 鲜花( 1)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
欢迎讨论, 但千万别拍砖.8 @: H7 g+ c9 B: J
! J7 Y) y0 H1 U5 [4 W+ g/ B5 G
http://www.globalnews.ca/money/w ... 42638608/story.html! P1 K/ g, N( U: O; h& D
* e! ?5 J" P( x; ^, Y9 {2 F* POTTAWA - 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.0 A. ~) c Q" M
. K2 P2 z7 c3 d$ k3 D; L" z. I
People 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.$ W4 [- v' w. g; J
j/ |% h' e$ u3 w6 C* V
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.* q3 R- z. T0 b; W/ p4 x
, B, w2 {9 {6 I
Why might it be a good time to sell?
0 y, w1 u" c( s/ e0 N4 {7 o
8 h, g0 P) C* k6 zAt 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." S7 c4 G; D/ k+ P, Z( y
5 J' }" N9 _# W
"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.
$ I+ S$ l1 ~: u5 a" T8 B$ R9 i: y6 v
"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.7 K# _ X* T+ z
8 k6 \. Y- h; o {0 L. a9 K
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.
\/ H$ q7 r5 [' P5 b8 P# n
( j8 e P$ h, b6 bOf 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. V7 t9 z$ d4 _7 _
$ R: o! L3 g" v
Burleton knows how they feel.( |" U- P0 r- P& S
3 H( S5 T' R. z/ y9 i; r2 ~0 l
"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 ?3 K' G, m& T! Z5 c& k1 U" s4 K6 n0 }# D; [
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.
3 r/ z! r* L* b! p7 S9 P7 `% t5 N+ ~
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.: T$ z. X! U5 T3 q2 @1 Q+ p0 g
' M, i. h( z* n1 R9 z, H8 f HAnd 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.. j K7 S9 b9 Z3 Z! d+ h+ W2 a* S" E
- w1 P5 e% w3 P, O; a7 W
In 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.
0 h7 k2 _& B' D7 W# B. m* N0 {; Y$ 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.
2 h0 D5 l3 m3 R' G( J
5 k# ?. o$ T8 gThat is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying.
2 v0 G# O. \1 N- Z% u0 g. i& V, E6 y' O, E7 o4 u2 v6 B
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.% W9 c% F6 s+ |! O; } ` f, }+ R
( g# V) c) l* t7 K0 U
"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.6 c# Z; [4 p! H3 b9 {
6 [6 @6 Q# G& k, Z& ^0 L"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."
& Q' G o& j9 _0 C5 o8 A
# I& ~1 ?/ ]! X- V2 Q6 a- UThe market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.* Y4 Y5 {; g8 E$ G. S- k$ f6 M
O0 Q7 n# m6 U2 b8 [! J2 }
But 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. |
|