Canadian real estate buyers were excitedly disregarding risk before the pandemic hit. The US Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (Dallas Reserve) exuberance index shows expectations surged in Q1 2020. The index is designed to capture explosive price growth, detached from fundamentals. A single quarter isn’t enough to say the market is bound for further detachment, […]
Greater Toronto new home buyers are holding back, especially when it comes to condo apartments. Altus Group data shows prices increased in June, with new condos hitting a all-time high. The price increase was driven by low demand though, as sales almost completely halted. Fewer than one in five new homes were sold last month, […]
British Columbia is running out of first-time buyers, despite falling prices. Government of British Columbia filings show first-time homebuyers made a small increase in June, compared to the month before. However, this increase wasn’t big enough to reach last year’s levels. The province continues the multi-year trend of declining first-time homebuyers. B.C. First-Time Homebuyers Drop […]
Canada’s central bank is desperately trying to prop up real estate markets with liquidity. Bank of Canada (BoC) has been injecting billions into Canada Mortgage Bonds (CMBs). The central bank began purchasing a few million worth of bonds during last year’s real estate slow down. As the pandemic hit, the BoC began buying hundreds of […]
A lot of Greater Vancouver condo owners all had the same idea – last month was the perfect month to sell. Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) data shows June saw the largest single-month surge of new condo apartment listings in at least half a decade. While sales did also rise from last year’s […]
Toronto real estate is seeing sales bounce, just not in the condo market. Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) data shows condo apartment sales had the weakest June in over a decade. This led to prices falling from peak, as inventory went in another direction – hitting the highest level in almost four years. Greater […]
Canadians with supersized mortgages are requesting payment relief at a much higher rate than across the border. Both the US and Canada worked with banks to offer mortgage payment deferrals since March. Both countries launched their programs and had a sharp initial uptake at the same time. The rate of US mortgage deferrals have since […]
Canadian real estate is seeing another demand side factor disappear – international students. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data shows international student permit holders admitted, made a sharp decline in Q2 2020. The decline will continue into the fall, or drop further, as the government warns students may not be admitted due to the […]
Canadians have been using their homes as ATMs, but the pandemic is slowing the binge. Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) filings show the balance of loans secured with home equity fell in May. The rate of growth for loans secured with home equity has been dropping over the past few years. Personal […]
Investment in home building is falling across Canada, especially in its largest real estate markets. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows residential building construction investment was down in May. This trend is strongest in markets like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal – where investment has dropped at a faster rate than the national average. Canadian Residential […]
