South Okanagan real estate sales rebounding after COVID-19 restriction eased

After two tough months in April and May due to COVID-19 shutdowns, things are on the upswing in the South Okanagan Real Estate market.

The South Okanagan Real Estate Board reports today, July 3, single family residential sales grew by 36 per cent over June, 2019, with sales of 121 units last month, compared to 89 units sold a year ago.

“Housing market activity certainly increased in June, in stark contrast to what we saw the month before, but as risks still exist business has not returned to normal,” President Lyndi Cruickshank says.

Active listings dropped 18 per cent last month to 1,798 compared to 2,185 in June, 2019, but they were up 15 per cent from May 2020.

The average single family home price increased by 20 per cent from $513,248 in June, 2019, to $617,986 this June.

“The increase in activity does draw cautious optimism for the housing market to recover sooner than may have been expected,” Cruickshank says.


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Steve Arstad

Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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