Solid residential real estate statistics that are comparable across all Québec regions are now available. This was made possible by merging the MLS® systems of the province’s real estate boards. Québec is currently the only large province in Canada that can boast of this achievement.
The process of integrating the province’s various Centris databases began approximately five years ago and was completed in June 2008. All transactions concluded through a real estate broker who is a member of a real estate board are added to the new provincial database. The Québec Federation of Real Estate Boards (QFREB) uses this database to publish press releases and other publications on market conditions, including the Barometer – Residential Market, which provides an overview of key performance indicators associated with the resale market (i.e., sales, new listings, median prices, number of days on the market, etc.). These indicators are calculated according to consistent, stringent rules so that statistics can be comparable across geographic areas.
In urban centres with sufficient Centris activity to provide reliable statistics, the QFREB can now compile data based on various geographical breakdowns (Statistics Canada agglomerations, administrative regions, RCMs, etc.).