and taking advantage of this market. The investors are realizing that the economy is very stable, immigration is still continuously growing and the demand for housing is only to increase over time on the Vancouver Island. Some prices in certain areas have even dropped! So if you work with an experienced agent, like myself, who knows the market and areas.. you can find some really great deals! Whether you are looking for ocean view condos in Nanaimo or are a first time home buyer looking for townhouses under $500,000 in Nanaimo or Victoria take advantage of the low demand right now and high supply. You will have lots to choose from and with so may options you can negotiate on the prices. It’s a buyers market, so what are you waiting for?! Call Ryan today to get your pre approval and lets go shopping, house shopping! Already have a preapproval? Call Ryan now! 778 929 4290

Ryan Taylor Royal LePage Nanaimo – Being a business professional, Ryan’s number one objective is to provide exceptional service that will exceed your expectations. His business model has always been to reflect Integrity, Loyalty, Trust & Results. Ryan is the epitome of the modern Real Estate professional for the Vancouver Area Real Estate Market and you will notice it by his attention to detail and the modern techniques he embraces when Taylor’ing a marketing plan or buyers plan.

 

 

 

 

 

Real Estate Development Experience

Hands on Residential Home Construction Experience

Many Years of Real Estate Sales Experience

Year After Year of Sales Awards

Business & Economics Education/ UBC Grad

 

Ryan Taylor would be delighted to meet you in person so he could discuss your current Real Estate needs. Feel free to give him a call or register on the site and he will get in touch with you shortly.

Ryan Taylor

778 929 4290 ⎮ IslandRyanRealEstate@Gmail.com

 

Posted in Market Updates