Rising mortgage rates brought uncertainty and caution to Metro Vancouver’s housing market in 2022.

After seeing record sales and prices during the pandemic, Metro Vancouver’s housing market experienced a year of caution in 2022 due to rising borrowing costs fueled by the Bank of Canada’s ongoing battle with inflation. 

Residential home sales in the region totalled 1,295 in December 2022, a 51.8 per cent decrease from the 2,688 sales recorded in December 2021, and a 19.8 per cent decrease from the 1,614 homes sold in November 2022. 

Last month’s sales were 37.7 per cent below the 10-year December sales average. 

“The headline story in our market in 2022 was all about inflation and the Bank of Canada’s efforts to bring inflation back to target by rapidly raising the policy rate. This is a story we expect to continue to make headlines into 2023, as inflationary pressures remain persistent across Canada,” Andrew Lis, REBGV’s director, economics and data analytics said.

Home listings on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in Metro Vancouver reached 53,865 in 2022. This is a 13.5 per cent decrease compared to the 62,265 homes listed in 2021 and a 0.8 per cent decrease compared to the 54,305 homes listed in 2020. 

Last year’s listings total was 3.2 per cent below the region’s 10-year average. 

“Closing out 2022, the data show that the Bank of Canada’s decisions to increase the policy rate at seven of the eight interest rate announcement dates in 2022 has translated into downward pressure on home sale activity and, to a lesser extent, home prices in Metro Vancouver,” Lis said. “While the consensus among many economists and forecasters suggests the Bank of Canada may be near the end of this tightening cycle, rates may remain elevated for longer than previously expected since the latest inflation figures aren’t showing signs of abating quickly. We’ll watch the 2023 spring market closely to see if buyers and sellers have adjusted to the higher borrowing-costs and are participating more actively in the market than we have seen over the last 12 months.” 

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