The number of homes sold through the MLS® System of the BC Northern Real Estate Board totaled 431 units in May 2026. This increased by 5.6% from May 2025.
Home sales were 5.4% below the five-year average and 6.5% below the 10-year average for the month of May.
On a year-to-date basis, home sales totaled 1,468 units over the first five months of the year. This was a decline of 4.4% from the same period in 2025.
“Home sales recorded a solid month of activity in May, although still a bit below what we would consider normal for this time of year,” said Vanita Des Mazes, Chair of the BC Northern Real Estate Board. “New listings have been stable, which is a good sign that sellers are not shying away from the market. Our overall inventory levels are also holding steady and the market remains firmly in balanced territory, so moving through the spring market we find ourselves in a healthy position with prices continuing to rise at a modest pace.”
The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) tracks price trends far more accurately than is possible using average or median price measures. The overall MLS® HPI composite benchmark price was $441,400 in May 2026, increasing by 2% compared to May 2025.
The benchmark price for single-family homes was $460,800, a modest gain of 1.8% on a year-over-year basis in May. By comparison, the benchmark price for townhouse/row units was $278,000, nearly unchanged, down only 0.5% compared to a year earlier, while the benchmark apartment price was $243,400, an increase of 6.1% from year-ago levels.
The average price of homes sold in May 2026 was $466,926, up by 4.5% from May 2025.
The more comprehensive year-to-date average price was $450,763, an increase of 5.1% from the first five months of 2025.
The Board cautions that the average residential price is a useful figure only for establishing trends and comparisons over a period of time. It does not indicate an actual price for a home due to the wide selection of housing available over a vast geographic area (the Board serves an area covering over 600,000 square kilometers or 72% of the province).
The dollar value of all home sales in May 2026 was $201.2 million, a sizable gain of 10.3% from the same month in 2025.
The number of new listings edged down 0.2% (two listings) from May 2025. There were 869 new residential listings in May 2026.
New listings were 1.9% above the five-year average and 3.6% above the 10-year average for the month of May.
Active residential listings numbered 2,064 units on the market at the end of May, a modest decline of 1.1% from the end of May 2025.
Active listings were 5.9% above the five-year average and 1.7% below the 10-year average for the month of May.
Months of inventory numbered 4.8 at the end of May 2026, down from the 5.1 months recorded at the end of May 2025 and on par with the long-run average of 4.8 months for this time of year. The number of months of inventory is the number of months it would take to sell current inventories at the current rate of sales activity.
The BC Northern Real Estate Board is an association of about 405 REALTORS® that provides services to and sets standards for members.
The BC Northern Real Estate Board covers the northern part of British Columbia, including Bulkley Nechako, Cariboo, Fraser Fort George, Peace River/Fort Nelson, and Skeena/North Coast.
