The numbers are in, illuminating real estate's bright spot amid the doom and gloom of 2020.

The B.C. Real Estate Association has released a report indicating that 93,953 homes were sold last year.

The number represents a 21.5 per cent from the 77,350 residential units that changed hands in 2019.

In terms of dollars, the value of homes sold in 2020 amounted to $73.5 billion.

That’s a 35.6 percent increase from 2019.

Also, the annual average price of a home in B.C. rose to $782,027, representing an 11.7 percent increase from $700,369 in 2019.

BCREA chief economist Brendon Ogmundson said that the market “staged a remarkable recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic and recession”.

““We expect considerable momentum heading into 2021,” Ogmunson said in a media release Wednesday (January 13).

Ogmundson also noted a low supply of homes as the 2021 market began.

“That will likely translate to considerable pressure on prices until listings pick-up,” Ogmundon said.

Robust December 2020 sales closed the year, which saw the market make a turnaround in the leadup to summer after spring lockdowns and restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of 8,268 homes were sold in B.C. last month, up 57.8 percent from December 2019.

The BCREA described the December 2020 market as a “record for the month”.