The provincial sales headline came out yesterday. I wrote it up then: 5,254 homes sold on the MLS across B.C. in September, down 8.9% from September 2025, and the average price was $924,279. Today I am using the tables from that release. They add listings, and the share of those listings that sold.
What the September tables add
BCREA counts 43,940 residential active listings across B.C. in September 2026, 4.3% below 45,936 a year earlier. The sales-to-active listings ratio was 12%, compared with 12.6% in September 2025. BCREA's housing monitor defines that ratio as sales divided by active listings. Those 5,254 sales and 43,940 listings are the two figures behind the 12%.
The monitor, last updated September 28, says that for B.C. at large a ratio between roughly 0.15 and 0.25 is balanced. On this table, that is about 15% to 25%. Above the range, BCREA says the market is in seller's territory. Below it, buyer's territory. It says the typical ratio differs by market. September's provincial 12% sits under that band.
The release is still titled "Most Markets Remain Balanced Amidst Mounting Headwinds." Brendon Ogmundson, BCREA's chief economist, said sales dipped "after an encouraging summer as spiking oil prices prompted speculation of impending Bank of Canada rate hikes." He added:
"However, we are also seeing inventory levels decline on a monthly basis, which should help markets remain in balance."
The table compares this September with last September, not month to month, so I will not fill in a monthly change he did not publish. What it does show: active listings are 4.3% lower than a year ago, and sales were 25.8% below the ten-year average for September. The release rounds dollar volume to $4.9 billion, down 11%. The table's figure is $4,856,162,000, down 11% from $5,459,058,000.
Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley
For a home in the Tri-Cities, BC, I start with the Greater Vancouver row. Fraser Valley is a separate board. I do not treat its numbers as a guide for Port Moody, Coquitlam or Port Coquitlam.
Greater Vancouver in September, on BCREA's table:
- 1,717 sales, down 7.8% from 1,863
- Average price $1,228,759, down 2.1% from $1,254,551
- 16,394 active listings, down 4% from 17,079
- Sales-to-active ratio 10.5%, compared with 10.9% a year earlier
- Dollar volume $2,109,779,000, down 9.7%
That average is sales dollars divided by the number of sales. The housing monitor notes that a shift in the mix of homes can move it. It is not the price of a condo in Port Moody or a townhouse in Coquitlam. The split by apartments, houses and townhouses was in Greater Vancouver REALTORS® own September package, which I covered on October 6. The provincial sales count is in my October 14 post.
Fraser Valley sales were 860, down 5.1% from 906. Active listings were 7,948, down 12.1% from 9,046. Listings fell faster than sales, so the ratio rose from 10% to 10.8%. The average price was $958,641, down 2.1% from $979,203.
Sales did not fall on every board. The Kootenay had 253 sales, up 9.1% from 232, and South Peace River had 41, up 28.1% from 32. BC Northern's ratio was 16.5% on 358 sales, inside the 15% to 25% band the monitor describes for the province as a whole.
What this means for you
If you are buying in the Tri-Cities, BC: sales on the Greater Vancouver row were lower than last September, and 16,394 homes were listed, so you generally have time to compare and to keep a financing condition. Price from recent sales nearby. $924,279 is the provincial average, and $1,228,759 is the Greater Vancouver average of everything that sold. Neither one is your offer. Looking for a realtor in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam or Port Moody? My guide for home buyers has the neighbourhood notes.
If you are selling: 1,717 homes sold on that Greater Vancouver row in September, so buyers are out there. They can also compare a long list of homes. Price against recent sales near you, and make the home easy to show. I cannot tell you the sale price, or how long a listing will take.
If you are renting, or you are a newcomer: these tables are sales and listings, not rent. A quieter sales month does not set the rent on the home you want. If you are moving to Greater Vancouver, pick the commute and the monthly number first. My guide to relocating to Greater Vancouver covers neighbourhoods from Vancouver out to the Tri-Cities, BC.
My relocation rental service for tenants covers all of Greater Vancouver. The fee is $1,500 plus GST, paid by the tenant: $750, non-refundable, at the start, and $750 once a rental is secured. Reach out about 4 to 6 weeks before the move.