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The economic cliff many are worried about when pandemic support is withdrawn may not be so bad.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 […]
Time for your cheat sheet on this week’s top stories. Canadian Real Estate The Canadian Property Bubble Reaches Contagion, Making A Financial Crisis Likely The Canadian property bubble reached the contagion phase, spreading to other areas. Real estate bubbles often spread from the city center to the suburbs. Investors move to regions with cheaper prices, […]
Canada is experiencing a real estate boom, and it’s fueled by a flood of cheap mortgage debt. Bank of Canada (BoC) data shows mortgage credit reached a record high in April. That’s no longer a surprise since it’s a regular occurrence, but the rate of growth is noteworthy. Canadians added the equivalent of 6% of […]
Prices just outside of frothy Canadian real estate markets are growing much faster than in the city. That’s typical of a bubble, and it’s called “housing bubble contagion.” In a paper titled Housing Bubble Contagion From City Centre To Suburbs, three Taiwan-based researchers argue bubbles spread outwards. Bubbles force investors and developers to look for […]
Canada’s immigration heavy population growth plummeted during the pandemic. BMO Chief Economist Douglas Porter is starting to see population growth finally stabilize. However, it’s at a much lower level than the country saw pre-pandemic. While the most recent quarter shows near-normal growth, a lot of ground needs to be made up. If it isn’t made […]
