CONTACT
RSS

Current State of Housing Markets in Canada
Chevron

 
On Monday, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) released its national housing statistics for the month of May—the second full month of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

While restrictions have begun to lift in many parts of the country, much remains uncertain about the real estate industry. Below, CREA’s Senior Economist Shaun Cathcart provides an update on the current state of housing markets in Canada and explains what the data means for members.


May was one of those “on the one hand … on the other hand” kind of months for housing data in Canada. 

On the one hand, both sales and new listings were up on a seasonally adjusted basis in May compared to April—57% for sales and 69% for new listings—huge percentage increases, albeit from a very low starting point.

On the other hand, sales and new listings are still historically very low at this point.

To give you an idea of where sales are in level terms, if a normal solid year sees about 500,000 homes trade hands via MLS® Systems in Canada, the annualized pace of sales in April was only about 200,000, but May was almost 315,000.

So, the big picture for this data release is things are clearly moving in the right direction, probably faster than many of us would have guessed, but normal is still a ways away.

Interestingly, under the surface what those monthly numbers miss is this improving trend has been going on since mid-April and has continued right up through the first week of June. As such, we’re already closer (though not yet back) to normal than these monthly numbers suggest. The June numbers should show that.

Regionally, since we all reacted to the COVID-19 lockdowns in much the same way, these trends look similar everywhere. That is, a big drop off in sales and new listings in April and a partial rebound in May.

However, there are some notable regional differences.

Several places which saw smaller rebounds in May, also had much smaller declines in April. So, taken the size of the initial drop together with May’s rebound, a lot of the places with the less exciting looking numbers are a lot closer to being back to normal levels of activity than others. This is the case in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick.
 
Quebec is also doing relatively better, having seen a large decline in activity in April but also the largest rebound in May.

In contrast, British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario are currently the furthest below normal. To blame it all on demand may be putting the cart before the horse in this situation.

In some cases (particularly in Ontario), you must consider there may be supply side constraints pacing the sales rebound. Despite buyers being around and wanting to be active in the market, it might be taking a bit longer for those new listings to be made available for sale again. You can’t buy what isn’t available.

On the price side, the MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) was basically unchanged from April to May, with about half the markets covered seeing prices firm up. This is in line with sale-to-list price ratios which have also been rising again over the last month or so in many parts of the country.

Looking at prices across the country, since the COVID-19 crisis began small declines in prices have been seen in British Columbia while declining trends already in place in Alberta have accelerated a bit.

Further east across the Prairies, where sales have been doing comparatively much better against history than in much of the country, price trends have been stabilizing.

The Greater Golden Horseshoe in Ontario has generally seen its pre-COVID-19 rapidly accelerating prices put into a stall for now, although some of those markets are looking like they’re ready to pick up again.

And even further east in Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton, prices appear to have been able to continue climbing, albeit at a slower pace than before.

The overall MLS® HPI is still up 5.3% year-over-year.

The national average home price has admittedly taken a bit of a hit in the last two months, but for the most part that’s likely because the higher end of the market is currently less active. As of May 2020, the national share of home sales made up by British Columbia and Ontario (the two most expensive provinces by far) hit its lowest level on record. The national average price should recover as these parts of the sales sample return to more normal levels of activity.

To view a more detailed look at May’s national housing statistics, visit creastats.ca.

