Canadian Housing Market showing some Groth

Canadian home sales gained for the first time in five months in August, led by Ontario and British Columbia, though economists warned the uptick is likely to prove a blip in a declining trend.
Sales of existing homes through the Multiple Listing System rose 4.1% from July, figures released Wednesday by the Canadian Real Estate Association showed. It was the first increase since March, it said. On a year-over-year basis, sales are down 22.5%.
Canada’s housing market, which helped drag the economy out of recession, has been cooling rapidly over the past few months. Consumers made purchases that would have been made in summer earlier in the year to beat rising interest rates and the introduction of the harmonized sales tax in Ontario and B.C.
“A large part of the August increase comes from Ontario and B.C. because there was a lot of confusion in July as to how the HST would affect home sales,” CREA chief economist Gregory Klump said. “This is a bit of a relief rally and one car does not make a parade.”
Klump still expects housing sales to cool throughout the rest of the year, though he says it’s a healthy slowdown from the feverish levels seen at the end of last year.
TD Bank Financial said in a note the August figures are likely to have been a blip.
The bank said high household debt, the weakening employment outlook and declining personal income would all weigh on the market. It expects sales to drop by 20% next year and prices to decline 7%.
The average price of homes sold in August was $324,928, which is on a par with the same period last year. Excluding Alberta and New Brunswick, where prices eased, gains in every other province exceeded the national increase, CREA said.
Seasonally adjusted sales activity was either flat or increased in half of all markets across the country, it said.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in a report on Canada earlier this week warned prices may still be too high and more intervention may be needed to cool the market.
CREA president Georges Pahud on Wednesday rebuffed those suggestions, saying any further tightening in mortgage regulations risk damaging the market.
“Rising interest rates and a projected slowdown in job growth mean that the Canadian housing market is expected to continue to cool,” Pahud said. “This is overlooked in recent commentary that suggests further changes to mortgage regulations may be needed.”

-Ottawa Sun Sept 15, 2010

Ottawa housing market balances as prices rise steadily

After an HST- influenced dip in sales during the earlier part of the summer, the month of August saw a return to a more normal number of sales in the Ottawa resale housing market. Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,122 residential properties in August through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,211 in August 2009, which represents a decrease of 7.3 per cent. Sales numbers in this range are common for this time of year, when people go on vacation and it seems like the whole world slows down a bit.

Of those 1,122 sales in August, 266 were in the condominium property class, while 856 were in the residential property class. The condominium property class includes any property, regardless of style (i.e. detached, semi-detached, apartment, stacked etc.) which is registered as a condominium, as well as properties which are co-operatives, life leases and timeshares. The residential property class includes all other residential properties.

At the end of August, sales so far for 2010 were slightly ahead of where they were at this point in 2009 (which was the best year on record for sales). The number of homes available for sale has increased as sales have slowed, and Ottawa looks to be shifting to a balanced market, where buyers and sellers are on a level playing field with neither group holding a distinct advantage over the other.

Ottawa resale home prices also continued to increase at a sustainable pace. The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in August in the Ottawa area was
$321,969, an increase of 2.1 per cent over August 2009. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $262,999, an increase of 16.8 per cent over August 2009. The
average sale price of a residential-class property was $340,294, an increase of 0.1 per cent over August 2009. The Board cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.

Speaking of the HST, let me take this opportunity to remind you that the new tax does NOT apply to the purchase price of resale homes, with very few exceptions (such as homes that have been more than 90 per cent renovated). Only items that were previously subject to GST are now subject to HST, and as resale homes were GST-exempt, this exemption continues under the new tax regime. Newly built homes and substantially renovated homes have HST added to their purchase price, and HST applies to certain services associated with the purchase of a home, such as legal fees, real estate commissions, moving fees, appraisals, and renovation services. If in doubt, ask your service provider.

Strategies for buying or selling in a balanced market can be different from those that applied in the seller’s market we experienced prior to the summer – and market conditions can vary widely among neighbourhoods within the Ottawa area. As a member of the Ottawa Real Estate Board, I can help make your buying or selling experience easier and less stressful. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions at all.

The President's Pen column was prepared by the Ottawa Real Estate Board and first appeared in the (date) issue of the EMC community newspapers.

Fall Maintenance

Well the temperature is dropping now, and Fall is fast approaching. Time to start thinking about a few things to do to help your home withstand another Canadian Winter.

Gutters

This is something that often gets overlooked. Either get up on that ladder and do it yourself or hire a handyman to ensure that you remove all of the dead leaves and debris removed from rain gutters. If you don't you may get some build up and the melting ice will have nowhere else to go but into your home.

Windows

If you use storm windows, make sure they are clean and free of cracks before installing. If you happen to put plastic inside your home over the windows to eliminate drafts, ensure that you put the plastic right to the wall and over all the window moulding as this is where most of the drafts come in.

Caulking

In most home energy audits performed on the average home. The conclusion results in a football size hole in the side of your home. Go around your home and remove any old worn caulking and replace with new.

Air Circulation

Clean and adjust ceiling fans so that air circulates more efficiently. This allows fans to gently mix warmer air (which naturally rises) back into the room. This should be the opposite of what you had done in the spring time to pull cool air up.

Fire Protection

Winter is fast coming and you will soon want to use that fireplace or woodstove for some extra heat. Make sure to call in someone to have your chimney's cleaned and inspected before use.

Unwanted Visitors

I'm not talking about your inlaws. Mice are excellent climbers and only need an opening of about ¼ inch to sneak into your home to search for food. Seal all cracks and other openings into your home and block off ventilation ducts. Some of the holes like weeping holes in bricks and ventilation for dryers and hood fans are there for a reason and aren't meant to be fully blocked so in that case use a heavy-gauge wire mesh.

Don't ever forget, your home isn't just where you live, it's the largest investment of your life. Protect it, and maintain it.