Welcome back to my market updates post! I will continue to update this Victoria, British Columbia, real estate market page at the beginning of each month. 

 

This post’s data, housing prices, statistics, and property information are from the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board Region. Alright, let’s get to it!

 

The Market Overall 

In total, 510 residential properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region during July 2022, which is 38.9% fewer properties than the 835 properties sold in July 2021 and a 16.7% decrease from the previous month of June 2022.

 

Overall, the Victoria real estate market seems to be less competitive for homebuyers as the urgency in the market has slowly levelled off. In addition, inventory is gradually increasing each month, and at the end of July 2022, there were 2,162 active listings for sale on the Victoria Board MLS®.

 

Overall, there was a 5% increase from the 2,059 active listings at the end of June 2022 and a 70.2% increase from the 1,270 active listings at the end of July 2021.

 

The increase in interest rates has slightly discouraged some buyers and is an attempt by the Bank of Canada to cool home buyer demand and high inflation.

 

With inflation reaching 6.8% in April 2022, the aggressive increase in the policy rate will attempt to counter increasing inflation.

 

The good news for home buyers is that inventory (supply) is increasing.  Average days on market is going up, more new listings are coming on the market daily, and sales activity is decreasing.  As a result, home sellers are more willing to negotiate on terms, conditions, and prices.

 

Over the past two years, the market has been a complete sellers’ market, so it’s refreshing to see some balance restored as buyers have more time to write an offer and complete their due diligence.

 

While there is less competition for home buyers, the higher interest rates have made monthly mortgage payments more expensive in most cases for new homeowners today than they were last year.

 

Although, over the past few months, the number of active listings has slowly increased. Limited long-term supply will continue to be an issue with housing affordability in the short-term and long term.

 

Allowing secondary suites, zoning changes, and quicker approval of development permits are necessary to continue to have enough housing supply in the Greater Victoria area.  

 

Condo sales in July 2022 were down 39.4% compared to July last year (2021), with 172 units sold.

 

In addition, sales of single-family homes in July 2022 were down 35.9% from July 2021, with 254 houses sold.

 

There were 2,162 active listings for sale on the Victoria Real Estate Board Multiple Listing Service® at the end of July 2022, an increase of 5% compared to the previous month of June 2022 and a 70.2% increase from the 1,270 active listings for sale at the end of July 2021.

 

Below are the statistics released at months end from the Victoria Real Estate Board (VREB)

 

July 2022

Net unconditional sales: 510

New listings: 1,101

Active listings: 2,162

 

July 2021

Net unconditional sales: 835

New listings: 971

Active listings: 1,270

 

Median Sale Prices For Single Family Homes, Condos, and Townhomes

Single Family Homes Greater Victoria 

• July 2022 median selling price: $1,087,000
• July 2021 median selling price: $1,050,000
• 3.5% increase in median selling price compared to July 2021 

 

Condo Apartment

• July 2022 median selling price: $550,000
• July 2021 median selling price: $484,950
• 13.4% increase in median selling price compared to July 2021

 

Row/Townhome

• July 2022 median selling price: $755,000
• July 2021 median selling price: $705,000
• 7.1% increase in median selling price compared to July 2021 

 

Average Sale Prices For Single Family Homes, Condos, and Townhomes

Single Family Homes Greater Victoria 

• July 2022 average selling price: $1,199,126
• July 2021 average selling price: $1,177,975
• 1.8% increase in average selling price compared to July 2021 

 

Condo Apartment

• July 2022 average selling price: $598,039
• July 2021 average selling price: $545,538
• 9.6% increase in average selling price compared to July 2021

 

Row/Townhome

• July 2022 average selling price: $850,982
• July 2021 average selling price: $741,004
• 14.8% increase in average selling price compared to July 2021

 

 

Sales to Active Listings Ratio 

The total residential sales over the total active residential listings ratio is a measurement of supply and demand and is expressed as a percentage at months-end.

 

The ratio can provide buyers, sellers, and their agents an understanding of whether we are in a buyers’ market, sellers’ market, or a balanced market.

 

When the percentage of sales to active listings is in the 15-20% range, there is little pressure on home prices either way, and it is typically considered a balanced market. 

 

However, when the sales to active listings percentage falls below 10%, there is downward pressure on prices, which is considered a buyers’ market. 

 

Alternatively, when the sales to active listings percentage increases above 25%, there is upward pressure on prices, which is considered a sellers’ market.

 

For July 2022, the sales to active listings ratio dropped to 30%, indicating a 9% decrease from the 39% sales to active listings ratio in June 2022.

 

A second factor is a low supply of new homes coming to market in Victoria because of the high construction materials prices, municipal zoning regulations, and high cost of acquiring land to build.

 

The Victoria, BC, real estate market is very dynamic, and many important factors influence market conditions.

 

If you have any questions about the Victoria real estate market or if you’d like to know what your home is worth in today’s market, I can prepare a free comparative market analysis for you! You can send me a message on my contact page or email ria@mavrikoscollective.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

 

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