The Bank of Canada today announced that it is maintaining its target for the overnight rate at 1/2 per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 3/4 per cent and the deposit rate is 1/4 per cent.

CPI inflation rose to 2.1 per cent in January, reflecting higher energy prices due in part to carbon pricing measures introduced in two provinces. The Bank is looking through these effects, as their impact on inflation will be temporary. The Bank’s three measures of core inflation, taken together, continue to point to material excess capacity in the economy.

Overall, recent data on the global and Canadian economies have been consistent with the Bank’s projection of improving growth, as set out in the January Monetary Policy Report (MPR). In Canada, recent consumption and housing indicators suggest growth in the fourth quarter of 2016 may have been slightly stronger than expected. However, exports continue to face the ongoing competitiveness challenges described in the January MPR. The Canadian dollar and bond yields remain near levels observed at that time. While there have been recent gains in employment, subdued growth in wages and hours worked continue to reflect persistent economic slack in Canada, in contrast to the United States.

The Bank’s Governing Council remains attentive to the impact of significant uncertainties weighing on the outlook and continues to monitor risks outlined in the January MPR. In this context, Governing Council judges that the current stance of monetary policy is still appropriate and maintains the target for the overnight rate at 1/2 per cent.

Provided by the Bank of Canada. For more info visit their website at http://www.bankofcanada.ca

Demand diversifies for Fraser Valley real estate in January

SURREY, BC – Fraser Valley real estate kicked-off the New Year strong with sales reaching above the ten-year average for January, and a healthy intake of new inventory.

The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 976 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in January, a decrease of 27.1 per cent compared to the 1,338 sales in January of last year, and a 1 per cent increase compared to the 966 sales in December 2016.

Of the 976 sales processed last month, 212 were townhouses and 276 were apartments, representing exactly half of the month’s market activity.

“The impacts of 2016's tremendous real estate surge continue to be felt as we enter the New Year, and a new market.

Notably, the distribution of sales across our residential property types levelled-off even further in January. As well, prices continue to adjust to match more typical demand, albeit slowly," said Charles Wiebe, Board President.

The Board received 2,178 new listings in January, a significant 162.7 per cent increase from December 2016, and a 13.2 per cent decrease compared to January 2016’s 2,510 new listings.

In January the total active inventory for the Fraser Valley was 4,401 listings, a decrease of 8.1 per cent year-over-year and the lowest level seen for a January in ten years. However, active inventory increased by 12 per cent month-over-month compared to December’s 3,930 active listings.

"This is a great time to list in the Fraser Valley; buyers are looking at a wider range of homes and the market is still lacking inventory needed to match demand. If you need help figuring out your next step, talk your local REALTOR® and they can help you get to market quickly and stress-free.”

For the Fraser Valley region, the average number of days to sell a single family detached home in January 2017 was 49 days, compared to 33 days in January 2016.

HPI® Benchmark Price Activity

• Single Family Detached: At $856,300, the Benchmark price for a single family detached home in the Valley did not change compared to December 2016, and increased 24.3 per cent compared to January 2016.

• Townhomes: At $420,400 the Benchmark price for a townhome in the Fraser Valley increased 0.9 per cent compared to December 2016, and increased 28.8 per cent compared to January 2016.

• Apartments: At $262,300, the Benchmark price for apartments/condos in the Fraser Valley increased 1.3 per cent compared to December 2016, and increased 27.6 per cent compared to January 2016.

We are proud to announce that this Feb 5th, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM we will be hosting an Open House at 3440 Langford Avenue in Richview Gardens in the Champlain Heights neighborhood, Vancouver. This is an opportunity to visit this excellent Apartment for sale in beautiful Champlain Heights.

Please come with any questions you may have. In the meantime you can take a virtual tour of this Champlain Heights Apartment for sale.

As always please do not hesitate to give me a call at 604.307.4242 if I can answer any questions before the open house, or if you would like to book a private showing.

