Real eState
Canadian home price gains accelerate again in May
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Canadian home prices accelerated again in May from the previous month, posting the largest monthly rise in the history of the Teranet-National Bank Composite House Price Index, data showed on Thursday.
The index, which tracks repeat sales of single-family homes in 11 major Canadian markets, rose 2.8% on the month in May, led by strong month-over-month gains in the Ottawa-Gatineau capital region, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in Hamilton, Ontario.
“It was a third consecutive month in which all 11 markets of the composite index were up from the month before,” said Daren King, an economist at National Bank of Canada, in a note.
On an annual basis, the Teranet index was up 13.7% from a year earlier, the 10th consecutive acceleration and the strongest 12-month gain since July 2017.
Halifax led the year-over-year gains, up 29.9%, followed by Hamilton at 25.5% and Ottawa-Gatineau at 22.8%.
Housing price gains in smaller cities outside Toronto and its immediate suburbs again outpaced the major urban centers, with Barrie, Ontario leading the pack, up 31.4%.
On a month-over-month basis, prices rose 4.9% in Ottawa-Gatineau, 4.3% in Halifax and 3.7% in Hamilton.
The Teranet index measures price gains based on the change between the two most recent sales of properties that have been sold at least twice.
Canada‘s average home selling price, meanwhile, fell 1.1% in May from April, Canadian Real Estate Association data showed on Tuesday, but jumped 38.4% from May 2020.
(Reporting by Julie Gordon in Ottawa; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
Real eState
The Realtors' Big Defeat – The New York Times
A settlement in the real estate industry is a case study of a central flaw in free-market economic theory.
Free-market economic theory suggests that the American real estate market should not have been able to exist as it has for decades.
Americans have long paid unusually high commissions to real estate agents. The typical commission in the U.S. has been almost 6 percent, compared with 4.5 percent in Germany, 2.5 percent in Australia and 1.3 percent in Britain. As a recent headline in The Wall Street Journal put it, “Almost no one pays a 6 percent real-estate commission — except Americans.”
If housing operated as an efficient economic market should, competition would have solved this problem. Some real estate brokers, recognizing the chance to win business by charging lower commissions, would have done so. Other brokers would have had to reduce their own commissions or lose customers. Eventually, commissions would have settled in a reasonable place, high enough for agents to make a profit but in line with the rest of the world.
That didn’t happen. Instead, an average home sale in the U.S. has cost between $5,000 and $15,000 more than it would have without the inflated commissions. This money has been akin to a tax, collected by real estate agents instead of the government.
The situation finally seems to be ending, though. On Friday, the National Association of Realtors, the industry group that has enforced the rules that led to the 6 percent commission, agreed to change its behavior as part of an agreement to settle several lawsuits.
The settlement is important in its own right. Americans now spend about $100 billion a year on commissions. That number will probably decline by between $20 billion and $50 billion, Steve Brobeck, the former head of the Consumer Federation of America, told my colleague Debra Kamin.
Real eState
How the big real estate settlement will change homebuying and selling – Axios
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How the big real estate settlement will change homebuying and selling Axios
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Real eState
Allied REIT buys out Westbank on two building projects, the Home of the Week and more top real estate stories – The Globe and Mail
Here are The Globe and Mail’s top housing and real estate stories this week and one home worth a look.
Take The Globe’s business and investing news quiz
Canadians’ wealth is bolstered by stock rally amid housing slump, Statscan says
In the fourth quarter, households saw their net worth rise by $290-billion, or 1.8 per cent, to roughly $16.4-trillion, Statistics Canada said in a report Wednesday. But many homeowners have yet to face the full brunt of higher interest rates until they renew their mortgages, writes Matt Lundy. Others have variable-rate mortgages with fixed payments, which means that as rates have increased, more of their bill is going toward the interest portion rather than paying down the principal. The looming renewals, among other factors, led Canadians to stay cautious about taking on new debt — financial liabilities only rose by 3.4 per cent in 2023.
Allied REIT takes control of two towers co-developed with Westbank
Allied Properties REIT AP-UN-T is buying out its partner, Westbank Corp., on two office skyscrapers as the Vancouver-based real estate developer faces rising costs and legal claims at projects in Toronto and Seattle, writes Rachelle Younglai and Shane Dingman. The deal, which is expected to close in early April, will significantly cut the amount of debt Westbank owes Allied — giving them an infusion of cash in the process. In November, The Globe and Mail reported that Westbank faced legal claims for $25-million in unpaid work at the Mirvish Village development in Toronto.
Why rent inflation is much higher for rental apartments than for condos
In Canada’s overheated rental market, tenants are increasingly gravitating toward purpose-built rentals, experts say – demand that is driving up rent for these units much faster than for condos, writes Erica Alini. Advertised rents for purpose-built rentals, also called rental apartments, were up 14.4 per cent nationwide in February, compared with last year— rents for condos, on the other hand, grew by just 5 per cent in the same timeframe. A severe supply shortage, affordable prices and the allure of rent control in older buildings is driving up the prices in purpose-built rentals.
Renters have harder time accumulating wealth than homeowners, RBC report says
According to the report, homeowners have seen their net worth grow from nine times household disposable income to 13 times since 2010, while for renters, net wealth grew from three to 3.5 times over the same period. The gap has widened even though renters’ incomes have risen at the same pace as homeowners. Meanwhile, homeowners are also accumulating home equity with their housing payments. The tightening of renters’ incomes will make it even harder to save up for a down payment, economists say.
Home of the week: Festival Tower penthouse with an interior designer touch
80 John St., Upper Penthouse 1, Toronto
The 46th-floor penthouse sits right above the TIFF Lightbox theatre, which is home to the Toronto International Film Festival. When you first enter the two-bedroom-plus-den condo, you’re greeted by 11-foot-tall ceilings leading you into the living room. The previous owners had white-lacquered book cases installed on the wall separating the living area from the kitchen — which frames the spacious room — and the primary bedroom has its own hotel-style bathroom attached. The 180-degree view from the penthouse features a panoramic view of the city’s downtown. and stretches across Lake Ontario.
What do you think is the asking price for the property?
a. $2,999,000
b. $3,875,000
c. $4,195,000
d. $4,500,000
c. The asking price is $4,195,000.
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