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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATE JANUARY 2012

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Market Update

January 2012

Happy New Year!

I hope you have all recovered from the holiday season and are back into the swing of things to start 2012 off on the right foot.

The December stats showed the expected dips in sales volume and new listings we would expect for this time of year and the numbers were consistent across the board. So, rather than looking back this month, let's look forward to what we can expect in the coming year:

(1) Look for a strong start to the year. There are a lot of eager buyers out there looking for good product and inventory levels have disappointed many of them the past few months. They are ready to buy if they can find what they are looking for.

(2) Listing inventory will climb. And it's about time. Those eager buyers from the previous point should finally have some options to choose from come February.

(3) Mortgage rates remain low. Likely right through to the end of the year and possibly beyond.

(4) The chaos in the global markets will not have a huge impact in Vancouver... yet. I would bet that we make it through the first half of the year unscathed. I will have to re-evaulate as we move forward before making any predictions beyond that point.

(5) 2012 will be a great year. Make it so!

Rob

Unique Homes Blog

Carpinteria Foothills Residence by Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis

This contemporary residence is designed to seamlessly open unto the panoramic coastal ridge-top site via expansive operable glazed walls. The glazed transparency is balanced and the home is anchored in place by substantial cut native sandstone walls. The architectural design evolved from our client’s desire for a home that is a tranquil place for living, art and retreat... Read more >>

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MARKET STATISTICS

Featured Listings

1088 Richards

  • Offered at $479,000
  • 1 Bedroom + Den + Solarium, 1 Bathroom
  • 745 sq ft
  • HST incl. brand new condo, S/S appl & granite counters
More Details See All Listings

2772 Wall St

  • SOLD! Offered at $849,900
  • 3 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom
  • 1,690 sq ft
  • Waterfront Oversized 33' X 160' lot 
More Details See All Listings

2465 W 8TH Ave

  • SOLD! Offered at $1,299,000
  • 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms
  • 1,570 sq ft
  • Featured in House & Home Magazine
More Details See All Listings

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATE DECEMBER 2011

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Market Update

December 2011

The holiday season is upon us and the Vancouver real estate market is starting its seasonal slow down. As I'm sure you are all busy putting up Christmas decorations, shopping and attending/recovering from parties, I'll keep it short this month and get straight to the numbers.

Active listings are down across the board, in most cases more than 10%, as most potential Sellers are now waiting until the new year to put their home on the market. Look for this number to dip even further in December before beginning a steady climb to start the year. Not surprisingly, sales activity also dipped in all markets, with the exception of downtown (up 5.9%). Median pricing was all over the map. Vancouver West saw prices hold relatively flat while Vancouver East saw dips in both the attached and detached markets. Despite the busier sales numbers, downtown actually showed the biggest price drop at almost 10%. North Vancouver showed a surprising bounce back in prices across the board.

What lies ahead? Look for December and January to be predictably slow, both with active listings and sales, while prices sit fairly flat. The big boost to inventory will hit come February and that is when we will see how the Buyer demand matches up and impacts affordability. If the market follows typical seasonal trends and Buyers are out in full force, look for prices to stay flat through the first half of the year. Should demand not live up to expectations, we may see a slight dip in prices across the board.Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Rob

Unique Homes Blog

Washington Park Residence by Sullivan Conard Architects

This Washington Park Residence sits on a bluff overlooking Lake Washington with views of the Eastside and Cascades beyond. The house takes advantage of the site by contrasting mass and transparency to capture broad, unobstructed views while preserving privacy... Read more >>

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MARKET STATISTICS

Featured Listings

2772 Wall St.

  • SOLD! Offered at $849,000
  • 3 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom
  • 1,690 sq ft
  • Waterfront home on a 33' X 160' lot
More Details See All Listings

2520 Manitoba St.

  • SOLD! Offered at $439,900
  • 1 Bedroom, Den & Solarium, 1 Bathroom
  • 720 sq ft
  • Open Floorplan
More Details See All Listings

456 Moberly Rd.

  • SOLD! Offered at $399,900
  • 1 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom
  • 681 sq ft
  • Rainscreened, Concrete condo on False Creek
More Details See All Listings

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Monday, November 7, 2011

VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATE NOVEMBER 2011

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Market Update

November 2011

After a somewhat surprising September, one that showed decreased sales rather than the typical upswing of activity, we were very curious to see what would the market would do in October. As it turns out, it completely depends on the neighbourhood. Last month's statistics show a large segmentation developing between individual markets and the 'overall picture' does not give a very clear sense of what is happening in each sub-section of the market place. Let me explain...

