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January 2011 News Release

Frank Mihal | January 5th, 2011

STABILITY REIGNS IN LATTER HALF OF 2010 REAL ESTATE MARKET

Stable property sales and a steady erosion of inventory for the last seven months of 2010 have brought equilibrium to Fraser Valley’s real estate market.

“Our market was a bit of a rollercoaster in 2010 with buyers appearing earlier than expected in the year, tapering in the summer and returning in the fall,” says Deanna Horn, Board president.

“As consumers regained their confidence in the overall economy, we saw a normalization of the market with sales at or slightly below average, inventory dropping and modest changes in home prices.”

 A total of 895 sales were processed on the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in December, a decrease of 17 per cent compared to November and a decrease of 29 per cent compared to 1,260 sales in December of last year. The Board’s 10-year average for December sales in the last decade is 1,020. 

In terms of listings, the Board finished 2010 with 8,139 active listings, 10 per cent fewer than in November and an increase of 25 per cent compared to the 6,534 properties available in December 2009. December’s inventory represents a 28 per cent drop from 2010’s peak of 11,411 active listings reached in May.

Horn adds, “If there’s one lesson buyers and sellers can take from our market in 2010, it’s to recognize there are real differences in home values based on their type and location making it prudent to have your REALTOR® show you comparisons specific to your property type and neighbourhood.

“For example, benchmark prices of condominiums in North Surrey have decreased by 3.8 per cent in the last year while benchmark prices of detached homes in west Abbotsford have increased by 4 per cent.”

Overall, the benchmark price for Fraser Valley detached homes in December was $506,145, an increase of 0.3 per cent compared to November and 1.7 per cent higher compared to $497,732 in December 2009.   

The benchmark price of Fraser Valley townhouses in December was $322,054, an increase of 0.8 per cent compared to November and a 1.2 per cent increase compared to December 2009 when it was $318,174. Year-over-year, the benchmark price of apartments increased 1.2 per cent going from $237,157 in December 2009 to $240,101 in December 2010 and 0.9 per cent lower compared to November 2010