Tammy Evans, Personal Real Estate Corporation
Treeland

Record-setting year for Fraser Valley real estate

SURREY, BC – Fraser Valley real estate experienced the strongest year in its history in 2016, with record-setting numbers seen in both total MLS® transactions and overall dollar volume sold.

The Board’s Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) processed 23,974 sales in 2016, 13.6 per cent more than the 21,095 sales in 2015, and 12.6 per cent more than the previous record of 21,282 sales in 2005. The total dollar volume of MLS® sales was a record setting $16.2 billion, four billion more than the previous record set in 2015.

Of the total transactions for the year, 5,369 were townhouses sold and 5,069 were apartments, the highest each category has reached in the Board’s history.

Charles Wiebe, President of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, attributes this year's extraordinary market activity to a strong provincial economy and the diverse inventory available to consumers entering the Valley. "Our region boasts a vast range of homes available at all price points, which made it a very enticing option for buyers of all types last year."

For inventory, a total of 34,768 new listings were received by the Board’s MLS® system during 2016, the second highest in the Board’s history and only 883 behind the 35,651 received in 2008.

In December the Board processed 966 sales, a decrease of 37.4 per cent compared to December of 2015, but level with the ten-year average for the month. December’s total inventory in the Fraser Valley was 3,930 active listings; 29.8 per cent fewer than were available in November 2016 and 8 per cent fewer than December 2015.

Wiebe adds, “The Fraser Valley market was consistently strong throughout 2016, and at times tremendously active. However, at year’s end, we see sales returning to more typical levels and low overall inventory.

“Moving into 2017 and the spring market, would-be sellers are in a great position to take advantage of strong pricing and, depending on the area, a limited selection for buyers. Talk to a REALTOR® who can help you kick-off the New Year with incredible opportunity.”

HPI® Benchmark Price Activity

• Single Family Detached: At $856,700, the Benchmark price for a single family detached home in the Valley decreased 0.5 per cent compared to November 2016, and increased 27.4 per cent compared to December 2015.

• Townhomes: At $416,600, the Benchmark price for a townhouse in the Valley decreased 1.8 per cent compared to November 2016, and increased 29.5 per cent compared to December 2015.

• Apartments: At $259,000, the Benchmark price for an apartment in the Valley increased 0.2 per cent compared to November 2016, and increased 26.4 per cent compared to December 2015.

FVREB Media Release:
REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive helps 30,000 people stay warm
December 9, 2016

SURREY, BC – More than 30,000 working poor and homeless people throughout the Lower Mainland received blankets and warm clothing this winter thanks to donations collected during the 22nd annual REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive.

Between November 14 and 21, over 100 real estate offices served as drop-off points for donations. Realtor volunteers collected, sorted and delivered the donations to local charities.

“Unfortunately, there will always be a need for support for those who are less fortunate and struggle during these cold seasons,” Charles Wiebe, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board president said. “I’m proud that, once more, the incredible generosity of our volunteers and those who donated has helped ease some of that struggle.”

A hallmark of the Blanket Drive is that all donations remain in the community in which they were collected. Many charities rely on donations from the program each year to help them through the winter.

Angie Paulson, Clothing Coordinator, NightShift Street Ministries in Surrey, says, “The support of the REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive is critical to our clothing program and helps us meet the needs of our clothing program for many months after the Drive. It’s pretty amazing how much it helps!”

The REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive is the largest and longest running blanket drive in British Columbia. Since the Blanket Drive began in 1994, the program helped more than 305,000 people in our communities keep warm and dry during the winter months.

For more information, go to www.blanketdrive.ca. For a selection of photos from the Blanket Drive, visit www.facebook.com/BlanketDrive.

The REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive is a partnership between the Realtors of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board and the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board and their communities.

Bank of Canada maintains overnight rate target at 1/2 per cent

Economic data suggest that global economic conditions have strengthened, as the Bank anticipated in its October Monetary Policy Report (MPR). However, uncertainty, which has been undermining business confidence and dampening investment in Canada’s major trading partners, remains undiminished. Following the election in the United States, there has been a rapid back-up in global bond yields, partly reflecting market anticipation of fiscal expansion in a US economy that is near full capacity. Canadian yields have risen significantly in this context.

