fbpx

HOMEPORTAL

house prices

A rise in the Canada home prices again, 20th month in a row

A rise in the Canada home prices again, 20th month in a row The surge in Canadian home prices continues unabated, reaching new highs for the 20th consecutive month in February. The latest Teranet-National Bank House Price Index, issued on Thursday, indicated a 1.7 percent increase in home prices between January and February across 11 major Canadian areas. On a three-month annualized basis, Canadian house prices rose 20.5 percent in February, a pace not seen since the summer. According to the survey, the most recent price increase is likely due to high demand in the resale market, which has favoured sellers. The latest Bank of Canada rate rise, as well as numerous others, planned this year, may also be responsible for driving buyers into the market. Home prices in Toronto set a new monthly high in November, up 28.3 percent from November 2020. Although the number of new listings fell slightly—by double digits in the condominium market—the average sale price reached an all-time high of $1.163 million, up 21.7 percent from the previous year (the national average gained 19.6 percent to $720,854). Meanwhile, in Vancouver, sales increased by 11.9 percent, while between September and October, sales increased by 8.6 percent, the largest single month-over-month gain since July 2020. For most of the previous three decades, projecting a crash in the Canadian real estate market has been a fruitless exercise, but there is precedence for at least a brief drop. Prices in both Toronto and Vancouver fell around five years ago when government initiatives to calm the market coincided with the central bank raising interest rates. This is similar to what is happening today and might indicate another possible downturn. Another reason influencing Oxford Economics’ estimate of a house price decline is the persistent assumption that the Bank of Canada (BOC) would hike interest rates. This began in early March 2022, when the BOC lifted its benchmark interest rate from 0.25 percent to 0.5 percent, the first time the bank has done so since 2018. Oxford expects the key interest rate will be raised three more times in 2022, followed by additional gradual hikes through 2024, bringing the rate to 2% by summer 2024. Fixed-rate, five-year mortgage rates are expected to rise by around one percentage point to 4.25 percent by the end of 2020, eventually reaching a ceiling of up to 5 percent by 2023. The research also takes into account the federal government’s upcoming new interventionist measures on housing demand, such as a tax on house flipping, a prohibition on foreign homeownership, and a tax on unoccupied properties held by non-residents. Even with a 24% decline, Canadian house prices would still be around 15% higher than before the epidemic, resulting in stronger market conditions that bring home prices closer to the reality of what Canadians can afford. Currently, a decline of this magnitude is not projected to cause a recession. The current prediction predicts that housing prices will be more in line with household borrowing capacity by 2028, although the impact would be varied throughout the country. It should also be emphasized that Canada’s ambitious immigration plans — inviting nearly 1.2 million immigrants over three years — are beginning to add to the country’s tight housing market, particularly in the main metropolitan centres of Vancouver and Toronto. Related posts. A rise in the Canada home prices again, 20th month in a row by admin123 A collaboration on transit-oriented communities by admin123 High mortgage rates to overwhelm Canadian housing by admin123 Toronto’s Next Big Development Project: The Humber Bay- Lake Shore Site by admin123 A hit in the record price of $1.25 Million for the GTA Condos by admin123 Home Costs in Canada Reach a New Record: Current Scenario and Predictions. by admin123

A rise in the Canada home prices again, 20th month in a row Read More »

