The recent surge in lumber prices helped to push home prices higher, but now they’re crashing. Lumber prices closed today nearly 30% below the all-time high reached in May. The recent surge in prices pushed builder costs up by tens of thousands of dollars. This sent new home prices much higher, leading to an interesting […]
Canada is really depending on real estate to spackle shut the holes in the economy. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows real estate commissions and fees hit a new high in March. The segment of gross domestic product (GDP) is growing so fast, it’s now a whole point of the country’s output. It also represents […]
Canadian homebuyers are paying large premiums to live in some cities. National Bank of Canada (NBC) data shows most cities are cheaper than the national home price in Q1 2021. Two big exceptions are Toronto and Vancouver, which fetch massive premiums. Let’s take a look at how much more people need to pay in contrast […]
Canada’s housing boom isn’t just home sales — it’s consuming the whole economy. BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic crunched home renovation numbers for Q1 2021. The bank found household spending on renovations hit a new high last quarter. Spending in this segment is growing so fast, it now represents a record share of the economy. […]
Who needs businesses when your homes are making so much money? BMO chief economist Douglas Porter crunched residential investment data for Q1 2021. The bank found residential investment now represents a record share of Canada’s GDP. It’s now such a large share of GDP, more investment capital is going into housing than businesses. Canadian Housing […]
Canadian housing investment is swallowing the whole darn economy. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows residential investment is at a record high in Q1 2021. The recent housing boom has allowed the segment to grow much faster than gross domestic product (GDP). Consequently, it now represents a much larger portion of the Canadian economy. The […]
Canadian real estate is receiving a big warning sign from an indicator that was an alarm for the US in 2006. The house price-to-rent ratio shows Canadian real estate is overvalued. When contrasted to the US is when you really get a feel for how much Canada went all-in on real estate. It makes 2006 […]
Canada’s property bubble is reaching the point where few people in the country can buy. Home price growth is still surging across the country, but sales are falling. The odd combination made us curious how many households can still afford to buy. To the surprise of no Millennials, very few people can afford to buy […]
US new home prices are growing at the fastest rate in well over a generation. US Commerce Department data shows the median price of a new single-family home nearly reached the all-time high in April. The real story is the rate of annual price growth though, which hasn’t advanced this quickly in over 30 years. […]
A large Canadian financial institution sees higher mortgage rates in your future. Desjardins’ mortgage forecast shows they expect mortgages to continue to climb from here. They see 5-year fixed mortgage rates hitting pre-pandemic levels by next fall. That is before the first expected hike to the overnight rate from the Bank of Canada. Canadian Mortgages […]
