Vancouver's home sales dropped nearly 10% in July compared to last year, reversing June's gains, with 2,061 sales recorded. Sales were 18.6% below the 10-year seasonal average. The benchmark price for residential properties fell 6.2% year-over-year to $1,088,800. New listings decreased 11.5%, while total inventory fell 4% but remained 26.8% above the long-term average.
Why more first-time home buyers are sitting on the sideline and why the cheaper segment of the market is slowing down. Anything under one million in Vancouver is on this lower side right now, especially in markets like Brentwood and Fedorad in Burnaby or Surrey. Buyers are having more choices in central areas and they're coming back to the centers with prices dropping.
Canadian home sales rose 0.5% in June 2026, marking three consecutive months of gains and lifting activity 7% above March levels. The national average home price increased 0.5% year-over-year to $696,078. Fixed mortgage rates eased, stabilizing prices in many markets. However, annual sales forecasts were revised down by 1.4% due to a weak first half and rate-driven market drag. Inventory tightened, signaling balanced conditions.
Strata corporations with five or more units in certain BC regions must have a depreciation report by July 1, 2026, or by 2028 elsewhere. Failure to comply violates the Strata Property Act, allowing owners to seek legal orders for the report. Missing reports can hinder property sales, affect mortgage approvals, insurance renewals, and increase financial risks. Promptly commissioning a qualified report is crucial to avoid serious consequences.
A recent poll found 64% of Canadians said timing a home purchase perfectly is impossible, while 73% said economic uncertainty makes acting harder.
Among Canadians planning to buy within the next 2 yr, 45% said now is the right time, versus 27% of Canadians overall.
Some purchasing power returned as borrowing costs eased, but mortgage rates remained well above earlier ultra-low levels, helping explain why caution still dominated decisions.
To make ownership work, 69% expected to delay major purchases, 62% planned smaller vacations, and 60% said spending and saving habits need reworking.
Even with caution, 53% of prospective buyers saw only a small window to capture lower prices before they rise again, yet 40% felt informed.
Canada’s foreign-buyer ban is set to expire January 1, 2027, and federal officials are exploring rules steering offshore money toward new construction and redevelopment.
Housing supply remains central: the housing agency says Canada must roughly double annual starts over the next decade, from ~259K now to 430K-480K.
The model under review would allow foreign purchases of new construction and vacant land, while keeping existing homes off-limits to direct capital toward supply.
Current rules already include some exemptions for vacant land, redevelopment and certain publicly traded entities in Canada, and they apply mainly across Canada’s urban markets.
Mortgage brokers, agents, lawyers and notaries have a stake in the policy shift, and current rules make protective contract provisions especially important.
As the 2027 expiry nears, policymakers are expected to sort access by property type and development intent, reopening targeted segments to foreign capital.
Canada’s foreign-buyer ban is set to expire January 1, 2027, and federal officials are exploring rules steering offshore money toward new construction and redevelopment.
Housing supply remains central: the housing agency says Canada must roughly double annual starts over the next decade, from ~259K now to 430K-480K.
The model under review would allow foreign purchases of new construction and vacant land, while keeping existing homes off-limits to direct capital toward supply.
Current rules already include some exemptions for vacant land, redevelopment and certain publicly traded entities in Canada, and they apply mainly across Canada’s urban markets.
Mortgage brokers, agents, lawyers and notaries have a stake in the policy shift, and current rules make protective contract provisions especially important.
As the 2027 expiry nears, policymakers are expected to sort access by property type and development intent, reopening targeted segments to foreign capital.
Canadian homebuyers today face greater financial challenges than those in the 1980s despite lower interest rates. In 1981, rates peaked near 22%, but homes cost three to four times household income, with smaller mortgages and shorter saving periods. Now, average home prices have risen 57% since 2015, far outpacing wage growth, with mortgage payments consuming over 50% of income nationally and over 70% in Toronto. First-time buyers are older, saving longer, and stretched by 30-year amortizations, reflecting a structural affordability crisis.