Vancouver, BC – January 13, 2012. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that the dollar volume of homes sold through Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in BC climbed 14.3 per cent to $43.1 billion in 2011. A total of 76,817 homes were sold in BC in 2011, up 2.9 per cent from 2010. The average annual MLS® residential price climbed 11.1 per cent to $561,026 over the same period.

"Low mortgage interest rates and gradually improving economic conditions contributed to a moderate increase in consumer demand last year," said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. "BC home sales came in about on par with their 15-year average, but fell well below their ten-year average of over 88,000 units."

Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the North experienced the largest percentage increase in unit sales last year, while consumer demand edged lower in Victoria and on Vancouver Island.