September Real Estate Review.

 The real estate business just keeps on churning out deals. An unusual year, to say the least! The good weather we are having is certainly helping but who would have expected the current level of activity through the summer and continuing into October?

Low inventory seems to be one big factor, low interest rates is another, but beyond that, it becomes a guessing game. Local buyers are certainly active but we are seeing unusual numbers of Canadians from places outside of the valley buying property - in town and at Big White. The questions are, how long will this continue and what will 2021 bring?

We have had years where the market remained active right through the winter. Is this going to happen again? Because nothing happening recently was forecast and the influence factors are so varied right now there is no way to predict the future with any confidence.

With that in mind, lets look at what the numbers for September tell us. “Hold on to your seats!”

• Total units for all residential sales in September rose by 83% compared to September last year. Astounding! This rise was fairly consistent through all categories from SFD, Condos, townhouses and lots. • Average house prices rose significantly year-over year but the percentage increase doesn’t reflect the change in price of an individual home. Why? The number of sales of homes over $1M has jumped by over 104% which throws the average off. The median price is more realistic right now and it rose by 11% for September. Still significant.

• News listings in September are up by 18% compared to last September.

• The Days on Market is essentially unchanged at 66 days.

If  you have questions, call me. I can provide you specific facts on homes and properties that might affect you and your decisions. 

This home has the Location, Location, Location!

Great Family Neighborhood in Lower Mission. Nice 2 Story home well maintained home. 4 Bedrooms up with main floor family room. Walking distance to the lake, schools, shopping, Mission Creek Greenway and steps to Belmont Linear Park. One of the most desired areas of Kelowna. Ready for your updates! Please call or text Steve Higgins 250.864.7893 for more information.  Please leave Lights on and follow all required COVID Protocols.

3210 Broadview Road, West Kelowna

This 2360 sq ft updated home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms on almost 1 acre of privacy. Lake views and tons of parking for all your toys. Bright, open floor plan with easy suite potential. Backs on to ALR. Zoned RU4. There is development potential or perfect for your home based business. Half the garage is ideal for a home workshop. New Forced Air Furnace, ducts and air conditioning. New HWT, Windows, Kitchen & Bathroom Cabinets, Granite , Flooring, Light Fixtures & Paint. 

Please have buyers sign Covid 19 form for your file. Please wear gloves and masks and leave the lights on.

April Market Report.

How many of you felt like April was something like 287 days long? I know I sure felt it was. There were many quips like that on Facebook recently with lots of “LOL's . At times this does seem to be endless but as Dr. Bonnie Henry says, “It’s not forever but it is for now!” Are you feeling overloaded with news and reports about Covid-19? 

Let’s talk about some of the good things happening for a change. Are you spending less money on gas? Are your pets happier? Are you reading more? How about getting some fresh air, bike riding, walks or hikes? Time with your loved ones? In “normal” times it seems we spend too much money or find it challenging to find time for enjoyable pursuits. With some optimism on the horizon, this is a good time to make the most of the extra time right now and enjoy it. Yes, there are financial challenges, but we will come out of this. Let’s do our best to enjoy what we can and remember the good parts when this is all over.

Real estate! It’s a bit like the weather. Everyone likes to talk about it and most people have an opinion. It will come as no surprise to most of you that after a strong March, April was much slower this year. Sales are certainly down but they have not halted, by any measure. There are still people who need to sell and others who need to buy. This is the reason real estate is an essential service.

The good news is, there are fewer “tire-kicker” buyers and sellers. Those that are participating in this market tend to be very serious. Interestingly, new listings usually outstrip buyers at this time of year but the opposite is true right now. With fewer listings and serious buyers stepping up, prices actually rose by over 2.0% compared to April of last year.

The month ahead should be an interesting one. If, as predicted, the Provincial Government begins to lift some of the restrictions affecting the economy and people take small steps towards greater interaction, shopping, eating out and more, we believe real estate sellers and buyers will also begin to get more active too.

For everyone’s sake, a slow and steady opening of the economy will be best, but just knowing we are on that path will give everyone a shot of optimism. We anticipate the numbers for May will be up from April. 

