Fraser Valley Presale Round-Up (October 2026): What a 9% Sales Ratio Means for Buyers

Fraser Valley apartments are now selling at a 9% sales-to-active ratio with a $461,800 benchmark, down 9.3% from a year ago. That is a buyer's market on paper, but a presale buyer only benefits if the contract price, the incentives and the completion-day appraisal all line up. Here is what September's numbers mean for you. September 2026: The Numbers Behind the Headline The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board's September package shows a market where sellers are waiting and buyers are in no rush. Sales barely moved, but new listings jumped as sellers tested the market again. Indicator FVREB, Sept 2026 Reading What it signals Total sales 922 -2% vs Aug, -4.2% YoY Demand is flat, not collapsing New listings 2,818 +18.8% vs Aug Fall relisting wave adds supply Active listings 9,763 Inventory stays elevated Sales-to-active ratio 9% Below the 12-20% balanced range Apartment benchmark $461,800 -0.9% MoM, -9.3% YoY Resale comparables still sliding Apartment days on market 46 days Buyers have time to negotiate Townhouse benchmark $745,300 -6.2% YoY Softer, but less than condos Read this carefully: the benchmark is a resale average across the whole board. It is not the price of a new presale. Presale pricing is set by the developer's construction costs, and it moves differently. Why a Falling Resale Market Matters to a Presale Buyer When you sign a presale, you lock a price today and pay it at completion, usually two to four years later. The lender does not lend on your contract price. It lends on the appraised value when you complete. If resale comparables keep sliding, the appraisal can land below what you agreed to pay. Illustration: the appraisal gap Contract price: $520,000. If comparable values fall by the same 9.3% seen over the past year, the appraisal comes in near $471,640 an illustration, not a forecast . What it costs you At 80% loan-to-value, you expected a $416,000 mortgage but the lender offers about $377,312. That is roughly $38,688 of extra cash on top of your deposits. We cover this risk in depth in our guide to the presale appraisal gap at completion . Where Buyers Actually Have Leverage Right Now Lever What to ask for Why it works in this market Price A direct reduction on remaining inventory A price cut…

This article is part of the PresaleProperties.com BC real estate guide library. It is intended for buyers comparing presale condos, townhomes, assignments, deposits, completion timelines, neighbourhoods and developer incentives across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

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