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<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto:\u00a0Bon Bahar<\/a>\/Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n You\u2019d be right in thinking that a 46 percent rise in home sales sounds like a pretty eye-popping figure. But, when emerging from one of the worst housing slumps in years, that staggering sales increase only gets Vancouver housing market activity to what market experts consider to be \u201chistorically typical levels.\u201d<\/p>\n Home sales in Metro Vancouver rose to 2,333 in September 2019, up from 1,595 homes sold in the same month a year ago, according to Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver data. Impressed? Don\u2019t start celebrating just yet. Last month\u2019s sales didn\u2019t even manage to hit the 10-year sales average for September, a dependable gauge of market health. September 2019\u2019s sales total squeaked in just 1.7 percent below the 10-year average.<\/p>\n\n So here\u2019s a strong hint as to why this is actually great news \u2014 in September 2018, Metro Vancouver home sales were 36 percent below the 10-year average.<\/p>\n That paints a much rosier backdrop for judging September\u2019s \u201ctypical\u201d performance, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n The context for all this of course is after years of booming sales and price increases, Metro Vancouver\u2019s housing market endured a monumental collapse, primarily as a result of intervention from several levels of government meant to cool the market.<\/p>\n