First-Quarter Drop for Vancouver Commercial Real Estate Sales

First-quarter drop for Vancouver commercial real estate sales.

The value of commercial real estate sales in the Lower Mainland dropped 40 per cent in the first quarter of 2013 from the same time last year, and was the lowest seen since the first quarter of 2009, the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver reported Thursday.

There were 384 commercial real estate sales worth $886 million conducted in the first quarter of this year. Last year’s first quarter, the highest in five years, saw 480 sales.

“Commercial real estate activity eased in the Lower Mainland in the first three months of the year. This comes on the heels of a strong post-recession commercial market over the past few years,” said Sandra Wyant, the real estate board’s president.

A breakdown of the sales shows that there were 91 commercial land sales valued at $322 million, 159 office and retail sales valued at $253 million, 109 industrial land sales valued at $211 million, and 25 multi-family sales valued at $99 million.