February 2020 Market Report

With highs of +9C and some sunshine to mark a welcoming start to the first week of March. It should be safe to say the cold winter is behind us and the weather we are all used to is right around the corner.

On another positive note, housing is doing remarkably well in our marketplace. Units sold up 8.9%, number of sales YTD up 16.4%, residential house prices average up 9.8% and median up 6.5%  and units listed were all up February this year compared to last February.

Sales of properties listed below $440,000 declined but all price ranges above this rose significantly. February's total active listings also reflected the increase in sales with less inventory than we saw February 2019. If this trend that seemed to start in November last year continues, it looks like we are heading into a much more positive Spring for 2020. 

AVERAGE PRICE FOR FEBRUARY 2020

RESIDENTIAL - $734,799

TOWNHOMES - $503,487  

CONDOS - $351,814 

LOTS - $262,767  

UNITS SOLD -

FEBRUARY  2020 -316

FEBRUARY 2019 - 290

FEBRUARY 2018 - 367

FEBRUARY 2017 - 399

January 2020 Market Report.

What a way to be welcomed into February. A warm and rainy start thanks to a pineapple express that is making its way through the Okanagan. I have to say it’s better than the bone chilling start to February that we had last year. January has been quite the month, even though we seemed to have snow piling up everyday the real estate market continued to be busy and show signs of improvement.

Two notable things that have happened over the past few months are; inventories are down, and average and median single-family home prices are up. Good news for those wanting to sell.

Central Okanagan Inventories on all listing types have seen a cumulative decrease in January 2020 from 787 new listings in January 2019, to 655 new listings in January 2020, a decrease of 16.77 % year over year.

The average single-family home price in Kelowna for January 2019 was $688,886 and increased 5.15% to $724,367 in January 2020. The median price saw a similar increase from $642,500 in January 2019 to $674,450 in January 2020, an increase of 4.97%.

A couple of interesting stats to note are days on market and list to sell ratio. Central Okanagan Days on market for single family homes have risen for January from 77 days last year, to 84 days this year, an increase of 10.05% year over year. While in contrast, days on market for condos and townhomes have decreased dramatically in January 2020 compared to January 2019. The decrease for townhomes sales was 86 days to 68 days, a decrease of 21.14%, while condos saw a decrease from 78 days to 67 days, a decrease of 14.14%. The list to sell ratio of all unit types when comparing Jan 2020 to Jan 2019 remained constant with very little deviation from 96% mark.

I feel that these two stats show that we are continuing into a nice balanced market with homes that are well priced and in great condition attracting attention from ready and willing buyers. All in all, and with the above in mind, I believe the central Okanagan continues to be a place that everyone from the rest of Canada wants to call home. I hope you enjoy the longer and warmer days as we make our way into spring!

Oasis in Spring Valley!!

Oasis in Spring Valley! Kidney shaped pool with a outdoor kitchen, fountain a dream of a backyard. This home has updated hardwood floors, craftsman crown mouldings, sunken living room and 3 bedroom and 3 bathrooms. Fenced RV parking with S/dump. Great neighborhood! Call Steve Higgins RE/MAX Kelowna 250.864.7893

Beautiful Home For Sale in Upper Mission!

2011 TOMMIE AWARD WINNING HOME Incredible Lake & City Views. High end 5200 sq.ft. with 19ft. vaulted ceilings in Great Room, Designer Kitchen, Salt water pool, Astroturf Putting Green, heated floors, steam shower, incredible Media Room and more! Master includes steam shower in ensuite, private deck and incredible sunsets. House has Control 4 home automation system, programable lighting. Pool has key operated safety cover, illuminated deck jets and lighting. Triple oversized garage & RV Parking with  plug in & services. Call Steve Higgins RE/MAX Kelowna 250.864.7893

Great Location $369,900.00 Reduced to $359,900.00

This 970 sq ft condo is in Mint Condition, 2 Bed 2 Bath on the 3rd floor. Close to University and 2 Championship Golf Courses. Brand new Carpet & Stainless Steel Appliances. Pet & Rental Friendly. Enjoy the perfectly positioned sunny outdoor pool and hot tub and the indoor gym and recreation room! Walk to UBCO, golf courses or drive a short distance to the new shopping hub and Kelowna International Airport. Steve Higgins RE/MAX Kelowna 250.864.7893

How's the Market You Ask?

