Vancouver, BC September 16, 2013.The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that a total of 6,863 residential sales were recorded by the Multiple Listing Service (MLS®) in BC during August, up 28.6 per cent from August 2012. Total sales dollar volume was 39.7 per cent higher than a year ago at $3.66 billion. The average MLS® residential price in the province was $533,400, up 8.6 per cent from August 2012.
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"After sitting on the sidelines for much of 2012, home buyers were out in force during the summer months," said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. "Fear of a housing market hard landing has given way to a sense of urgency to lock in a mortgage at a low interest rate." While higher mortgage interest rates are on the horizon, BCREA forecasts the five-year posted mortgage rate to be 50 basis points higher a year from now. The impact on consumer demand is expected to be largely offset by stronger economic conditions and the associated employment growth.
Year-to-date, BC residential sales dollar volume was up 1.5 per cent to $26.5 billion, compared to the same period last year. Residential unit sales were down 0.6 per cent to 49,849 units, while the average MLS® residential price was up 2 per cent at $532,130.
BC Real Estate Association August 2013 sales
