 鲜花( 1)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
欢迎讨论, 但千万别拍砖.
3 ~& r9 Y- ^2 ~- \
# F* M5 Z A) }0 Ihttp://www.globalnews.ca/money/w ... 42638608/story.html/ O, t" \ c9 W- h
0 w$ P4 w. O& b! o9 U( N: E {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.# E" [7 n9 {: u6 S& @
( v3 {+ B4 X8 v- F
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.
2 z2 j0 S7 l1 `3 u3 q1 {
9 Q7 T7 E7 H# Q/ v! ^" I6 CIn 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.* p) ^( f- y& A/ S5 _
! L1 \+ z* _! U' b* O0 XWhy might it be a good time to sell?$ W7 d9 O4 D( x4 H
( H" E* ]2 I/ O7 C
At 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.
5 w6 R( ^& T% K4 E. q: a6 I) o8 V* w/ |) F
"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.
$ N3 r6 E. l; c7 n3 Y; j0 D1 s; o4 i/ H* k7 Q! l5 d
"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.5 G" \3 C! ~6 ` m- i1 r
# ^ c Z8 ?+ i$ _
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.) `: _# p5 x9 V9 [
1 n8 J1 ~8 r; ~0 T1 H0 g3 cOf 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.: w" o0 o1 J; }5 b2 Y! n% A- W
' y M! \+ o( t+ O- B, e! d+ u9 hBurleton knows how they feel.
H' P* N3 ~4 y2 X$ `6 }& b9 L" C! S9 u2 L2 H& v
"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.7 X8 ~; o6 `/ @0 y
' P3 y' ~. w8 ^" O& e" z9 J8 X
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.
6 n/ `3 i: }* Y/ b3 n
/ o2 L% q/ @, U7 o5 B/ X: VWith ownership levels near a record 70 per cent, demand is expected to wane, making it a buyers market for the first time in years.# w% p2 [, r. l, m0 c
$ F' J% _' `( i L" B/ c& Z7 MAnd 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.
1 C2 _6 I* i! f$ N! g! ` n
- P6 t* d6 W! m/ l+ bIn 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.
$ ^) q$ j) m2 T) S) m) l2 p( e( c" N o' H) b
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." V8 o* V& p1 c9 Z
- q0 }+ G! a5 P
That is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying.
: d: M2 J/ O9 n4 m
8 J2 d7 c0 }( C. jDavid 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.
4 S7 x# w3 ^. x! ~# k5 @+ t8 Z: u# E, h/ ~4 \& P
"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./ g/ d+ Z, |* C2 ?8 i1 w& O
3 I" v( [4 q" ?. x: ?( }9 h
"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."
9 W: \% u8 o" H* N5 g+ k! F! g$ I! Q* z+ E1 R
The market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.
# H1 w6 n2 E2 F" ^/ W0 j& _/ G2 j. ], {7 i/ e
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. |
|