Easing home prices help lift sales in August

Easing prices brought more Metro Vancouver homebuyers off the sidelines in August, with home sales on the MLS® up nearly three per cent from August last year. 

The Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR) reports that residential sales in the region totalled 1,959 in August 2025, a 2.9 per cent increase from the 1,904 sales recorded in August 2024. This was 19.2 per cent below the 10-year seasonal average (2,424). 

“The August sales figures add further confirmation that sales activity across Metro Vancouver appears to be recovering, albeit somewhat slowly, from the challenging first half of the year,” said Andrew Lis, GVR’s director of economics and data analytics. “Sales in the detached and attached segments are up over ten per cent from last August, which suggests buyers shopping in more expensive price points are re-entering the market in a meaningful way.”  

There were 4,225 detached, attached and apartment properties newly listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in Metro Vancouver in August 2025. This represents a 2.8 per cent increase compared to the 4,109 properties listed in August 2024. This was 1.3 per cent above the 10-year seasonal average (4,172).   

The total number of properties currently listed for sale on the MLS® system in Metro Vancouver is 16,242, a 17.6 per cent increase compared to August 2024 (13,812). This is 36.9 per cent above the 10-year seasonal average (11,862).  

Across all detached, attached and apartment property types, the sales-to-active listings ratio for August 2025 is 12.4 per cent. By property type, the ratio is 9.3 per cent for detached homes, 15.8 per cent for attached, and 14 per cent for apartments.  

Analysis of the historical data suggests downward pressure on home prices occurs when the ratio dips below 12 per cent for a sustained period, while home prices often experience upward pressure when it surpasses 20 per cent over several months.

“Prices have eased around two per cent since the start of the year and are down about one per cent month over month in August, signalling that sellers have been willing to lower price expectations,” Lis said. “As sellers’ and buyers’ expectations have become more aligned, transaction volume has picked up. Newly listed properties remain in line with their ten-year seasonal average however, which when paired with increasing sales activity, is likely to diminish the available inventory. This also means the window of plentiful opportunity for buyers may soon begin closing if these trends continue.” 

The MLS® Home Price Index composite benchmark price for all residential properties in Metro Vancouver is currently $1,150,400. This represents a 3.8 per cent decrease over August 2024 and a 1.3 per cent decrease compared to July 2025.   

Sales of detached homes in August 2025 reached 575, a 13 per cent increase from the 509 detached sales recorded in August 2024. The benchmark price for a detached home is $1,950,300. This represents a 4.8 per cent decrease from August 2024 and a 1.2 per cent decrease compared to July 2025.   

Sales of apartment homes reached 956 in August 2025, a 5.5 per cent decrease compared to the 1,012 sales in August 2024. The benchmark price of an apartment home is $734,400. This represents a 4.4 per cent decrease from August 2024 and a 1.3 per cent decrease compared to July 2025.   

Attached home sales in August 2025 totalled 409, a 10.5 per cent increase compared to the 370 sales in August 2024. The benchmark price of a townhouse is $1,079,600. This represents a 3.5 per cent decrease from August 2024 and a 1.8 per cent decrease compared to July 2025.