In Canada, the dynamics of growth are largely as the Bank anticipated. Following a very weak first half of 2016, growth in the third quarter rebounded strongly, but more moderate growth is anticipated in the fourth quarter. Consumption growth was robust in the third quarter, supported by the new Canada Child Benefit, while the effects of federal infrastructure spending are not yet evident in the GDP data. Meanwhile, business investment and non-energy goods exports continue to disappoint. There have been ongoing gains in employment, but a significant amount of economic slack remains in Canada, in contrast to the United States. While household imbalances continue to rise, these will be mitigated over time by announced changes to housing finance rules.

Total CPI inflation has picked up in recent months but is slightly below expectations, largely because of lower food prices. Core inflation is close to 2 per cent because the effect of persistent economic slack is still being offset by that of past exchange rate depreciation, although the latter effect is dissipating.

Overall, the Bank’s Governing Council judges that the current stance of monetary policy remains appropriate. Therefore, the target for the overnight rate remains at 1/2 per cent.

Provided courtesy of the Bank of Canada. 

Fraser Valley market moves to familiar territory in November

SURREY, BC – Sales and listing activity in the Fraser Valley decreased once again month-over-month, returning to typical levels for the month of November.

The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 1,247 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in November, a decrease of 29.4 per cent compared to November 2015’s 1,766 sales, and a 14.8 per cent decrease compared to the 1,463 sales in October 2016. Of the sales processed last month, 291 were townhouses and 348 were apartments, representing more than half of this November 2016’s market activity.

“Through the past four months, we’ve seen a slow but steady return to a more normal market for sales and listing activity. Because of that, the pressure that was previously placed on buyers has been thankfully alleviated, and transactions can be made without the need for hasty decisions dictated by intense competition," says Charles Wiebe, Board President.

Active inventory continued to tighten at 5,602 available listings, dropping 7.2 per cent compared to October 2016. Additionally, compared year-over-year, this November decreased by 2.8 per cent.

The Board received 1,792 new listings in November, an 18.4 per cent decrease from October 2016, and a 3.3 per cent decrease compared to November 2015’s 1,854 new listings.

“As we move away from the record-setting demand seen earlier this year, sellers are sharpening their list prices to respond to the changing market - and REALTORS® can certainly help with this,” explains Wiebe. “I'm pleased to see that homes are still selling at strong levels, especially for attached homes which are elevated compared to what we’re used to in November, thanks to both the levelling off of prices and consistent demand for our region."

The number of days to sell a single family detached home in the Fraser Valley for November 2016 was 37 days, matching the 37 days to sale average in November 2015.

HPI® Benchmark Price Activity

• Single Family Detached: At $860,800, the Benchmark price for a single family detached home in the Valley decreased 1.3 per cent compared to October 2016, and increased 30.5 per cent compared to November 2015.

• Townhomes: At $424,300 the Benchmark price for a townhome in the Fraser Valley increased 0.7 per cent compared to October 2016, and increased 33.1 per cent compared to November 2015.

• Apartments: At $258,600, the Benchmark price for apartments/condos in the Fraser Valley increased 1.7 per cent compared to October 2016, and increased 24.9 per cent compared to November 2015.

Stats provided by the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. For a full report click here: http://www.fvreb.bc.ca/statistics/Package201611.pdf

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We are proud to announce that this Oct 30th, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM we will be hosting an Open House at 8328 207A St. in YORKSON CREEK in the Willoughby/Yorkson neighborhood, LANGLEY. This is an opportunity to visit this excellent Apartment for sale in beautiful Willoughby/Yorkson.

Please come with any questions you may have. In the meantime you can take a virtual tour of this Willoughby/Yorkson Apartment for sale.

As always please do not hesitate to give me a call at 604.307.4242 if I can answer any questions before the open house, or if you would like to book a private showing.

Tammy Evans, Personal Real Estate Corporation
Treeland

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