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http://www.globalnews.ca/money/w ... 42638608/story.html
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; N- v1 q6 ~0 K& K+ WOTTAWA - 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.# o N# C' L& T5 n* I6 e6 \' |+ J
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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.
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1 O! b7 x) V A: `, }- z5 bIn 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.
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Why might it be a good time to sell?9 G" d1 B+ S0 v0 Y5 A5 P* [
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At about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.
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2 t$ a/ n2 Y" I1 W M1 G/ ["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.
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8 Y- f5 u* {. D$ K8 ]7 l6 W"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.
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' N8 Q6 S* t% l- _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.
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/ p. d! t6 g- ~2 S# mOf 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.
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7 k( O; q, u6 \$ A0 CBurleton knows how they feel.
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& `: A: f4 I0 s7 z"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.2 A: Z4 v, t0 R$ z! w
1 K ]8 C2 T7 z0 cWhile there's no guarantee of a correction, observers note there are additional signs that the housing market could cool off in a big way., x! X6 L! U6 n# a4 B3 f
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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.0 p; H U' t" @
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And 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.
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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.
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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.' `" p; q/ o- Y$ m1 o G V
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That is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying.0 W* ?1 X4 B9 B) g2 Y
$ J5 ~ C( c) S. kDavid 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.
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"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.% p% e T( I" a% q# N
+ H- l# `: g* ?$ b1 J' Z' ]"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."
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The market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.
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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. |
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