 
Read
Categories:   1029 view st | 1061 Fort St | 1188 Yates | 128 Amphion Terrace | 2018 | 2018 MLS Statistics Victoria | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2417 Beacon Avenue | 3010 washington Ave | 439 cook st | 515 Chatham | 751 fairfield rd | 760 johnson st | 881 short st | 881 uptown | 930 yates | abstract | abstract development | accountant | acreage | Activity Book | affordable homes | agreement of purchase | air bnb | Apartment | approach seller direction | April statistics | astoria | august 2022 | bare trustee | bc | BC Energy | bc home assessed value | BC Housing | bc landlords | BC Real Estate Council | BC Real Estate Foundation | BC Real Estate Rules | bc speculation tax | bc tax rules | bc title | bcrea | Bear Mountain | Belmont | beneficial interest | best realtor | bosa development | british columbia | british columbia real estate | building warranty | Buy | buy a condo in cedar hill | Buy Apartment | Buy Apartment Victoria BC | Buy Condo | Buy Condo Victoria | Buy Condo Victoria BC | Buy Home | Buy Home Victoria BC | Buy House Victoria BC | Buy In Victoria BC | Buy Property | buy real estate in Rockland victoria bc | buyer | buyers | buyers tax | Buying | Buying Home | Buying A ForeClosed Home | Buying A House | Buying A House With Cash | Buying An Investment Property | Buying Property | Buying Rental Property | Buying Your First Home | BuyingProperty | canada | canada home search | Canadian Housing Market | cannabis rules | capital park | cedar hill | central saanich | central saanich waterfront | Century | Century 21 Houses For Sale | Century 21e | character home | City of Saanich | clause to remove junk | close to uvic | CMHC | Co Hatley Park, Colwood Real Estate | coast hotel | concert properties | condo | condo clear | condo downtown | condo for sale | condo project | Condos For Sale | consumer protection | cordova bay | Corona Virus | corporations | Costs House | Costs Of Buying A House | Covid-19 | covid19 | cra | Craigslist Houses | Craigslist Houses For Sale | CS Brentwood Bay, Central Saanich Real Estate | CS Saanichton, Central Saanich Real Estate | customs house | david foster | deceased on title | december | detached Homes | development opportunity | disclosure forms | dockland real estate victoria | downtown | downtown victoria | downtown victoria condo | downtown victoria condos | Downtown Victria | Du West Duncan, Duncan Real Estate | elevate | empty home tax | Es Rockheights, Esquimalt Real Estate | Es Saxe Point, Esquimalt Real Estate | esquimalt | esquimalt home | estate planning | evergreen hill | fairfield condo | fairfield rd | fantastic app | farm | farm land | father | father's day | february real estate statictics | fifteen 88 | fifteen88 | find a home in victoria | find a home victoria bc | find home find | First | First Home | First Time Home Buyer | fisherman's warf | fixed mortgage | for sale by owner | for sale by owner victoria | For Sale In | For Sale On | For Sale Victoria BC | ForeClosed | ForeClosed Home | foreign b | foreign buyer tax | foreign buyer tax in british Columbia | foreign buyers | garden suite | go agent | gst | guidelines | hacks | hamlet park | harbourside | home | Home Buyer | home for sale | Home Partnership Program | Home Prices | home renovations | home search criteria | home warranty | Homes | Homes Sale | homes for sale | homes for sale in victoria bc | homes for sale under $400000 | House | House Buy And Sell | House For Sale In | House Sold | House Victoria BC | House With Cash | houses | Houses For Sale | Houses For Sale On | Houses To Buy In Victoria BC | housing market | hudson one | hudson place | hudson place one | hudson presale | Ilaria | income splitting | Investment Property | January | Jawl | jawl properties | joint tenancy | july statistics | june 15 | June 2018 | june 2020 | june 2022 | junk removal | Kijiji Homes | Kijiji Homes For Sale | kitma rd | La Bear Mountain, Langford Real Estate | La Florence Lake, Langford Real Estate | La Glen Lake, Langford Real Estate | La Happy Valley, Langford Real Estate | La Westhills, Langford Real Estate | Ladysmith | landlord | lanford | langford | lefreve | legal | legato | luxury | luxury condo | luxury condo inner harbour | luxury home | luxury real estate | luxury tax | luxury waterfront | manhattan | March | march statistics | marigold | Market | market on yates | Market Value | May | May 2020 real estate | may 2021 real estate | may statistics | me | misrepresentation | ML Mill Bay, Malahat & Area Real Estate | MLS | MLS 2018 August | mls app | mls statistics | mortgage | mosaic | Multi Family Properties | Multi Family Properties For Sale | Na North Nanaimo, Nanaimo Real Estate | nanaimo | near | new bc budget 2018 | New Condos | New Condos For Sale Victoria BC | new foreign entity tax | New Homes | New Homes For Sale Victoria BC | New Houses | New Houses For Sale