Posted on
May 14, 2009
by
Lyn Hart
It’s a Great Time to Buy!
Interest rates remain great this week with some decreases in both the long term and short term mortgage rates. There has been some positive news in the financial markets but it looks like a slow recovery will keep rates low for an extended period of time. Affordability will continue to drive a busy real estate market. Calling all first time buyers!
Bank Prime Rate 2.25%
|
Term |
Best |
Bank Posted |
|
1 year |
2.90% |
3.90% |
|
3 year |
3.05% |
4.15% |
|
5 year |
3.59% |
5.25% |
|
10 year |
5.25% |
6.70% |
|
25 year |
9.15% |
9.75% |
Bold numbers denote change from last posted rates.
Variable mortgage from Prime +.70%...TODAY at 2.95%!
Courtesy of
Call Laura today and tell her Lyn sent you!
Posted on
May 5, 2009
by
Lyn Hart
Buyer Activity Brings Greater Stability to Housing Market
VANCOUVER, B.C. – May 4, 2009 – With more buyers and fewer homes for sale in recent months, the Greater Vancouver housing market has entered a more moderate and balanced state.
For the sixth consecutive month, new listings for detached, attached and apartment properties declined in Greater Vancouver, down 33.7 per cent to 4,649 in April 2009 compared to April 2008, when 7,010 new units were listed. The total number of property listings on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®), while slightly down compared to last month, remains unchanged compared to the same period in 2008.
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 2,963 in April 2009, a decline of eight per cent from the 3,218 sales recorded in April 2008, and an increase of 31 per cent compared to last month.
“We’re seeing greater balance in the housing market, as evidenced by a strong sales to active listings ratio of over 19 per cent,” Scott Russell, REBGV president said. “The result is a relatively stable market in which homes are being realistically priced.
“The bridge between buyer demand and housing supply is continuing to narrow, which, as we see, helps bring stability to home prices,” he said. “The trends in our housing market over the last couple of months offer a much more comfortable, historically normal set of conditions.”
Sales of detached properties declined eight per cent to 1,190 from the 1,293 detached sales recorded during the same period in 2008. The benchmark price, as calculated by the MLSLink Housing Price Index®, for detached properties declined 12.2 per cent from April 2008 to $675,268.
Sales of apartment properties in April 2009 declined 10.5 per cent to 1,179, compared to 1,317 sales in April 2008. The benchmark price of an apartment property declined 12.6 per cent from April 2008 to $340,203.
Attached property sales in April 2009 are down 2.3 per cent to 594, compared with the 608 sales in April 2008. The benchmark price of an attached unit decreased 9.7 per cent between April 2008 and 2009 to $431,759.
Bright spots in Greater Vancouver in April 2009 compared to April 2008:
Detached:
Vancouver West up 59.5 per cent (193 units sold from 121)
Attached:
Port Coquitlam up 69.6 per cent (39 units sold from 23)
Richmond up 17.9 per cent (132 units sold from 112)
Vancouver West up 46.3 per cent (98 units sold from 67)
Apartments:
North Vancouver up 29.2 per cent (84 units sold from 65)
To read the entire news release, or to find more interesting articles and statistics, visit http://www.rebgv.org.
Posted on
April 28, 2009
by
Lyn Hart
Lower Rates Fuel Market
Interest rates this week continued to ease on down. There is a 5 year term at 3.59% this week with others in the range of 3.69% to 3.79% depending on the type of mortgage a borrower requires. People are rate shopping and should be paying attention to the guidelines that will affect their future mortgage happiness, along with the rock bottom rates that will affect their bottom line. Variable mortgages are still a great bet.
Bank Prime Rate 2.25%
|
Term |
Best |
Bank Posted |
|
1 year |
2.90% |
4.20% |
|
3 year |
3.15% |
4.90% |
|
5 year |
3.59% |
5.45% |
|
10 year |
5.25% |
7.15% |
|
25 year |
9.15% |
9.75% |
Bold numbers denote change from last posted rates.
Variable mortgage from Prime +.75%...TODAY at 3.00%!
Courtesy of
Call Laura today and tell her Lyn sent you!
Posted on
April 22, 2009
by
Lyn Hart
Prime Drops .25%
The Bank of Canada has dropped rates by another .25% and the Banks and other lenders are following by decreasing their prime rates. This means great news, again, for variable rate holders. The buzz is that prime rate will stay at this level for another 14 months. The longer term rates are staying low with no signs of increasing. All rates are great these days.
Bank Prime Rate 2.25%
|
Term |
Best |
Bank Posted |
|
1 year |
3.00% |
4.20% |
|
3 year |
3.69% |
4.90% |
|
5 year |
3.69% |
5.45% |
|
10 year |
5.25% |
7.15% |
|
25 year |
9.15% |
9.75% |
Bold numbers denote change from last posted rates.
Variable mortgage from Prime +.75%...TODAY at 3.00%!
Courtesy of
Call Laura today and tell her Lyn sent you!
