Some Lower Mainland cities are actually seeing an increase in home sales
Home sales in the Fraser Valley in April finally picked up after months of declines, but continued to dip slightly in Greater Vancouver.
Both Greater Vancouver Realtors (GVR) and the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) recently released reports on their respective jurisdictions’ home sales in April 2026, showing different real-estate patterns.
While the GRV saw home sales continue to fall year-over-year — 2.5 per cent from April 2025 to April 2026 and nearly 23 per cent below the 10-year seasonal average — the FVREB reported its first sales increase in over a year.
In the Fraser Valley, the FVREB reported a seven per cent increase in home sales in April 2026 compared to April 2025, as well as an 11 per cent month-over-month increase.
But the region also saw an increase in the number of homes on the market, with the number rising to 9,800, up seven per cent from March and 45 per cent above the 10-year seasonal average.
With an overall sales-to-active listings ratio of 11 per cent (number of home sales sold divided by active listings), Ishaq Ismail, chair of the FVREB, said, “Overall conditions remain firmly in buyers’ favour.”
“With inventory at healthy levels and housing affordability improving, buyers continue to have the advantage, although confidence remains tempered by ongoing economic uncertainty and persistent market headwinds.”
A balanced market is typically a ratio between 12 and 20 per cent, with prices dropping when it is below 12 per cent for a continued duration and prices increasing if it’s higher than 20 per cent for a sustained period, according to the GVR.
The benchmark price for a home in the Fraser Valley went up for the second month in a row, by 0.1 per cent to $899,200.
What’s happening in Greater Vancouver?
While home prices dropped overall in Greater Vancouver, the GRV pointed out that sales of detached homes have been gaining year-over-year, with 659 sold in April 2026, a 14 per cent incraese from the 578 sold in April 2025.
But condo sales and attached homes (like townhomes or row homes) declined year-over-year, by 10 per cent and two per cent, respectively.
“While it’s not always the case, there have been periods where the detached segment has
acted as a bellwether of market sentiment, and it’s a question whether this time around this might be the case,” said Andrew Lis, GRV’s chief economist and vice-president of data analytics, in a release.
“Prices across all segments remain relatively flat month over month as inventory levels remain sufficient to keep price escalation at bay. But with the detached segment picking up steam heading into the full swing of spring, it may only be a matter of time until the multi-family segments follow suit, which would slowly draw down standing inventory levels unless a surge of sellers come to market with their properties.”
Despite the increase in sales, the benchmark price for detached homes in Metro Vancouver still declined by 8.3 per cent year-over-year to $1,840,700.
April 2026 residential sales fell by 2.5 per cent from what they were in April 2025, and were 22.9 per cent below the 10-year seasonal average, according to Greater Vancouver Realtors (GRV).
A recent report from the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) predicts that sales will continue to fall across the province. It expects average home prices in B.C. will fall from $952,930 to $939,800 (1.4 per cent), since active listings on the market are at their highest level since 2015.
The GVR includes home sales across Metro Vancouver, which includes Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, New Westminster, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Richmond, South Delta, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, and Bowen Island, as well as the Sunshine Coast, Squamish, and Whistler.
The FVREB includes Surrey, Langley, White Rock, and North Delta, as well as the Fraser Valley cities of Abbotsford and Mission.