Victoria BC | New realtor | new tax rules | newsletter october | newsletter september | non-resident | north dairy rd | Norway House Buy And Sell | november | NS Dean Park, North Saanich Real Estate | NS Lands End, North Saanich Real Estate | OB South Oak Bay, Oak Bay Real Estate | ocean view | october | october 2022 | Offer | Old Houses | Old Houses For Sale | openhouse | outbreak | Pandemic | parking | parkside | parkside hotel | parkside presale | polo village | Possession Dates | Pre-sale | pre-sale home | preconstruction | presale | presale condo | price | Properties | Properties For Sale | property | property guys | property transfer tax | purchase agreement | Purple Bricks | Purple Bricks Homes For Sale | real estate | real estate app | real estate estat | real estate estatistics | Real Estate Foundation BC | real estate news | real estate purchase | real estate rule changes | Real Estate Sold | real estate statistics | real estate tax | Real Estate Victori | real estate victoria | realtor | Realtor Houses For Sale | realtor tipline | realtor.ca | realtors | Remax | Remax Land | Remax Land For Sale | Rental | Rental Property | resale downtown victoria condo | residenes | residential property | resources | rockland real estate victoria | roundhouse rise | saanich garden suite | Sale | Sale Victoria BC | save money | saxe point | school | scrap speculation tax | SE Cedar Hill, Saanich East Real Estate | SE Cordova Bay, Saanich East Real Estate | SE Maplewood, Saanich East Real Estate | SE Mt Doug, Saanich East Real Estate | SE Mt Tolmie, Saanich East Real Estate | SE Swan Lake, Saanich East Real Estate | search for homes on MLS | second property | selkirk waterway | Sell My House | Sell My House Fast For Market Value | sell your home in victoria | seller | sellers | Sellers Market | selling | september | september real estate news | sidney | Sidney condo | sidney condo project victoria | Sk East Sooke, Sooke Real Estate | Sk John Muir, Sooke Real Estate | Sold | Sold Homes | Sold properties | specul | specula | speculation | speculation ta | speculation tax | speculation tax for foreigners in British Columbia | Statistical Updates | statistics | Step One Code | Steps To Buying A House | storage | strata | strata insurance | strata tips | stress test | subdivision | SW Marigold, Saanich West Real Estate | SW Northridge, Saanich West Real Estate | SW Portage Inlet, Saanich West Real Estate | SW Royal Oak, Saanich West Real Estate | SW Strawberry Vale, Saanich West Real Estate | SW Tillicum, Saanich West Real Estate | Tax | tax avoidance penalties property transfer tax | tax changes | tax changes in bc | tax fraud | tax penalties | Tax rukes | tax rules | tax splitting | telephone scam | Tenancy | tenancy laws | tenanted properties | tenants | the aragon | the haro | the jukebox | the juliet | the manhattan | the manhattan 930 yates | the nest | the railyards | thetis Glen | thetisglen | timeshare | tips | tips on virtual open house | title insurance | Top Realtor | Top Realtor Victoria BC | townhouse | Townhouses | Townhouses Victoria BC | Townhouses For Sale Victoria BC | Tresah | Troke | trust agreements | Trusts | two lots | ubc | under 600 000 | vacation home | vancouver | variable mortgage | Vi Burnside, Victoria Real Estate | Vi Downtown, Victoria Real Estate | Vi Fairfield West, Victoria Real Estate | Vi Fernwood, Victoria Real Estate | Vi James Bay, Victoria Real Estate | Vi Jubilee, Victoria Real Estate | Vi Mayfair, Victoria Real Estate | Vi Rockland, Victoria Real Estate | vic west new condo project | victora | victoria | Victoria August 2018 MLS Statistics | victoria bc | victoria bc canada | victoria bc home find | Victoria BC Home Prices | victoria condo | victoria condo market 2019 | victoria Day parade | victoria homes | victoria housing bubble | victoria inner harbour | victoria luxury condo | Victoria New Condos For Sale | victoria pre sale | victoria property | victoria property searc | victoria property search | victoria real estate | victoria real estate board | Victoria Real estate statistics | victoria speculation tax | Victoria Top Realtor | victoria townhouse | victoria waterfront | victoria waterfront condo | Victoria Waterfront Properties | vip | virtual open house | VR Prior Lake, View Royal Real Estate | VR Six Mile, View Royal Real Estate | VR View Royal, View Royal Real Estate | VREB | VW Songhees, Victoria West Real Estate | VW Victoria West, Victoria West Real Estate | water view | waterfront | waterfront condo | waterfront property | waterview | wharf street | what is happening with BC speculation tax | yates
Categories
MLS® property information is provided under copyright© by the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board and Victoria Real Estate Board. The information is from sources deemed reliable, but should not be relied upon without independent verification.