An increase in fixed rates by lenders, brings them closer to 4.5%

An increase in fixed rates by lenders, brings them closer to 4.5% The previous week saw a rise in bond yields, which led to an increase in the variable and fixed mortgage rates offered by lenders across the country. Rates on 5-year fixed mortgages have been increased by 20 to 25 basis points at major financial institutions such as RBC, TD, and BMO, which all currently offer uninsured rates of 4.39 percent. This change comes after a nearly 10-bps increase in the yield on the Government of Canada’s 5-year bond, which is the benchmark for 5-year fixed rates. On Friday, the yield on a 5-year bond reached a new 11-year high when it closed at 2.88 percent. Bond yields have increased by more than 165 basis points since the beginning of the year. According to the data tracked by Rob McLister, rate analyst and editor of Mortgage Logic, the average uninsured 5-year fixed-rate among national lenders is now 4.37 percent. This represents an increase from the rate of 3.92 percent a month ago. The rate on an insured, fixed-rate mortgage for five years with a down payment of less than twenty percent has increased to 4.14 percent, from 3.78 percent one month ago. This represents an increase from the previous rate. That means that fixed interest rates have increased by approximately 40 basis points in the space of just one month. To put this into perspective, an increase in the rate of 50 basis points results in a roughly $25 higher monthly payment for every $100,000 of debt when amortised over a period of 25 years. New borrowers and those renewing a mortgage are facing significantly higher rates compared to just a few months ago and potentially double for those renewing a mortgage. While this does not affect the majority of borrowers with fixed rates, it does impact new borrowers and those renewing a mortgage. Following the Bank of Canada’s next rate decision meeting on June 1, at which it is anticipated that it will raise interest rates by another 50 basis points (bps), variable interest rates are likely to surge once more in the wake of this development. This may cause the prime rate, which is the rate used to price variable-rate mortgages and lines of credit, to rise to 3.70 percent. Impact of rising rates on mortgage borrowers “As interest rates march higher—we expect the overnight rate to hit 2% by October, a projection that increasingly looks conservative—borrowing costs for Canadians will also rise, leaving the average Canadian household to spend almost $2,000 more in debt payments in 2023,” say economists from RBC Economics. “This will erode spending power, especially for the lowest-earning fifth of households which spend 22% of their after-tax income on debt servicing (including mortgage principal and interest payments),” they add. On the other hand, RBC reports that the pandemic contributed to an increase in the amount of savings made by households in Canada. According to what the RBC economists wrote, the pandemic may have increased debt, but it also left Canadian households with an estimated savings balance of $300 billion. That is an enormous safety net, sufficient to cover approximately one and a half years’ worth of payments on the total Canadian household debt. Impact of rising rates on home prices The most recent housing data showed a significant decrease in home sales during the month of April; however, house prices have remained stable across the majority of the country, with the exception of Ontario. In the Greater Toronto Area, home prices have decreased by approximately 6 percent on average, but they have decreased by as much as 22 percent depending on the type of property and the particular region. Since benchmark prices are frequently a lagging indicator, it is likely that there will be additional price decreases in the months to come. In a recent post on move smartly, real estate analyst John Pasalis, president of Realosophy Realty, wrote that”…tomorrow’s homebuyers are going to have a much harder time paying today’s prices if they were paying 5% on their mortgage compared to the low 2% range just a few months ago, and the high 1% range a year ago.” Pasalis pointed out that some people have argued that this isn’t a concern because many borrowers have been qualifying at a stress test rate of at least 5.25 percent, but he suggests that this is an oversimplification of the situation. The mortgage stress test is currently used to qualify borrowers at a rate that is either the buyer’s actual mortgage rate plus 2 percentage points or the benchmark rate, which is currently 5.25 percentage points.According to what Pasalis has written, as these are dynamic measures that will change as rates do, the stress test will also increase, which will result in a reduction in the amount of debt a buyer can take on. He goes on to say that the contract rate influences how much mortgage debt the borrower is willing to take on. “A buyer who qualifies for a $1M mortgage may be willing to take on that much debt when interest rates are 1.75%, but less so when rates are 4% because under the higher rate their actual mortgage payment would be roughly $1,100 per month higher,” he wrote. As a result, if interest rates continue to trend higher, Pasalis says he “would not be surprised if we see some downward pressure on home prices over the next 9 to 18 months due to homebuyers being unwilling or unable to pay today’s prices at tomorrow’s higher interest rates.” Although, he adds that any price decline would “likely be a temporary one due to long-term fundamental factors that have been contributing to rising home prices in the Toronto area.”   Related posts. Expert’s Reaction to the increasing rates by the Bank of Canada by admin123 Living in Main Floors- A Great matter of importance for Aging Canadians who want a Pleasant Life Ahead by admin123 National home prices historically higher, listings terribly

An increase in fixed rates by lenders, brings them closer to 4.5% Read More »

