The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) said on Monday that national home sales fell 29.3 per cent compared to last year. Sales were down 5.3 per cent from June, marking the fifth straight month of decline, although July's drop was the smallest of the last five declines.
CREA says sales were down in about three-quarter of all local markets, led by the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, Calgary and Edmonton.
Home prices also continue to drop, with the average price of a home falling 5 per cent compared to last July, coming in at $629,971. Stripping out sales in the GTA and Greater Vancouver – the two most active and expensive housing markets in the country – cuts $104,000 from the national average price. The MLS Home Price Index (HPI), which CREA says is a more accurate price comparison than the median or average price, declined 1.7 per cent on a monthly basis, with the benchmark price dropping to $789,600.