All good times must come to an end, it’s just tricky to figure out when the end is near. Statistics Canada (StatCan) unemployment numbers show Canada made a big improvement in April. The national level of unemployment continues to fall. Unfortunately, the trend skipped the most expensive real estate markets – Toronto and Vancouver. On […]
The decline in Canadian real estate sales is hitting the mortgage market. Equifax data via the CMHC shows a large decline in the dollar volume of mortgages issued in Q4 2018. The decline is the result of fewer originations, that are smaller in size than previous years. New Canadian Mortgage Debt Issued Falls Over $27 […]
The IMF released its recommendations, after doing a deep dive into Canada’s economy. One key point was to not give into political pressure around real estate. Urging Canada to think long term, they advised against looser regulations or stimulus. The organization didn’t provide numbers, so we pulled a couple of data sets. Long-term, the impact […]
Canadian real estate markets are cooling down in almost every region. Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) numbers show the price of a typical (a.k.a. benchmark) home fell in April 2019. Despite some large annual growth in a few markets, only 3 real estate markets are printing new highs. Canadian Real Estate Prices Are Down Less […]
Canadian real estate owners may be hiding financial vulnerability using complex debt products. Bank of Canada (BoC) staff published a new analytical note examining new home equity data. The new data gives more insights into home equity borrowing, and how the debt is drawn. Out are traditional HELOCs, held separately from the mortgage. In are […]
Canadian real estate sales are stabilizing after last year’s massive drop. Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) numbers show a large climb for sales volume in April. The increase comes after months of negative growth, but may be more of a sign of stabilization. Last year’s decline in sales was the largest in over a decade, […]
A lot of gems in last week’s BC money laundering report, but the biggest one wasn’t about the province. The report’s numbers suggest one of Canada’s fastest growing industries is washing money. In an advanced economy with low but stable gross domestic product (GDP) growth, this is a big issue. The numbers show laundering cash […]
Time for your cheat sheet on this week’s most important stories. Canadian Real Estate Money Laundering Provided 1 In 20 Dollars For BC Real Estate The Government of BC found extensive money laundering is occurring across the province. A paper released by the province estimates $7.4 billion in laundered funds entered BC in 2018, with […]
Canadian real estate is a giant washing machine, confirms the British Columbia government. The province’s Attorney General office released a new report yesterday. The report estimates the amount of laundered cash in the real estate market to be in the billions last year. Considering last year was slower than usual, it represents a good chunk […]
Canadian households are facing higher borrowing rates, but they’re coming down. Bank of Canada (BoC) numbers show the effective household borrowing rate was higher than last year, as of April 27. Over the past few weeks however, rates have been on a fast slide since peaking in March. Effective Household Borrowing Rate The effective household […]