An increase in fixed rates by lenders, brings them closer to 4.5%

An increase in fixed rates by lenders, brings them closer to 4.5% The previous week saw a rise in bond yields, which led to an increase in the variable and fixed mortgage rates offered by lenders across the country. Rates on 5-year fixed mortgages have been increased by 20 to 25 basis points at major financial institutions such as RBC, TD, and BMO, which all currently offer uninsured rates of 4.39 percent. This change comes after a nearly 10-bps increase in the yield on the Government of Canada’s 5-year bond, which is the benchmark for 5-year fixed rates. On Friday, the yield on a 5-year bond reached a new 11-year high when it closed at 2.88 percent. Bond yields have increased by more than 165 basis points since the beginning of the year. According to the data tracked by Rob McLister, rate analyst and editor of Mortgage Logic, the average uninsured 5-year fixed-rate among national lenders is now 4.37 percent. This represents an increase from the rate of 3.92 percent a month ago. The rate on an insured, fixed-rate mortgage for five years with a down payment of less than twenty percent has increased to 4.14 percent, from 3.78 percent one month ago. This represents an increase from the previous rate. That means that fixed interest rates have increased by approximately 40 basis points in the space of just one month. To put this into perspective, an increase in the rate of 50 basis points results in a roughly $25 higher monthly payment for every $100,000 of debt when amortised over a period of 25 years. New borrowers and those renewing a mortgage are facing significantly higher rates compared to just a few months ago and potentially double for those renewing a mortgage. While this does not affect the majority of borrowers with fixed rates, it does impact new borrowers and those renewing a mortgage. Following the Bank of Canada’s next rate decision meeting on June 1, at which it is anticipated that it will raise interest rates by another 50 basis points (bps), variable interest rates are likely to surge once more in the wake of this development. This may cause the prime rate, which is the rate used to price variable-rate mortgages and lines of credit, to rise to 3.70 percent. Impact of rising rates on mortgage borrowers “As interest rates march higher—we expect the overnight rate to hit 2% by October, a projection that increasingly looks conservative—borrowing costs for Canadians will also rise, leaving the average Canadian household to spend almost $2,000 more in debt payments in 2023,” say economists from RBC Economics. “This will erode spending power, especially for the lowest-earning fifth of households which spend 22% of their after-tax income on debt servicing (including mortgage principal and interest payments),” they add. On the other hand, RBC reports that the pandemic contributed to an increase in the amount of savings made by households in Canada. According to what the RBC economists wrote, the pandemic may have increased debt, but it also left Canadian households with an estimated savings balance of $300 billion. That is an enormous safety net, sufficient to cover approximately one and a half years’ worth of payments on the total Canadian household debt. Impact of rising rates on home prices The most recent housing data showed a significant decrease in home sales during the month of April; however, house prices have remained stable across the majority of the country, with the exception of Ontario. In the Greater Toronto Area, home prices have decreased by approximately 6 percent on average, but they have decreased by as much as 22 percent depending on the type of property and the particular region. Since benchmark prices are frequently a lagging indicator, it is likely that there will be additional price decreases in the months to come. In a recent post on move smartly, real estate analyst John Pasalis, president of Realosophy Realty, wrote that”…tomorrow’s homebuyers are going to have a much harder time paying today’s prices if they were paying 5% on their mortgage compared to the low 2% range just a few months ago, and the high 1% range a year ago.” Pasalis pointed out that some people have argued that this isn’t a concern because many borrowers have been qualifying at a stress test rate of at least 5.25 percent, but he suggests that this is an oversimplification of the situation. The mortgage stress test is currently used to qualify borrowers at a rate that is either the buyer’s actual mortgage rate plus 2 percentage points or the benchmark rate, which is currently 5.25 percentage points.According to what Pasalis has written, as these are dynamic measures that will change as rates do, the stress test will also increase, which will result in a reduction in the amount of debt a buyer can take on. He goes on to say that the contract rate influences how much mortgage debt the borrower is willing to take on. “A buyer who qualifies for a $1M mortgage may be willing to take on that much debt when interest rates are 1.75%, but less so when rates are 4% because under the higher rate their actual mortgage payment would be roughly $1,100 per month higher,” he wrote. As a result, if interest rates continue to trend higher, Pasalis says he “would not be surprised if we see some downward pressure on home prices over the next 9 to 18 months due to homebuyers being unwilling or unable to pay today’s prices at tomorrow’s higher interest rates.” Although, he adds that any price decline would “likely be a temporary one due to long-term fundamental factors that have been contributing to rising home prices in the Toronto area.” Related posts. Expert’s Reaction to the increasing rates by the Bank of Canada by admin123 Living in Main Floors- A Great matter of importance for Aging Canadians who want a Pleasant Life Ahead by admin123 National home prices historically higher, listings terribly low

An increase in fixed rates by lenders, brings them closer to 4.5% Read More »