Posted on
April 2, 2009
by
Lyn Hart
Posted in
2009 market, 2009 Real Estate Market, buying, condos, First-time buyers, houses, market, real estate market, real estate market report, reports, sales, statistics, Vancouver Real Estate blog, Vancouver real estate market
Property Sales Strengthen in Current Market Cycle
A news release from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver
VANCOUVER, B.C. - April 2, 2009.
The Metro Vancouver housing market experienced a movement away from volatility and toward stability to start the spring season.
Home sales in March 2009 returned to levels witnessed at the beginning of the decade, with 2,265 sales recorded across Metro Vancouver for the month, a 53 per cent increase over February but a 24.4 per cent decrease over March 2008, when 2,997 sales were recorded.
Since 1999, March sales have increased 31 per cent, on average, over the month of February. March 2009 marks the second consecutive month that sales have outperformed the ten-year average for this
month-over-month comparison.
"There’s more confidence in the housing market today than we were seeing late last year. Sales activity is rising to more typical levels given the season, and the number of homes being listed for sale is
levelling off," said Scott Russell, president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV).
New residential listings on the MLS® declined 22 per cent in March 2009 to 4,385 compared to
March 2008. This is the fifth month in a row that new listings have decreased year-over-year and the third consecutive month where those declines exceeded 20 per cent. Despite these trends, total active listings at the end of March 2009 had still reached 14,579, a 19 per cent increase compared to the end of March 2008.
"REALTORS® are seeing an increasing level of interest from first-time buyers who are attracted to
low interest rates, good supply of housing, greater affordability, and a considerably lower overall cost of servicing a mortgage compared to recent years," Russell said.
Sales of detached properties in March 2009 declined 19.6 per cent to 897 from the 1,116 units sold during the same period in 2008. The benchmark price, as calculated by the MLSLink Housing Price Index®, for detached properties declined 15.1 per cent from March 2008 to $649,342.
Sales of apartment properties declined 28.8 per cent last month to 976, compared to the 1,370 sales in March 2008. The benchmark price of an apartment property declined 13.5 per cent from March 2008 to $337,099.
Attached property sales in March 2009 decreased 23.3 per cent to 392, compared with the 511 sales during the same month in 2008. The benchmark price of an attached unit declined 11.2 per cent between March 2008 and 2009 to $420,563.
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver is an association representing more than 9,400 REALTORS®. The Real Estate Board provides a variety of membership services, including the Multiple Listing Service®. For more information on real estate, statistics and buying or selling a home contact a local REALTOR® or visit www.rebgv.org.
Posted on
March 19, 2009
by
Lyn Hart
All Good News for Buyers!
The market is heating up again for spring! All eyes are on first time home buyers who are actively looking at purchasing their dream home. Low interest rates and more affordable pricing seems to be sparking renewed interest. If you are not looking at purchasing a new home at this time, consider the benefits of refinancing at today’s great low rates.
If you are in a variable mortgage, stay in it!
Bank Prime Rate 2.50%
|
Term |
Best |
Bank Posted |
|
1 year |
3.50% |
5.00% |
|
3 year |
3.89% |
5.55% |
|
5 year |
4.09% |
5.79% |
|
10 year |
5.25% |
7.35% |
|
25 year |
9.15% |
9.75% |
Bold numbers denote change from last posted rates.
Variable mortgage from Prime + .80%...TODAY at 3.30%!
Courtesy of
Call Laura today and tell her Lyn sent you!
Posted on
January 20, 2009
by
Lyn Hart
January 20, 2009 - Nothing but GREAT news today! The Bank of Canada has dropped their rate by .5% to the lowest rate in history, and the Banks are passing on the drop. Prime rate is now at 3%...Keep Floating!
Longer term rates are edging down and will keep on this trend. The Real Estate market appears to be heating up with strong numbers heading to open houses and reports of competing offers.
Bank Prime Rate 3.00%
|
Term |
Best |
Bank Posted |
|
1 year |
3.99% |
5.60% |
|
3 year |
4.64% |
6.25% |
|
5 year |
4.49% |
6.75% |
|
10 year |
6.10% |
7.55% |
|
25 year |
9.75% |
n/a |
Variable mortgages from prime plus .60%
Bold numbers denote change from last posted rates.
Posted on
January 9, 2009
by
Lyn Hart
Royal LePage Foresees
National Home Prices Declining Three Percent This Year
January 6, 2009 - THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO - The average price of a house in Canada is likely to decline by three per cent this year, according to Royal LePage Real Estate Services (TSX:BRE.UN). The number of residential resale transactions is forecast to decline 3.5 per cent nationally, though the country's largest realty operator expects that there will still be local warm spots.
The forecast issued today follows a "significant reset" in 2008 - which Royal LePage predicted a year ago would see a 3.5 per cent average increase across the country.
