The US new home market is cooling to pre-pandemic levels of activity, except price growth. US Census data shows new home sales for May came in at the lowest level this past year. Falling sales have helped to lighten the pressure on inventory. The only thing that looks nothing like last year is price growth. […]
More Canadian mortgage borrowers are betting the economy won’t get much better. At least, they’re unintentionally placing that bet with their mortgage borrowing terms. Data from the Bank of Canada (BoC) shows big growth for uninsured mortgage credit extended in April. It actually saw the largest annual growth on record, driven by a surge in […]
Canadian Job Vacancies Hits A New Record, As 600,000 Positions Sit Empty Canada has hundreds of thousands of unfilled jobs, despite elevated unemployment levels. BMO weighed in on the vacancy numbers, which jumped to an all-time high in Q1 2021. Robert Kavcic, the bank’s senior economist, estimates vacancies are now the size of 2.5% of […]
It’s not just Canadian home prices showing bubbly signs, but rental prices are following too. The cost of renting an apartment in the suburbs is rising much faster than in the city. Economists call this the flattening of the bid-rent curve, or rental gradient. Basically, the discount for being located further from amenities is disappearing. […]
US home buyers are taking a breather, as prices reach dizzying heights. Dizzying for the US, that is. National Association of Realtors (NAR) data shows existing-home sales fell in May. Higher prices have trimmed demand for several months now. The market is now beginning to head towards its pre-pandemic levels of activity. US Home Sales […]
The Canadian renovation boom is slowing, or at least the debt to finance it has. Bank of Canada (BoC) data shows loans for home renovations made a sharp drop in the first quarter of 2021. The balance of these loans had seen a surge during the pandemic, but rolled back in the last quarter. It […]
The economic cliff many are worried about when pandemic support is withdrawn may not be so bad. That’s the take from National Bank of Canada (NBC) economists Matthieu Arseneau and Alexandra Ducharme. The “big six” economists crunched the numbers on disposable income, minus pandemic support. Disposable income has already resumed the pre-pandemic growth trendline. Throw […]
Weak home sales and generally slowing demand have sent lumber prices into a tailspin. The price for the commodity shed another 7 points over the past 7 days. Lumber is now trading at almost half the cost it was 45 days ago, at the record high. Even with that kind of haircut, experts see prices […]
Canadian new home prices are on a tear, as high demand meets higher material costs. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows new home prices advanced sharply in May. The annual rate of price growth is now at the highest level since 2006. That makes it one of the fastest annual rates of growth in history. […]
Canadian real estate markets are seeing a shift from peak activity earlier this year. Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) data shows the sales to new listings ratio (SNLR) fell in May. This is the fourth consecutive month the ratio has fallen since reaching a peak in January. While the SNLR is still high, buyers are […]
