Number of homes sold across the country last month set a September record

Metro Vancouver isn't the only housing market in Canada where sales are surging.

The Canadian Real Estate Association says the number of homes sold across the country last month set a September record, while the average price soared 17.5 per cent over the same period last year.

But the association says the average price of 604,000 dollars would be about 125,000 dollars lower if trends in the Vancouver and Toronto markets were excluded.

Strong sales on Vancouver Island also helped buoy the national market, as sales there and across Greater Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa and the Hamilton area of Ontario offset declines in Metro Toronto and Montreal.