Prince George, B.C.-  William Lacy is the new  President of the BC Northern Real Estate Board,  and  it’s a region  with mixed  real estate scenarios.The Quesnel based realtor  takes on the post at a time when  there  are  challenges  facing some communities. “Overall we are seeing increased sales over last year,  so that’s a good sign but  the north  is having a little bit  of trouble  because of the  lagging oil prices,  so the market  up there ( in the north east) is not as bustling as it was before.”

The north east  area of the  BCNREB  is  reliant on development says  Lacy  “If development is  going on, people are going there,  they’re making that their home.  If there is no development it’s a much tougher sell.”

The supply of  homes on the  market in Prince George is a little below the norm for now,  which  makes this a seller’s market “We’ve had an early spring and people are eating up the supply” says  Lacy,  a situation he expects will  change  in the not too distant future “People  always want the  lawns to be green, the flowers to be in bloom before they list their home, so we expect that closer to the summer months, the supply will increase.”

Even though  there is a lull in  the oil patch and  mining, Prince George is stable says  Lacy “Prince George is its own centre,   it has diversified its economy and will always be a hub in the north, so  Prince George will be a little  separated from the fluctuations being seen in some communities which  are resource dependent. Some northern communities are really tied to resource development  and it’s a hurdle we’re going to have to overcome.”

Of course,  with  housing prices through the roof in the lower mainland Lacy says  the BCNREB  is taking every opportunity to spread the word about the  cost of housing  north  of Hope “We are continually putting out the message that   it’s a fantastic quality of life here,  you   have pretty  much all the services  you would anywhere else in the province and it’s   so much  more affordable.”