As we get into the full swing of fall, the Vancouver real estate market is starting to show some effects of the recently implemented Foreign Buyer’s Tax and the impending proposed Vacancy Tax. September’s sales were 9.6% below the 10-year sales average for the month.

“Changing market conditions are easing upward pressure on home prices in our region,” REBGV president Dan Morrison said. “There’s uncertainty in the market at the moment and home buyers and sellers are having difficulty establishing price as a result. To help you understand the factors affecting prices, it’s important to talk with a realtor.”

Vancouver’s top realtor is pleased to assist potential home sellers in determining their home’s market value. Especially in the condo and townhome market, which is seeing a higher demand these days. Home sales of all types reached 2,253 last month, a 32.6% decrease from September 2015 and a 9.5% decrease from August 2016.

The September Vancouver Real Estate Market Stats:

New Listings (detached, attached, and apartment): 4,799
1% decrease from September 2015
11.8% increase from August 2016

Total Active listings on MLS®: 9,354
13.4% decrease from September 2015
10% increase from August 2016

Sales-to-Active-Listings ratio: 24.1%
Lowest since February 2015

Benchmark price for all residential properties: $931,900
28.9% increase from September 2015
0.1% decrease from August 2016

Benchmark price for a detached property is $1,579,400
33.7% increase from September 2015
0.1% increase from August 2016

Detached property sales totaled 666

47.6% decrease from September 2015

Benchmark price for an apartment property is $511,800

23.5% increase from September 2015
0.5% decrease from August 2016

Apartment property sales totaled 1,218
20.3% decrease from September 2015

Benchmark price for an attached unit is $677,000
29.1% increase from September 2015
0.1% decrease from August 2016

Attached property sales totaled 369
32.2% decrease from September 2015

For a complete comparison, visit rebgv.org. Want to sell, buy, or require a consultation? Contact me today.

*REBGV Editor’s Note:  Areas covered by Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver include: Whistler, Sunshine Coast, Squamish, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, New Westminster, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, and South Delta.

While a lot of speculation still looms around the proposed Vacancy Tax that Vancouver’s Mayor Gregor Robertson first pitched back in the Spring, the goal is clear: open new rental spaces. Hand-in-hand with the recent Foreign Buyer Tax, the proposed Vacancy Tax aims to make Vancouver a more feasible place to live again. Affordable? Not so much.

The Details

Current Vancouver homeowners and future home buyers should be aware that the tax could be up to 2% of the property’s assessed value; a measure hoped to encourage speculators to rent out instead of leaving a home empty. Based on a recent BC Hydro study (with addresses blacked-out for privacy), there are 10,800 homes and condos in the Metro Vancouver area that are sitting empty. The flip side of that is our city’s vacancy rate of less than half a percentage point. Could this new tax help the rental market? Time will tell.

Enforcement

It is still unclear how the city will proceed with enforcing the tax, other than on good faith. Robertson has cited random audits and complaints to catch tax evaders, while others contest how this will affect privacy issues and the sense of community in Vancouver when everyone is expected to keep an eye on their neighbour’s whereabouts--and how long they’re home for.

What If You’re Away?

Homeowners whose Vancouver properties are not their primary residence and short-term rentals such as AirBNB may fall into the realm of taxation. Reasonable occupancy is still to be determined, and Robertson claims he will ask for public feedback before implementing rules surrounding secondary residences and vacation homes.

Counter Propositions

Regional mayors suggested a non-resident tax in lieu of Robertson’s proposal, but it appears this measure is on hold for the time being. Robertson himself has also proposed a new municipal business tax on investment properties as a way to bypass provincial government authority. Enforcement issues are key in the success of either of these programs, and have yet to shown without being at great cost to the city.

The bottom line: whichever direction the new tax takes, housing prices are unlikely to drop as a result. As real estate professor Tsur Somerville from UBC’s Sauder School of Business states, “It’s a good first step that would help renters, but ultimately, it is not going to make Vancouver more affordable.”

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Photo: John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail