MONTHLY STATISTICS UPDATE FOR JULY 2024
Posted by Team Biberger on
JULY 2024 MARKET UPDATE
NANAIMO, BC – The Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB) recorded 737 unit sales board-wide and 4,559 active listings (all property types) on the MLS® System in July 2024. In the single-family category (excluding acreage and waterfront), 363 homes sold in July, down 11 per cent from one year ago and up one per cent from June. Sales of condo apartments last month came in at 87, decreasing by nine per cent year over year and up six per cent from June. In the row/townhouse category, 99 units changed hands in July, up 16 per cent from one year ago and nine per cent from June.
Active listings of single-family homes were 1,566 in June, an increase from the 1,105 posted one year ago. VIREB’s inventory of condo apartments was 440 last month, up from 319 in June 2023. There were 364 row/townhouses for sale last month compared to 274 the previous year.
Active listings of single-family homes were 1,596 in July, up from the 1,092 posted one year ago. VIREB’s inventory of condo apartments was 455 last month, up from 312 in July 2023. There were 342 row/ townhouses for sale last month compared to 262 the previous year. With an absorption rate of 16 per cent and approximately six months of inventory, the VIREB housing market is in balanced territory and edging slightly towards a buyers’ market.
As VIREB CEO Jason Yochim noted in recent media releases, the market has behaved differently this year. VIREB’s typical spring and summer market never truly launched. Buyers and sellers are both holding back, despite interest rate reductions and higher inventory.
“Inventory has risen considerably, and it’s been five years since active listings in the VIREB area were at this level, so buyers have more choice and more time to wait,” Yochim stated last month. “The same holds true for sellers, so there seems to be a waiting game going on.”
Even a strong local economy isn’t boosting the housing market on Vancouver Island. In its latest Nowcast, the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) states that strong economic growth continues on the Lower Mainland, on Vancouver Island, and in Northern BC, while the interior economies of the Okanagan and Kootenay lag behind.
Regardless of market conditions, connecting with a local REALTOR® can help smooth the way to a successful real estate transaction.
For more information and full update, check out the following resources on REALTOR Link®.
Our JULY 2024 Market Update is provided above and available on YouTube; it summarizes our housing market in about two minutes.
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 boardsupplied 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.