 鲜花( 1)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
欢迎讨论, 但千万别拍砖.
: }. b' G- H; h7 p3 ~% E& c
! i% w) |/ ^$ P/ m# {4 t' I- C8 S, `: Zhttp://www.globalnews.ca/money/w ... 42638608/story.html
5 `" k. S& Y5 A. |6 |# ]* y4 W; n: r/ M `: u0 x
OTTAWA - For most Canadians their home is the biggest investment they'll ever make — but they might be surprised to learn you can use if for more than just sleeping.
7 s- u6 x1 b0 D6 t
! v [3 E5 B. F7 s g# q! VPeople generally don't think of their homes as a potential pile of cash in the bank, but experts say it's something worth pondering now that home prices in Canada may have hit their peak.) T9 O4 J' b; o+ R% w
: X4 c0 r2 R( C# I
In fact, analysts say if finance is the only consideration, conditions now and into next year or so form a seldom seen sweet spot for using home equity as a type of asset for investment.* t( U# h% u7 n$ B. D
; M) h% d0 F. H F
Why might it be a good time to sell?8 j. N! A. i3 M
$ ^/ T! r/ j& j% ~9 E; F* n$ iAt about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.
% T2 n; Y7 X B) u
- j' l W4 D: Z b"Home prices to income, housing price to rent, all the indicators are setting off warning signals," said Derek Burleton, a senior economist with TD Bank.
! b# n1 m `6 N( s: x3 f( s* D4 W9 h. [( f: Z0 ~+ `
"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.+ Y/ N2 f( d0 h, a. \0 w
) U& ?/ R2 O- r" P
The profits from selling a home can be used to build savings, eliminate debt, make traditional investments or, ironically, buy more real estate — albeit in a different market where home prices are lower.
3 [8 v* F- X( A- m/ f* e
7 x# K, J! b, |& n1 f- T4 {9 kOf course, even if it makes sense financially, selling the family home to rent or move to a less expensive housing market doesn't make lifestyle sense for the vast majority of Canadians.
/ J4 _! w! z k$ G2 b% F. e% \
! ]( a- {3 |% Y! r4 Y. ~Burleton knows how they feel.* l7 j& u1 {7 y- \1 m/ K; y
" }3 x2 H" Y) m6 {
"I wouldn't want to sell my home right now even if I wind up taking a hit on the home price, just because I enjoy where I'm living and moving is a pain," he said.
5 q6 m9 S5 W5 I0 J: A' I8 l8 F* G0 s7 S+ n6 V7 A9 A
While there's no guarantee of a correction, observers note there are additional signs that the housing market could cool off in a big way.
* @7 F y) t3 h0 k) h/ V- k3 ^7 U7 P; p' Z; c
With ownership levels near a record 70 per cent, demand is expected to wane, making it a buyers market for the first time in years.2 d3 I9 m: y# q/ W' X r- z2 m
2 v5 e: ?* R6 G* |3 CAnd Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney warned last month he was preparing to hike rates, which along with tighter lending rules being applied by federal authorities could trigger a flight from real estate.
& l1 K/ y3 a+ K/ I2 X
( R, Z0 _( F$ g7 r3 Y; fIn market terms, selling a home at the peak is a way of "locking in" profits accumulated over the past decade of price appreciation — and tax free if it's the principal home.8 |2 j; @- p4 i" h5 p; {$ ~8 [2 Q, C
C' ?: J! J7 z$ e. ?
Meanwhile, home valuations have been rising far faster than the rent they would fetch since at least 2000. Canada's home price-to-rent ratio is well above historic norms and among the highest in the advanced world.* n( Z; _2 r* e7 d1 q
% f. D3 y0 P4 l9 uThat is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying.3 A2 L) `0 M" g3 R. _% c
# T/ J" C0 i% M0 E+ R5 ]David Madani of Capital Economics, who anticipates a 25 per cent price crash over the next few years, cautions that like selling stock shares, timing is always tricky.2 F4 G, R' i& ?2 M, W; l
- c6 }! g2 E) e: _ _5 O8 f5 ?
"We're dealing with irrational exuberance. We've been treating housing like some magical financial asset that is going to solve all our problems because prices are always going up," he said.
2 C- @% S# {2 M/ n. ]% i$ p L _) } Z& n" a7 j% w4 a, c
"Of course, when the turn comes, the over-confidence that drove the market up can turn to fear. You are dealing with emotion ... so I don't believe in a soft landing."
% D# ~. z0 z F2 M6 m9 U% ]' X! _; `* z. S) L. v
The market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.- h# m7 \" C) \1 E. U, i
5 \0 O1 `7 g' C) Q oBut then again he felt that way a year ago, he points out, and if households had acted on his advice they might not have gotten all the value they could from the premature sale. |
|