Weekly Blog
Tariffs, Turbulence, and a Tipping Market
Hey everyone đź‘‹
This week’s housing update is packed with headlines that sound more like an economics class than a real estate newsletter — but if you’re buying, selling, or just keeping an eye on the market, here’s what actually matters.
Let’s break it down:
📉 Sales Take a Hit (Again)
March home sales fell again — down 4.8% from February, and a full 9.3% lower than last year. That puts us at the lowest level for March since 2009.
If you’re feeling like buyers are quiet right now, you’re not imagining it. A lot of people are hitting pause due to… guess what? Tariff fears and economic uncertainty.
CREA has even slashed its 2025 sales forecast — they were calling for a rebound, now they’re just hoping we stay flat.
🏡 Listings Are Up, Prices Are Down
We’re seeing more listings coming to market (up 3% month-over-month), and total inventory is now 18.3% higherthan this time last year. More choices = more negotiation power for buyers.
And it’s showing — the national average sale price fell to $678,331, a 3.7% drop year-over-year.
For sellers: pricing aggressively and staging properly matters a lot right now. For buyers: this could be your window — but still, don’t expect deals to last forever.
📍 What’s Happening Locally?
The hardest-hit provinces? Ontario and B.C.
- Toronto: down 27% in sales
- Fraser Valley: down 23%
- Vancouver: down 19%
Meanwhile, Prairie and Atlantic Canada are holding up better, with modest price gains still happening in cities like Winnipeg, Quebec City, and St. John’s.
🏦 Bank of Canada Holds Steady
The BoC kept rates at 2.75%, marking the first time they haven’t cut since last June. Their message was pretty clear:
👉 “We can’t fix a trade war with interest rates.”
Translation? Don’t expect rate cuts to save the day — at least not until confidence in the economy returns.
⚠️ What This Means For You
📌 Buyers: You have options right now. More listings, softening prices, and motivated sellers. But don’t wait too long — once the fog of tariffs clears, we could see a quick bounce-back.
📌 Sellers: Be strategic. Price right from day one, prep your home like it’s going on HGTV, and know this isn’t the time to “test the market.”
That’s it for this week!
As always, if you’re thinking of buying or selling, or just want to talk about what this means for your own plans — I’m just a message away.
Till next week,
📞 604-968-9886
📧 Hansol.estates@gmail.com