Starting with detached houses:

  • The Vancouver East market showed a substantial drop in sales (-24.3%), a slight drop in active listings (-5.4%) and a minor slip in median pricing (-2.7%)
  • The Vancouver West market displayed a healthy boost in sales activity (+16.9%), a negligible slip in inventory (-0.9%) and an increase in median pricing (+4.4%)
  • The North Vancouver market noted a noticeable increase in sales (+12.7%), a small dip in listings (-6.1%) and marginal price drop (-1.9%)

 

In the condo/townhome markets:

  • Downtown Vancouver was marked by a healthy increase in activity (+10.1%) and pricing (+3.6%), with an insignificant drop in inventory (-1.2%)
  • In the Westside, median prices rose (+7.0) while both active listings (-4.0%) and sales activity (-2.6%) trended downwards
  • The Eastside showed an rise in sales activity (+10.7%) and median price (+3.9%) while inventory dropped (-3.9%)
  • North Vancouver experienced a huge lift in sales activity (+42.6%), thanks in part to significant price drops (-15.4%), while inventory remained flat (-0.9%)

 

So what can we take from all this? In general, with the obvious exception of the Eastside detached market, sales activity is up substantially. This is the trend we expected to see in September and it finally materialized. Another interesting trend is that inventory levels seem to be slipping. Not by a lot, but if that downward trend continues, it would certainly help keep prices up. And speaking of prices... there is not really a consistent trend to attach on to. Price variance is very specific to the individual market at the moment and extra care should be taken to ensure that you are really aware of what is happening directly in the market you are focused on. The broad statistics of Vancouver as a whole just don't tell an accurate story anymore.

Rob

Unique Homes Blog

Cortez Island Unique Home

Located at the south end of Desolation Sound on Cortes Island, British Columbia, the site is formed of natural granite bedrock. The site contains a dramatic peninsula and cliff which serve as a windbreak for Cortes Bay and the Seattle and Vancouver yacht clubs. The sea front side of the house is elevated up off of the bedrock with steel columns and exposed wood floor beams...

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MARKET STATISTICS

Featured Listings

2772 Wall St.

  • FOR SALE Offered at $849,000
  • 3 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom
  • 1,690 sq ft
  • Waterfront home on a 33' X 160' lot
More Details See All Listings

#514 1088 Richards St.

  • FOR SALE Offered at $479,000
  • 1 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom
  • 745 sq ft
  • Brand New unit in Richards Living
More Details See All Listings

3631 St. Catherines St.

  • SOLD! Offered at $778,000
  • 5 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms
  • 2,031 sq ft
  • Fully Renovated
More Details See All Listings

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Tuesday, October 4, 2011

VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATE NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2011

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Market Update

October 2011

I have been eagerly awaiting this month's statistics to see what sort of bounce back, if any, we would see after the slower Summer season. The answer, somewhat surprisingly, is that the we didn't seen any bounce back in sales activity at all - in any of the neighbourhoods we look at. The degree of sales drop varies quite a bit, with more than 30% drops in sales activity in the Downtown, Vancouver Westside attached and detached, and North Vancouver attached markets compared to just 6.7% in the Vancouver East attached market and 16.6% in the Vancouver East detached market. Interestingly enough, this decreased sales activity has not really impacted sales prices as both the average and median prices in most markets held relatively stable. We have also not seen a dramatic spike in listing inventories. Should listing inventory start to rise in October, we may be looking at some minor slips on the pricing side. It is my belief, however, that the commitment to hold interest rates until 2013, in conjunction with positive employment and immigration numbers, should keep prices steady through to next year.

One market to keep an eye on is the Vancouver Westside detached market. It is the one market that showed a large increase in active listings (up 22%) as well as a large drop off in sales activity (down 33%) and median sale price (down 6.3%). As a market that has experienced tremendous gains in median pricing over the past year, it seems the table may finally see an adjustment. I would speculate that the rapid rise in listings is stemming from those 'testing' the market as they see their neighbours sell far above what market conditions would have allowed for last year. As prices slip, we may see many of these listings simply get pulled off the market. If not, look for further drops here.

Rob

Vancouver Special Blog

Rain Screening

Now that we've finished with the installation of the Tyvek (waterproofing) and strapping, we were ready to start with the siding. There are a number of different types of metal siding to go with, but which one would look best? In this case, we decided to go with a wider offset, just to make sure that the front didn't look too busy....

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MARKET STATISTICS

Featured Listings

604 E 13th Ave

  • FOR SALE Offered at $599,000
  • 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathroom
  • 1,123 sq ft
  • Top Level Townhouse in a 3 floor Triplex
More Details See All Listings

206 518 Beatty St.

