The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that a total of 5,179 residential unit sales were recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) across the province in November, down 33.1 per cent from the same month last year. The average MLS® residential price in BC was $718,903, a decline of 1.9 per cent from November 2017. Total sales dollar volume was $3.7 billion, a 34.3 per cent decline from November 2017.

“BC households continue to struggle with the sharp decline in purchasing power caused by the B20 mortgage stress test,” said Cameron Muir,...

HIGHLIGHTS

• Oil prices prompt plunging bond yields

• Canadian economy slowing down

• How high can they go? Is the Bank of Canada already finished with rate increases?

Mortgage Rate Outlook

Midway through 2018, everything seemed to be pointing to sharply higher mortgage rates. The Canadian economy was soaring, the Bank of Canada and its counterpart in the US were resoundingly hawkish and bond yields were testing multi-year highs. However, declining oil prices, the stronger than expected impact of the B20 mortgage stress test and generally soft economic data in recent weeks have prompted...

The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 ¾ per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 per cent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ per cent.

The global economic expansion is moderating largely as expected, but signs are emerging that trade conflicts are weighing more heavily on global demand. Recent encouraging developments at the G20 meetings are a reminder that there are upside as well as downside risks around trade policy. Growth in major advanced economies has slowed, although activity in the United States remains above potential.

Oil prices have fallen...

The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) released its 2018 Fourth Quarter Housing Forecast today. 

Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) residential sales in the province are forecast to decline 23 per cent to 80,000 units this year, after recording 103,768 residential sales in 2017. MLS® residential sales are forecast to increase 12 per cent to 89,500 units in 2019. The 10-year average for MLS® residential sales in the province is 84,800 units. 

“The marked erosion of affordability and purchasing power caused by the mortgage stress test and rising interest rates...

Canada’s housing markets should see a moderation in both housing starts and sales while house prices are expected to reach levels that are more in line with economic fundamentals such as income, job and population growth. This forecast for 2019 and 2020 is drawn from the 2018 Housing Market Outlook released today by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

Nationally, CMHC’s outlook for 2019 projects total housing starts to edge down and range between 193,700 to 204,500 with the downward trend expected for both single and multi-unit starts. MLS sales are expected...

Home sale activity across Metro Vancouver* remained below long-term historical averages in October. 

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential home sales in the region totalled 1,966 in October 2018, a 34.9 per cent decrease from the 3,022 sales recorded in October 2017, and a 23.3 per cent increase compared to September 2018 when 1,595 homes sold. 

Last month’s sales were 26.8 per cent below the 10-year October sales average. 

“The supply of homes for sale today is beginning to return to levels that we haven’t seen in our market in...

Despite an easing in prices, the Canadian housing market remains “highly vulnerable,” according to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Home sales and prices are coming down in Vancouver, but it is still an overheated market, according to a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s latest look at stability in real estate markets across the country.

“Metro Vancouver’s housing market remains highly vulnerable despite softening prices in the resale market,” said Eric Bond, CMHC’s Vancouver-based analyst.

“There are imbalances even though prices...

The Bank of Canada today increased its target for the overnight rate to 1 ¾ per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 per cent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ per cent. 

The global economic outlook remains solid. The US economy is especially robust and is expected to moderate over the projection horizon, as forecast in the Bank’s July Monetary Policy Report (MPR). The new US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will reduce trade policy uncertainty in North America, which has been an important curb on business confidence and investment. However, trade conflict, particularly between...

Luxury home sales in two of Canada’s most expensive markets are down from a year, as the high-end real estate market feels the effect of foreign buyers taxes. 

TORONTO — Sales of luxury homes in two of Canada’s most expensive cities fell this year, as the high-end real estate market continued to feel the impact of foreign buyers taxes.

Realty brokerage Re/Max says sales of single-detached homes priced from $1 million to $2 million fell 35 per cent from a year ago in both Toronto and Vancouver.

According to the annual report, released Tuesday, sales of single-detached homes...

The British Columbia Real Estate Association welcomes the Government of British Columbia’s inclusion of exemptions from the speculation and vacancy tax proposed as Bill 45 today, Tuesday, October 16, 2018. Some of the exemptions directly address concerns BCREA brought to the Province’s attention through its advocacy work. 

The Bill allows for exemptions for British Columbians going through traumatic life events such as illness and divorces or separations. It also allows for exemptions for owners of properties that are being developed or undergoing renovations. 

It also exempts...