Sales have dropped off a steep cliff in Vancouver.

Last July came in more than 30 percent below the 10 year average.

But one thing is picking up: Renovations.

Instead of upgrading to a better home more people seem to be staying put and trying to make their home better.

The amount spent on renovations has gone up every year for the past several years, Simpson said, but added that he isn’t sure if that’s because more people are renovating or because they’ve become more expensive.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp’s third-quarter Housing Market Outlook, released in August, said renovation spending in 2011 was $61.7 billion in Canada. CMHC says that amount will moderate in 2012, growing to $63.3 billion, but is expected to strengthen in 2013 to $65.6 billion.

In B.C., spending on renovations in 2011 was $7.6 billion. Spending is expected to remain stable in 2012 and grow to $7.8 billion next year.

For the most part, business is good for contractors, even in this year’s moderate market, Simpson said.

“One contractor I talked to said he’s having his best year ever,” Simpson said. “He said one client bought a home and they’re spending money to update it, but most clients want to stay where they are and bring their homes up to date.”

I guess the advantage of living in a construction zone is that you can do it a little bit at a time when you can afford it, like buying a little bit of a house at a time instead of all at once.  Sounds like some people are also finding it harder to get financing for their dream homes:

Another contractor told Simpson he’s had some customers having a harder time borrowing money from the bank, which may be a result of new mortgage refinancing rules. “Some people seem to be getting a little pushback from the banks, or they might not be able to borrow as much as they want,” Simpson said. “If they can’t obtain the financing, they just have to scale it back a bit. With a renovation, you don’t have to do it all at the same time.”

Read the full article over at the Vancouver Sun.