Commercial real estate sales in the Lower Mainland declined in the third quarter (Q3) of 2018 compared to the elevated activity experienced in recent years.

There were 565 commercial real estate sales in the Lower Mainland in Q3 2018, a 19.5 per cent decrease from 702 sales in Q3 2017, according to data from Commercial Edge, a commercial real estate system operated by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV).

The total dollar value of commercial real estate sales in the Lower Mainland reached $3.903 billion in Q3 2018, a 0.9 per cent decrease from $3.938 billion in Q3 2017.

“We’re seeing less demand across our commercial market compared to recent years and supply is beginning to ramp up with a number of projects expected to complete in our region over the next year,” said Phil Moore, REBGV president.

Land: There were 199 commercial land sales in Q3 2018, which is a 34.8 per cent decrease from the 305 land sales in Q3 2017. The dollar value of land sales was $2.007 billion in Q3 2018, a 14.8 per cent decrease from $2.356 billion in Q3 2017.

Office and Retail: There were 229 office and retail sales in the Lower Mainland in Q3 2018, which is down 4.2 per cent from the 239 sales in Q3 2017. The dollar value of office and retail sales was $1.377 billion in Q3 2018, a 45.5 per cent increase from $946 million in Q3 2017.

Industrial: There were 118 industrial land sales in the Lower Mainland in Q3 2018, which is down 12.6 per cent from the 135 sales in Q3 2017. The dollar value of industrial sales was $290 million in Q3 2018, a 30.1 per cent decrease from $414 million in Q3 2017.

Multi-Family: There were 19 multi-family land sales in the Lower Mainland in Q3 2018, which is down 17.4 per cent from 23 sales in Q3 2017. The dollar value of multi-family sales was $230 million in Q3 2018, a 3.9 per cent increase from $221 million in Q3 2017.

Owned and operated by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV), the Commercial EDGE system includes all commercial real estate transactions in the Lower Mainland region of BC that have been registered with the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia. Commercial EDGE is updated monthly based on data originating from the BC Assessment Authority. Commercial EDGE does not include share sale transactions as they are not registered with the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia. Please note that historical data may be subject to revision as transaction records are received from the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia.

The REBGV is an association representing over 14,000 residential and commercial REALTORS® and their companies. It provides a variety of member services, including the Multiple Listing Service® and the Commercial Edge service. For more information on real estate, statistics, and buying or selling a property, contact a local REALTOR® or visit www.rebgv.org.

Craig Munn
Manager, Communication
Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver
604-730-3146
cmunn@rebgv.org

Office and Retail properties are defined by the zoning according to each municipality and must have a building on the site. This category includes: Office, office condo, retail, retail condo, shopping centre, gas station, car dealerships, banks, community centres, day care, educational facility, institutional, golf courses, movie theatre, hotel, churches, restaurants, truck stops and others.

Industrial properties are also defined by the zoning according to each municipality and must have a building on the site. This includes warehouses, warehouse bays and multi-bay warehouses.

Multi-Family properties include: nursing homes, high rises, low rises, and any condo or townhome properties containing four or more units with at least one zoned for commercial use.

Land includes properties that are holding properties, farmland, garden centres, redevelopment sites, land assembly sites, vineyards, etc.