Now that we’re into a New Year it’s time to examine the preceding year’s statistics. It should come as no real surprise that 2012 was a challenging year for real estate (and just about everything else). But all in all it wasn’t too bad a year for VIREB and its membership. During 2012 there were a total of 3,585 sales across the VIREB coverage area – down six percent from the 2011 total of 3,807 sales. Likewise, the average sale price of a home sold within the VIREB MLS® system last year was $332,347 – which was only three percent below the 2011 average sale price of $341,537. While marginally lower numbers than those recorded the year before, the VIREB declines are far less than those reported in other areas of the province.