Vancouver Real Estate Market Update April 2023

Written by Alan Kelly, Bōde’s Chief Economist

Real Estate Market Report | Vancouver | February 2023

Vancouver home sales significantly below historical levels.

Vancouver home sales are down 25% in March vs average of last 5 Marches

It is a new year and a new story when it comes to Vancouver’s real estate market. Home buyers continue to purchase in Vancovuer – due to the strong economy as well as an increase in migration. Many sellers seem to be sitting back to see what is happening to interest rates, however, the homes on the market are moving. 

We empower home buyers and sellers with the data they need to be successful. When you arm yourself with transparent data, you will feel more confident in setting the price of your home and selling it or buying at the right price. 

Obviously, there are many important factors to consider (what kind of home you have, what community etc.), so it’s important to look specifically at what the housing market is doing in your neighbourhood. It is dead-easy to look at our data with a personal lens. 

Bōde sellers are more successful and actually make more money, on average, than the rest of the market. We are also here to make sure you have the information you need to make the decisions that are right for YOU!

So what's happening in the Vancouver real estate market as of March 2023?

Let’s start with a Macroeconomics view 

To understand what’s happening in the real estate market you have to look at supply and demand.

The best proxies for supply and demand are:

Supply

New supply: New Listings (i.e. the number of homes recently listed for sale)

Total supply: Inventory (i.e. the total number of homes listed for sale)

Demand

Sales (i.e. the number of homes recently sold)

 

Supply & Demand

Months of Supply (i.e. the number of months it would take to sell all current inventory at the current rate of sale)

 

These metrics are the best indicators of the health of the real estate market. Let’s look at what they show us.

Vancouver sales continue to drop significantly below historical levels.

New listings in March were down 25% while sales were also down 25% vs. the average of the previous 5 years.

‘Months of supply’ had increased quickly over the previous months but has dropped considerably in the last 2 months. There is currently 3.3 months of supply which is -9% vs the previous 5 years.

‘Months of supply’ has increased quickly in recent months but dropped considerably in the last month. There is currently under 5 months of supply which is +11% vs the previous 5 years.

Less inventory & fewer months of supply makes conditions more favourable for sellers, while more inventory and higher months of supply is more favourable for buyers.

 

After a long period of being a seller’s market, it had been a buyer’s market for the past several months. It’s become more balanced in the last 2 months.

Vancouver prices had been increasing quickly since the start of 2021, ending a relatively flat period between mid 2018 and the end of 2020. However prices more recently have been steadily declining. They are up 1.8% over last month, while being down 9.5% over last year.

 

What does this mean for sellers?

 

Right now supply is slightly low relative to previous years while demand is slightly below average, which means it is a more balanced market for people thinking of selling their home. Sellers who price their home well will still be able to sell in this market. However, your specific property value will be determined by market forces both within your community and against similar active listings. To find out what supply and demand look like for your specific community, click here.

 

What does this mean for buyers?

 

There are currently slightly fewer homes for sale than there have been in previous years. This means active buyers need to move fast to beat other buyers to available listings.

 

Market conditions vary substantially by property type, community and price range

Vancouver's Detached Homes

Above, we’ve looked at the overall market for Vancouver, but different segments are performing very differently. Let’s look at a few examples.

 

Sales for detached homes were down 32% in March vs. previous years, while new listings were down 37%

The overall number of detached homes for sale is down 29% vs the average of the last 5 years.

Detached prices had been increasing quickly for much of the past 2.5 years, but have declined in recent months. Prices are up 2.7% from last month, while being down 11.2% vs. this time last year

Vancouver's Apartments

New listings of apartments were down 17% in March compared the average of the previous 5 years, while sales were down 22%.

The overall number of apartments for sale is up 0% vs the average of the last 5 years.

Apartment prices have been steadily declining for most of the last year. However prices are up 0.7% from last month, while being down 4.6% vs. this time last year

Vancouver's Attached Homes

New listings of attached homes were down 22% while sales were down 24% in March (compared to previous years). 

The overall number of attached homes for sale is down 10% vs the average of the last 5 years.

Prices for attached homes increased quickly in 2021 and early 2022 but have recently declined quickly. Prices are up 1.7% from last month, while being down 7.8% vs. this time last year

What really matters is what’s happening in your specific local property market. There are some communities and price bands and property types where homes are performing better/worse than market average.

It’s critical to understand the dynamics in your local property market

 

To understand your local property market you need to look at your local data. Head over to Bōde’s new and improved Market Data dashboard, the only place where you can see all the data yourself, including being able to filter on community, property type, and price range to see exactly what’s happening where you live.

 

You can also see the sold price of any home that has sold in the last 12 years using Bode’s Sold Data page.

 

If you’re thinking about selling, take a look at how Bōde helps sellers sell for 1.3% higher prices while paying 50% less commission.

Featured Listings

As a homeowner, or potential buyer, it's important to stay
up to date with current mortgage rate trends

Want to Buy or Sell Your Home Without an Agent?

Welcome to Bōde

Bōde has created a marketplace to allow you to get transparent home data,  set your price, and list your home on MLS (and 1000+ more sites). We will advertise your home and walk you through the whole sale process for 1% up to a maximum of $10K, only when the home sells.

Looking to buy? Bōde empowers buyers to purchase any Bōde property – for no charge.

With your free Bōde account, you don’t need an agent – you are completely in charge of your home sale or purchase and get to keep more of the money you invested in your home!

Get started at bode.ca

Why Bōde?

What homeowners are saying about Bōde

Like this article?

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Linkedin
Share on Pinterest

Leave a comment