The January 2019 Kelowna and Central Okanagan Real Estate Buyers Survey Results have now by produced, courtesy of our local Real Estate Board - OMREB.

One of the main highlights to note this month is the fall in Buyers coming from the Lower Mainland and Vancouver area, where their own Real Estate Markets have been slow this winter.

Property Type:

16.87%  First Time Purchase (down from 19.88% in December)

19.28%  Move Up Purchase (up from 14.91%)

18.07%  Relocating to Similar Property Type (down from 21.12%) 

10.84%  Revenue/Investment (down from 15.53%)

16.27%  Downsizing (up from 8.70%)

4.82%    Moving from Single-family Home to Strata Unit (down from 4.97%)

2.41%    Moving from Strata Property to Single Family Home (down from 2.48%)

7.83%    Recreational Property (down from 8.70%)

3.61%    Retirement Home/Seniors Community (up from 1.86%)

Buyer Type (Family Dynamic):

30.30%  Two Parent family/children...

After a very quiet start to January, which followed a quiet December, I am pleased to report that Buyers and Sellers are beginning to think about Real Estate again. We are beginning to see more new listings and Buyers are out looking.

Speculation Tax in Kelowna and West Kelowna seems to be here to stay, for now, so its time to get your Speculation Tax Declarations in!

Kelowna & Central Okanagan Real Estate Sales January 2019.

Total sales were roughly on par with last month although down 42% on this time last year. Single Family home sales were down 45% on last year and Strata sales were down 37%, which is an even higher drop than last month.

This is certainly depressing reading for Sellers, but putting a positive spin on it, it can only get better!!

Inventory Levels

Total levels...

The November 2018 Buyers Survey Results are now out for the Kelowna and Central Okanagan Real Estate Market.

First-time Buyers were busier again this month, up from 14.87% to 16.84%. Investor numbers were also up from 14.56% to 16.84%.

The numbers Buying properties from within the Central Okanagan area were also up from 56.07% to 58.95%, from the Lower Mainland up from 18.07% to 205 and from Alberta up from 7.48% to 10.53%.

People Buying in the Kelowna area last month took a jump fro, 42.06% to 62.11%.

Here are the full results below.

Best describe your most recent Buyer (moving to/ from property type)

First Time Buyer – 16.84%
Revenue Property Investor –
16.84%
Moving Up – 20.00%
Similar Property Type – 21.05%
Downsizing – 7.37%

Single Family Residential to Strata – 3.16%
Recreational Property – 9.47%
Retirement Community – 3.16%
Strata to Single Family – 2.11%

Best describe your most recent Buyer (moving to/ from property type)...

During November 2018 the Kelowna Real Estate Market appears to have headed into its typical winter slowdown, and many sellers have been left wondering what it's going to take to get their home sold, with showings very slow and declining sales prices.

Our Market is firmly a Buyers Market right now and many Buyers continue to sit on the fence, worried about whether they'll be paying too much, what will be the effect of the Speculation Tax now it's in place and will they qualify for a Mortgage due to the Mortgage Stress tests.

Kelowna Real Estate Market Sales November 2018

Overall Sales were down 21% on last month and down 32% on this time last year. Single Family Home sales were down 21% on last month and 29.5% on last year and Strata Sales were down 31.5% on last month...

First-time Buyers had their busiest month so far this year, in the Kelowna and Central Okanagan Real Estate Market.

Does this mean they are finally finding ways to get around the Mortgage Stress test, which began in January this year? It will be interesting to see the answer over the winter months.

I suspect that increasing interest rates will be the next thing to 'curb' their purchasing power.

The number of Investors was also down, and also the number of Vancouver and Lower Mainland Buyers from 20.5% to 16.87%. This is likely to be due to the continued cooling of the Lower Mainland Real Estate Markets, where homes are taking longer to sell and prices are 'softer' than they were.

Central Okanagan September 2018 Buyers Survey Results.

Best describe your most recent Buyer (moving to/from property type)

First Time Buyer – 20.08%

Revenue Property Investor – 8.79%

Moving Up – 15.06%

Similar Property Type – 23.01%

Downsizing – 12.97%...

The big question this month is, has the Kelowna Real Estate Market peaked?

From a Real Estate Agents perspective, the phones have certainly been quieter and there is definitely more of a hesitancy with some Buyers, wondering whether the market has peaked, and should they buy right now.

May is normally a very busy time for me, particularly with Parents looking to buy Condos for their children about to attend UBCO, in September.

As usual, I am working with a number of these Buyers, but only 1 or 2 have actually bought so far. Many others are sitting on the fence, either because they haven’t found what they are looking for or they are wondering whether prices have peaked.

As part of my report this month, I will be looking at the numbers, potential causes of the slowdown, highlighting some of the points of interest this month and giving my thoughts on what the coming months might look like for the Market.

Kelowna Real Estate Sales May 2018