  • FOR SALE Offered at $3,95,000
  • 0 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom
  • 680 sq ft
  • Fully Renovated Studio on the Beatty Block!
More Details See All Listings

1607 1088 Richards St.

  • SOLD! IN 3 DAYS! Offered at $519,000
  • 1 Bedroom & Den, 1 Bathroom
  • 710 sq ft
  • Brand New unit in Richards Living
More Details See All Listings
 
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Wednesday, August 10, 2011

VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATE NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2011

Market Update

August 2011

As the dog days of summer, along with some long overdue sunshine, kick into full gear, let's take a look at the July numbers. As would be expected going into the Summer months, sales activity has dropped substantially with declines from 14% to a whopping 50%. Detached homes in Vancouver Westside and North Vancouver, as well as North Vancouver condos were the hardest hit here. We are also seeing active listings creep up slightly, but nothing more than a few percent in any area. Prices mostly slipped across the board, with two notable exceptions: Detached homes in Vancouver Westside fell 10%, which would appear to be a natural correction after a ridiculous run of rising prices, while the average price Downtown surprisingly climbed by 19%. This is mainly attributable to a few ultra high-end sales and, when digging deeper, the median price Downtown actually dipped last month.

Looking into August, don't expect much to change. The real question remains what happens in September. This is a month where we typically see an upswing in activity, but it will be curious to see how all this bad press regarding the international markets plays out. I suspect we will remain relatively stable through the end of the year, but I will re-evaluate that statement as things unfold.

Enjoy the rest of Summer!

Rob

Unique Homes Blog

This house was designed for comfortable everyday living with a focus on sustanability. While simple in form the exterior utilizes a variety of low maintainence materials. The interior is organized around a large open entertaining area, which includes the kitchen, dinning room, and living room...

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MARKET STATISTICS

Featured Listings

2855 W 49th Ave

  • FOR SALE Offered at $2,499,900
  • 4 Bedrooms + Den, 3 Bathroom
  • 3,501 sq ft on 80 X 136 ft lot
  • Newly Renovated
More Details  See All Listings

604 E 13th Ave

  • Offered at $599,000
  • 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathroom
  • 1,123 sq ft
  • Top Level Townhouse in a 3 floor Triplex
More Details  See All Listings

#2306 128 W. Cordova St.

  • SOLD! Offered at $1,345,288
  • 2 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms
  • 1,900 sq ft
  • 2 Level skyhome in Woodwards, 23rd-25th floor
More Details  See All Listings


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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATE NEWSLETTER JULY 2011

Market Update

July 2011

With the summer market in full swing, it appears we are still waiting for the summer weather to catch up. As expected, it is much more of the same this month compared to last. Sales are down across the board, with the exception of the North Vancouver attached market which appears to be bucking the trend. Expect that to correct next month. Average sale prices and active listings are fluctuating across the board, but prices in most markets slipped slightly without enough dip to cause alarm. Everything we are seeing is typical for the seasonal nature of the Vancouver market and I expect to see a continuation of these trends for the next two months before an upturn in September.

Looking at the bigger picture, predicting the local market is beginning to require more and more knowledge of international financial markets. Using local trends to predict the market has quickly become a fool's game and many more factors must be taken in to account. We will have to keep an eye on foreign markets in the coming months, as they will likely play a larger role in the Vancouver market moving forward than rising mortgage rates will.

Any questions, ask away. And enjoy the summer!

Rob

Unique Homes Blog

Plastolux has gathered 20 modern kitchens from their past blog post.They posed an interesting question, "Let me ask you this, what one element of a kitchen from the flooring to the cabinets or even the appliances can make or break a modern kitchen for you?" - What do you think?

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MARKET STATISTICS

Featured Listings

2855 W 49th Ave

  • FOR SALE Offered at $2,499,900
  • 4 Bedrooms + Den, 3 Bathroom
  • 3,501 sq ft on 80 X 136 ft lot
  • Newly Renovated
More Details See All Listings

888 E 30th Ave

  • SOLD! Offered at $1,188,800
  • 6 Bedrooms, 5 Bathroom
  • 2952 sq ft
  • Fully Renovated
More Details See All Listings

4773 Ross

  • SOLD! Offered at $899,000
  • 4 BedroomS, 3 Bathrooms
  • 2025 sq ft
  • Mortgage Helper
More Details See All Listings

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Friday, October 8, 2010

Vancouver Westside - Attached Market Stats

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