Canada Home Prices To Fall, TD Warns


First Posted: 07/14/11 10:11 AM ET Updated: 09/12/11 06:12 AM ET

CBC -- The average price of a resale home in Canada will fall by more than 10 per cent over the next couple of years, an analysis by TD Economics predicted Wednesday.


Calling it a "moderate correction," the report's authors also say sales will decline by more than 15 per cent over the same period.


"A combination of more subdued job and household income growth, rising interest rates, the recent tightening in borrowing rules for insured mortgages and fewer first time home buyers are expected to be the chief culprits behind the slowdown," the report said.


TD economists profiled 12 urban markets across the country. They highlighted Vancouver and Toronto -- currently the two most expensive housing markets in Canada -- as the cities most vulnerable to a larger-than-average decline, "reflecting in part their exposure to the condominium segment, which appears particularly ripe for a correction."


No city will experience a housing boom in the near-term, the authors say. But price drops in Regina, Saint John, N.B., Halifax, Calgary and Edmonton will be less than the average -- what the report calls "a soft landing."


On a national basis, the report's prediction of an average 10.2 per cent price decline translates into an average resale price of $329,000 in 2013, down $38,000 from its 2011 peak.


But the red-hot Vancouver market, where the average resale home now goes for about $793,000, the authors predict a 14.8 per cent decline by 2013 to a still lofty $675,000 -- a drop of $118,000.


"Vancouver has been the poster child for those individuals worried about a real estate bubble here in Canada," the report says, with the authors pointing out that household debt levels are higher in Vancouver than in any other city.


Toronto's forecast price drop over the same period will be almost as dramatic -- an 11.7 per cent cent decline to $415,000 by 2013. That's $55,000 lower than the current peak.


The authors note that sales are already off their peak. But they say the biggest drivers of housing demand are likely to remain "supportive" for the rest of 2011. The bulk of the price correction will come in 2012 and 2013, they say.


TD economists say the Bank of Canada is likely to start hiking interest rates again at the start of 2012.


With the central bank's policy rate directly tied to variable rate mortgages -- which 40 per cent of current mortgage holders now have -- the authors point out that a $400,000 mortgage will cost $440 a month more to service by mid-2013, assuming the Bank of Canada raises its key overnight rate from the current 1.00 per cent to 3.00 per cent by that point.


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CBC -- The average price of a resale home in Canada will fall by more than 10 per cent over the next couple of years, an analysis by TD Economics predicted Wednesday. Calling ...
CBC -- The average price of a resale home in Canada will fall by more than 10 per cent over the next couple of years, an analysis by TD Economics predicted Wednesday. Calling ...
CBC -- The average price of a resale home in Canada will fall by more than 10 per cent over the next couple of years, an analysis by TD Economics predicted Wednesday. Calling ...
CBC -- The average price of a resale home in Canada will fall by more than 10 per cent over the next couple of years, an analysis by TD Economics predicted Wednesday. Calling ...
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Vivian Alicia Evans
12:58 PM on 07/14/2011
We have already have our correction in the Okanagan. Prices remain steady. I doubt we will experience any more declines in house prices because people continue to want to move here and live. If they can find jobs is another story.
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sonoffestus
Got smart & got out!
01:20 PM on 07/14/2011
Prices are down to 2006 levels on the east coast of Vancouver Island as well. With the latest news, I believe we will continue to see a further "softening" of the market.

Too bad for the lady we offered a $20,000 premium for her house two months ago. She got really greedy. She called back twice now, but is still living in la la land.

Hint to private sellers...............GET AN APPRAISAL..... before you stigmatize your house.
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sonoffestus
Got smart & got out!
01:34 PM on 07/14/2011
I understand that some developers in the Kelowna area are giving out $45,000.00 grants to help purchase a new home. I think Kelwona really blew it with their town's development plan. While there are many beautiful spots out there, it looks like an overgrown California strip mall.
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CHMB
What's long and brown and sticky? A Stick.
09:16 AM on 07/14/2011
Haven't economists been saying this for a while now, and the market keeps on defying these predictions?
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sonoffestus
Got smart & got out!
01:29 PM on 07/14/2011
You are correct, however, I believe things are changing. We have been been searching for a house for almost a year now. (We are not in a rush and can wait for the right place.) In the past 4 months we have sensed that folks, i.e., sellers, buyers and real estate agents are getting itchy and very nervous.

I know its weird, but my wife and I can almost "feel it in the air." We lived through the US
bubble and collapse. We were lucky to have gotten out two months before the collapse. While we do not believe it will be anywhere near as bad as the US, correction is in the air.

If you are a seller and someone makes a decent offere, grab it you will not see it again for some time to come. If you're a buyer, hold out for what you are looking for, the next year to 18 months should improve your options.

Oh, and never buy a house for investment, but it for a home to live in and enjoy.
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CHMB
What's long and brown and sticky? A Stick.
01:52 PM on 07/14/2011
I'm in the same boat as you. Unfortunately, the market in Winnipeg is not slowing down at all. It's not unusual for houses to be on the market for a maximum of two weeks. They sell fast and they sell over asking price.