In Metro Vancouver, the situation exists as a bubble. Real estate appeared to be doing well enough for people to consider themselves safe from a situation that's affecting everyone else in the world-a real estate slow-down. Vancouver reported that this isn't the case; Vancouver is as much in trouble as places all over the world are, real estate-wise.

Take the case of the Greater Toronto Area, where sales are down 18 percent in a year-over-year value last year. Given this, it's still better than Vancouver's 31.6 percent annual decline. Toronto posted a 4.7 percent decline over 2017.

Elsewhere in the world, the real estate market is not doing good at all. Hong Kong and China's real estate market is in a condition of decline. Global property centers such as in Shanghai, Beijing, London, and Sydney are in a state of slowing down. It's been a trend of the past year, where markets have been in a constant state of flux but have been going down for the latter part.

The situation in Vancouver has been covered extensively by Global News, especially home sales in November. Home sales during November were rated at 18.2 percent down in October, lower by 42.5 percent from November figures in 2017.

Homebuyers, for the most part, have been cautious in 2018. Despite real estate agents trying their best to sell properties, such as lowering prices and giving special benefits, this did not stop properties in Vancouver to regain their historical numbers in stock.

The prices aren't that low, to begin with. The benchmark for Metro Vancouver property remained at just a figure over $1,042,100. It's a 1.9 percent decrease from October values as well as a 1.4 percent decrease from 2017 values, but it's still high enough to get no one biting.

Governments are partly to blame for the mess, according to analysts. A common trend that government policies share is that they try to control finances and mortgages. Canada has a 'mortgage stress test,' while China is keeping an eye on money spent internationally by its locals. Singapore has enacted loan-to-value controls.

The global economic stability is in question, but a 'glimmer of hope' remained. 2019 holds a lot of questions waiting to be answered, but news that the US and China are talking once again-which came during Friday-is enough to affect global markets into a hopeful resurgence.