Coming off a mild January, the Fraser Valley real estate market saw an increase in sales activity and overall inventory in February along with decreased prices in several of its communities.

The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 982 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in February, a 25.3 per cent increase compared to sales in January 2019, and a 29.1 per cent decrease compared to the 1,385 sales in February of last year. Of the 982 total sales, 354 were residential detached homes, 236 were townhouses, and 288 were apartments.

Darin Germyn, President of the Board, said of the market: “With inventory continuing to build, and prices softening across many of our areas and property types, buyers will be well positioned to make a move this spring.”

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Spring is almost here and with it, spring cleaning! This season marks a fantastic opportunity to clear the clutter from your home and get a fresh start on the rest of the year. Take this chance to get a jumpstart on your spring cleaning so that when those warmer temperatures and longer days come, you will have more time to enjoy them! These three commonly cluttered spots are a great place to get started on your spring cleaning.

Make Your Entryway Guest-Ready

Between shoes, newspapers, jackets, and more, it is easy to unintentionally turn your entryway into an obstacle course. Try to pare back the items in your entryway so that only the frequently used essentials remain. For those with impressive shoe collections that tend to find themselves scattered around your front door, a shoe rack is definitely worth the investment. For another easy decluttering win, be sure to move off-season jackets and clothing items into a closet for later use.

Purge Your Closets

Purging your closets can be one of the most challenging parts of spring cleaning. Years of clothing items being tucked away out of sight and out of mind can add up! A great way to start is by taking all of the clothes out of your closet and going through each item one by one. If you find any items that haven’t been used in years, it is probably safe to donate them to someone who will. Another great tip is to give your closet a good deep clean after it has been emptied!

Clear Out the Garage

If your garage is beginning to look like an episode of Hoarders, now is the perfect time to change that! Use this opportunity to take a deep dive into your garage’s clutter and find any unneeded items to clear from your garage. Protip: gloves are always recommended when sorting through a garage’s clutter in case of any sharp objects (or spiders!).

Here’s hoping everyone has a wonderful spring!

Stats are calculated comparing February 2019 to February 2018 .

To see more information on local stats in Fraser Valley, please click here.