In the event, preliminary numbers show a 1.1 per cent decline for 2008. Royal LePage says this came as "emotional reaction to recent economic and political instability did much to dampen consumer confidence during the latter part of 2008, causing a marked slowdown in house sales activity."
However, it predicts that "a more rational understanding of the issues" along with government corrective measures will cause activity to pick up in the latter half of 2009.
Overall, Royal LePage sees "only modest price and unit sales corrections." Nationally, the average house price is forecast to dip to $295,000, off from $304,000 in 2008, which in turn was down from $307,265 in the peak year of 2007.
"While Canada's housing market is anticipated to continue to move through a period of adjustment over the next six months, we should expect modestly lower home prices, not a U.S.-style collapse, which was brought on by a structural failure of the entire American credit system," stated Royal LePage CEO Phil Soper. "Most consumers are not aware that nationally, Canadian housing market activity peaked in 2007 and has been adjusting lower since. We are well into this inevitable cyclical correction."
In spite of the cooling trend on a national level, price and activity gains are still anticipated in some provinces, the Royal LePage report added. In mid-sized cities where prices remain below the national average, such as Regina and Winnipeg, prices are expected to increase moderately. Meanwhile, the steepest decline is forecast for Canada's most expensive city, Vancouver - "a natural cyclical reaction to an extended period of high price appreciation."
Posted on
January 5, 2009
by
Lyn Hart
Improved Housing Affordability
to Greater Vancouver in 2008
VANCOUVER, B.C. – January 5, 2009 –
The record-breaking real estate market cycle in Greater Vancouver, longer than normal at seven consecutive years, ended in 2008 amidst global economic challenges. The change brought relief from rising prices that saw benchmark prices escalate from $357,770 for a single family detached home in December 2001 to $648,421 by December 2008.
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that sales of detached, attached and apartment properties decreased 35.3 per cent in 2008 to 24,626 sales compared to 38,050 sales in 2007. Property listings for the year increased 13.9 per cent to 62,561 compared to 2007 when 54,945 new properties were listed.
“Trends in the latter half of 2008 showed a consistent month-over-month decrease in residential housing prices, a departure from the rising home prices and record-breaking sales that were experienced in Greater Vancouver for much of this decade,” said REBGV president, Dave Watt. “It’s also important to note that our December statistics show a third consecutive month of a decrease in active
property listings in Greater Vancouver. That means supply is coming down,” Watt said. “Last month was also the first time in 27 years that Greater Vancouver homes sales for December were higher than November.”
Residential benchmark prices, as calculated by the MLSLink Housing Price Index®, declined 10.9 per cent between Decembers 2007 and 2008. Since May 2008, the overall residential benchmark price has declined 14.8 per cent in Greater Vancouver to $484,211 from $568,411.
“For buyers, lower prices haven’t been a concern as much as the perception that prices are falling. It’s difficult to identify the ‘bottom’ of the market. The reality is that people tend to buy when prices are going up, not when they’re going down,” Watt said.
In December 2008, sales of detached, attached and apartment properties totalled 924, a decrease of 51.3 per cent compared to the 1,897 sales in December 2007. New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties declined 8.6 per cent to 1,550 in December 2008 compared to December 2007 when 1,695 new units were listed. Total listings in December declined 17.2 per cent to 15,193 from the 18,348 total active listings in Greater Vancouver in November 2008. Sales of detached properties in December 2008 declined 48.7 per cent to 348 from the 679 units sold during the same period in 2007.
The benchmark price for detached properties declined 11.2 per cent from $730,399 in December 2007 to $648,421 in December 2008. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for a detached property in Greater Vancouver has declined 15.9 per cent. Sales of apartment properties declined 53.7 per cent last month to 417 compared to 901 sales in December 2007.
The benchmark price of an apartment property declined 11.7 per cent from $377,579 in December 2007 to $333,275 in December 2008. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for an apartment property in Greater Vancouver has declined 14.5 per cent. Attached property sales in December 2008 decreased 49.8 per cent to 159, compared with the 317 sales in December 2007. The benchmark price of an attached unit declined 7.4 per cent from $456,941 in December 2007 to $423,338 in December 2008.
Since May 2008, the benchmark price for an attached property in Greater Vancouver has declined 11.6 per cent.
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver is an association representing more than 9,500 REALTORS®. The Real Estate Board provides a variety of membership services, including the Multiple Listing Service®. For more information on real estate, statistics, and buying or selling a home, contact a local REALTOR® or visit www.rebgv.org.
To read the REBGV latest news release in its entirety, including the latest statistics, click here!
According to the most recent Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver’s 
The data relating to real estate on this website comes in part from the MLS® Reciprocity program of either the Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR), the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) or the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board (CADREB). Real estate listings held by participating real estate firms are marked with the MLS® logo and detailed information about the listing includes the name of the listing agent. This representation is based in whole or part on data generated by either the GVR, the FVREB or the CADREB which assumes no responsibility for its accuracy. The materials contained on this page may not be reproduced without the express written consent of either the GVR, the FVREB or the CADREB.
