The Kootenays, Eastern BC Enjoyed a 14.9% Increase in Sales
The Kootenays
Eastern BC saw a more moderate market rebound than the rest of the province. Sales rose 26.6%, and began to firm up prices by as little as 1.7% for a detached home and as much as 33.8% for an attached home. Overall, activity is lower than Q3 2008 levels. Compared to a year ago, unit sales are lower by 10.7% and dollar value has decreased 8.2%.
In contrast to the quarterly comparisons, the number of sales month to month decreased in every region except for the Kootenay region, where sales increased 14.9% in September. The Fraser Valley lead the seasonal downturn, with the number of sales declining 19.6% in September, compared to August 2009. In September, sales on Vancouver Island declined 13.4%. In Greater Vancouver, they fell 8%, in the Okanagan they fell 4.9% and in the BC North/Northwest, sales fell 3.3% compared to August. Fewer sales were largely the result of a typical seasonal slowdown.