Happy Canada Day Okanagan! Summer officially kicked off with tens of thousands of people attending Canada Day Celebrations in downtown Kelowna, West Kelowna and all over the Valley. From a huge multicultural display of food at Prospera Place, to live music and a fireworks display, Canada Day Celebrations were a success.

Speaking of successes, June 28th kicked off the West Kelowna 2019 RE/MAX sponsored “Music in the Park” held weekly at the Annette Beaudreau Amphitheatre in Memorial Park located at 3737 Old Okanagan Hwy. If interested in grabbing a snack and watching Okanagan artists set against Okanagan Lake this summer be sure to ask your RE/MAX Kelowna agent for the summer schedule. Looking for Kelowna specific summer entertainment? Ask your RE/MAX agent about the RE/MAX sponsored “Parks Alive” featuring Concerts and art-based activities throughout many of Kelowna’s outdoor venues! As noted, RE/MAX Kelowna is a proud 2019 presenting partner supporting the Okanagan’s fine arts community. Tired of listing to music? Why not make your own! Founded in 2015 RE/MAX Kelowna is proud to present the 2019 season of Pianos in the Park. Whether playing “Chop Sticks” or “Flight of the Bumble Bee”, 8 free, playable pianos situated around Kelowna are waiting for you to tickle their ivories to an audience of your own making!

On a more serious note, we live in interesting times. It seems I have said that before, but it still rings true. Economic forecasts for 2019, overall, predict the Canadian economy to be slightly down from 2018 (1-1.5% growth vs 1.8%) given some uncertainties in the global economy including the USA’s ongoing trade wars with China and Mexico.

In addition, the Federal Government continues to be focused on curbing household debt to income ratios while also trying to deal with an inflation rate above it’s 2% target. With unemployment rates at record lows, it doesn’t look like there will be any interest rate relief in the near future. This may change in early 2020, however. Some risks to the economy may exist but nothing is currently having a particularly negative impact. Things look fairly good so positive thinking, everyone!

In terms of our local real estate market, more of the same seems to be the order of the day. One noticeable change is the apparent decline in the number of listings relative to sales. Arguably, the good news about this is it may lead to a more balanced market and prices may well stabilize. Here is what the numbers for June tell us: Sales are still down but there seems to be some improvements happening. In all categories, sales declined by 8.5% in June compared to last year. This is actually an improvement given the YTD sales are down 15%.

June felt busier and it is showing in the numbers. This is a significant improvement and something to embrace. Specifically, average residential house prices are down by 3.4% from June of 2018 to $692,246 and the median prices are down 3.9% to $644,000.

The Days on Market, or how long it takes to sell, has risen dramatically to just over 100 days on average from under 50 days last June. Not surprisingly, the price ranges either holding their own or even rising are between $300,000 (mostly condos) and $600,000. Other price ranges generally showing declines in numbers

New Listing 830 Princess Court

Stunning Property! Beautiful 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath Rancher on Quiet Cul-de-sac! Hardwood & Tile Floors throughout! Large Spacious Rooms, Stainless Steel Appliances, Wood Fireplace, Newer Furnace, Heat Pump and Roof! Attached Garage PLUS HUGE Detached HEATED WORKSHOP with Storage! 200 Amp Electrical Service, BIG Private Lot (.36 Acre) with BRIGHT SUNNY Southern Exposure. Parking for the LARGEST RV's and Toys! Call or text Steve Higgins RE/MAX Kelowna 250.864.7893

New Listing 1504 Woodridge Road.

Incredible Value. 

Wonderful Custom Built Family home backing on to a park in the great neighbourhood of Crawford Estates. School buses right at the door. .41 Acres offers complete privacy with room for your future pool. Loft Office could be made into a 5th bedroom or den. Lower level offers a pool table, card table and recreation room for the kids. Extra Large Double Garage with Storage. RV & Boat parking on the side of the house or at the rear of the house accessible from the park also room to put in a pool if you would like.
Many quality updates including granite and cork flooring make this home priced below assessed value!