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; Q3 q- g7 h4 _! _8 `. tZT: Cost of home ownership continues to rise: RBC4 G! _3 w' M: E" x- k+ i, j
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Canadian Press3 l1 \1 x- W" Q3 w
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Wednesday, September 12, 2007
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TORONTO — The cost of owning a home in Canada continued to climb in the second quarter as affordability in Western Canada showed the biggest change, according to a new report by the Royal Bank.
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1 t A' c6 g( I, N; c! kSaskatchewan suffered its worst ever quarterly deterioration of affordability on record, according to the bank, as an influx of people caught the housing supply off guard.
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“In the second quarter, Canada's housing affordability experienced one of the largest and most broadly based quarterly deteriorations since the mid-1990s,” said Derek Holt, assistant chief economist, RBC.# b7 h: H/ z0 L0 ~
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“Higher house prices, mortgage rates, utilities and property taxes all combined to drive the country-wide deterioration.”6 c/ n7 N S5 }6 B% v9 g
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The report measures the proportion of pre-tax household income needed to service the costs of owning a home. The higher the reading, the more costly it is to afford a home
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The bank said a standard condo was the most affordable, requiring about 29 per cent of income compared with 27.5 per cent in the first quarter.
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A standard townhouse was next at 33 per cent, up from 31.5 per cent in the first quarter followed by a detached bungalow which increased from 39 per cent to 41 per cent in the second quarter.
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( D0 M* _, A- P, v7 UA standard two-storey home was 46 per cent, up from 44 per cent in the first three months of the year.
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Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. saw the biggest increase in costs in the quarter.
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: z; i- `7 }" A- x9 UAffordability fell about 20 per cent in Saskatchewan with no signs that prices were letting up yet, but the bank said the high prices were starting to weigh on demand.
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4 c& f, x$ z: q5 \Among Canada's largest cities, a detached bungalow in Vancouver was the most expensive with the proportion of pre-tax household income needed to own a home coming in at 71 per cent. Toronto and Calgary followed at 45 per cent, Montreal at 36 per cent and Ottawa at 31 per cent.
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# O' ?8 S5 G6 K: @! B+ I2 m“Market conditions in Vancouver have loosened up during the year, but conditions remain tilted in favour of a seller's market and are still supportive of fairly strong price gains,” the report said. |
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