Canadian homeowners often say affordability isn’t that bad, new buyers just need to stretch further. That’s because they’re most likely unaware they’re paying half of what it takes to buy a home now. Equifax data shows an average homeowner pays half as much on a mortgage compared to buyers in Q3 2021. This trend has […]
After taking a break at the start of the pandemic, Canadian real estate has seen subprime borrowers return. Equifax data shows an abrupt uptick in the share of new mortgages going to subprime borrowers in Q3 2021. It’s still a relatively small share, especially in contrast to historic levels. However, this is the first time […]
Canadian households have much bigger mortgage payments, even with cheap debt. Or maybe because of cheap debt? The average mortgage payment in Q3 2021 showed a big jump, according to TransUnion data. Instead of lowering payments, low rates have fueled record home sales and refinancing. The increased demand has driven home prices higher leading to […]
Canadian households are some of the most indebted in the world, with payments to match. Bank for International Settlements (BIS) data shows household debt service ratio (DSR) in Q2 2021. The DSR is the share of disposable income used for debt repayment, in aggregate. Canadians spend more than a tenth of their income repaying this […]
Canada quietly put real estate investors on notice, right before the holidays — probably hoping it slips under the radar. A newly re-elected Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) distributed mandate letters. These letters contain orders for the Minister to execute and are usually pretty dry. A big exception is the Minister of Housing’s mandate letter, […]
Canada is known around the world as a place with solid institutions and low levels of corruption. Apparently that claim is made with little data, since few people have ever seen it. The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) outlined their recent experience in a blog post. They were hoping BC’s money laundering reports […]
Canadian and American real estate prices are both at frothy valuations, but look nothing alike. US Federal Reserve (The Fed) data shows home prices grew faster than incomes in Q2 2021 for both countries. The difference is, this has been a long-term trend for Canada since 2005. Meanwhile in the US, home prices have only […]
Canadians often complain mortgage interest isn’t tax deductible, like in the US. Some argue this is a trade off for the capital gains exemption Canadian homeowners have. However, one of the worst kept secrets in finance is mortgage interest can be turned into a deduction. One of those strategies is the Smith Maneuver, created by […]
Canada is projected to be the next Greece, and not because of the good stuff. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has forecast Canada’s economy will fall behind. The group sees Canada’s real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita growth falling to last place. An expert warns young Canadians won’t have the same […]
Canada’s dependence on real estate has homebuyers thinking they’re too-big-to-fail. It’s too dependent on housing to allow prices to crash, so people see it as risk free. Each time a disaster is avoided, the government reinforces the belief buyers can’t lose money. Not a lot of options, they can either support higher and higher home […]
