April 2022 Duncan BC Real Estate Review

By David Lowes, Duncan Realtor

May 1, 2022 – We have seen more listings and fewer sales in April which is allowing our inventory of single family houses to build.

Real Estate Inventory Duncan & Cowichan valley

At the end of April, our inventory for single-family dwellings increased to 117 active homes – which is much higher than 69 in March – still a seller’s market, but sellers will need to be more realistic with expectations in this changing market.

Our average sale price for a single-family dwelling in April was $913,620, which is an increase over last month which was $881,697.

Real Estate Inventory 2022

Homes are still selling over list price, although at a much more modest 102.57% over asking, NOT the 106.01% over list price we saw in March. We are seeing fewer multiple offers, but the few that do go for over asking price are keeping this statistic high.

The average amount of time a single-family dwelling sits on the market is 15 days – that is up from last month’s 14 days on market.

Please contact our team with any real estate-related questions; we’re always happy to help.

MEDIA RELEASE – May 2, 2022

ADDITIONAL INVENTORY POSITIVE NEWS FOR BUYERS

NANAIMO, BC – Inventory in the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB) area is climbing, but the housing supply is still far below the level needed to satisfy current demand.

Active listings of single-family homes rose by 34 per cent from April 2021 and by 32 per cent from March of this year. VIREB’s inventory of condo apartments was 13 per cent lower than in April 2021 but increased by 18 per cent from March. Row/townhouse inventory rose by 39 per cent year over year and 52 per cent from March.

A “perfect storm” of factors – including record-low supply, historically low mortgage rates, and lifestyle changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic – has fuelled dramatic price increases and highly competitive real estate transactions. However, REALTORS® have noticed that current demand is not equally distributed throughout VIREB’s zones, resulting in “micro-markets.” These pockets of heightened activity favour particular price points and property types within an area.

Demographics also play a significant role in British Columbia’s robust housing market. A large contingent of 30-39-year-olds – the largest we have seen in Canada since the 1970s – are entering their homebuying years. Intergenerational wealth transfer is helping many get onto or climb the property ladder, placing additional pressure on inventory and prices.

The increased inventory observed in April is positive news for buyers, and some REALTORS® are seeing more conditional offers, indicating that the “fear of missing out” has abated somewhat. Higher interest rates may also be tempering how much buyers are willing to spend when making an offer. However, it is too early to say whether conditions are beginning to shift towards a more balanced market. According to the British Columbia Real Estate Association, housing markets in British Columbia are so lopsided that it will take a substantial decline in demand to return active listings to a healthy state.

That said, sales did dip in April. By category, 507 single-family homes were reported sold on the MLS® System in April, a 13 per cent decrease from one year ago and down by three per cent from March. There were 114 condo apartment sales last month, a decline of 11 per cent year over year and down by six per cent from March. In the row/townhouse category, 96 units changed hands in April, down nine per cent from one year ago and nine per cent from March 2022. However, the cause behind these decreases is somewhat muddy: whether the numbers reflect “true” decreased demand or merely supply-induced buyer fatigue should become more apparent in the coming months.

As for prices, they continue to rise throughout the VIREB area. The board-wide benchmark price of a single-family home reached $881,800 in April, up 34 per cent year over year. In the apartment category, the benchmark price hit $462,100 last month, a 34 per cent increase from April 2021. The benchmark price of a townhouse increased by 29 per cent, climbing to $657,300 in April.

In Campbell River, the benchmark price of a single-family home hit $769,800 in April, up by 31 per cent from the previous year. In the Comox Valley, the year-over-year benchmark price rose by 27 per cent to $878,400. The Cowichan Valley reported a benchmark price of $871,900, an increase of 36 per cent from April 2021. Nanaimo’s benchmark price rose by 33 per cent, reaching $907,600, while the Parksville-Qualicum area saw its benchmark price increase by 38 per cent to $1,027,000. The cost of a benchmark single-family home in Port Alberni reached $615,200, a 46 per cent year-over-year increase. For the North Island, the benchmark price of a single-family home rose by 39 per cent to $437,400.

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.

ABOUT VIREB

VIREB represents over 1,000 REALTORS® in nearly 90 member offices on Vancouver Island, from the Malahat in the south to the northern tip.
VIREB cautions that average price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but does not indicate the actual prices in centres comprised of widely divergent neighbourhoods or account for price differential between geographic areas.
Trademarks are owned or controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA (REALTOR®) and/or the quality of services they provide (MLS®).

HPI Note: Areas with insufficient data do not generate statistics and are not included in the HPI graphs.

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About David Lowes

David has been a Duncan REALTOR® serving clients throughout the Cowichan Valley at RE/MAX Island Properties (formerly RE/MAX of Duncan) for over 10 years.

He loves helping people find the home of their dreams, and working with his sellers to get the best possible price and terms for their house sale.

If you have any questions, please call him on 250-748-7200.