RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:24 th of February will be excellent for the stock I own my home debt free. But, I could not buy it today. Canadian real estate has become a specualtive market casino. In fact, 25% of all new buyers are speckers which sucks demand away from those that need it forcing them into more and more debt.
Here's a fact you can add to your numbered list... traditionally a house is worth 3x household income. In Toronto and Van for instance it is double digits and climbing. We won't experience what happened in the US 2008 where people left the keys on the kitchen table and walked away from their home because most provinces are full recourse loans meaning the lender can go after other assets... something that most US owners don't have to worry about. As a result many Canadians will end up negative equity but continue to pay their mortgages.
I hope no one ends up in a situation where they are paying into a depeciating asset, but it is not looking pretty. The bond market is signalling higher rates and that is the biggest threat to higher and higher home valuations.
Bottoms wrote: Don't forget that real estate is supported by a few critical elements which are not true for stocks. 1-housing is a fundamental need. 2-investing in real estate generates rent in addition to potential growth. 3-mortgage payments are typically fixed for a 5 year period whether variable or fixed rates are selected. 4-the housing market affects everyone including owners, tenants and the banks lending the mortgage 5-real estate owners have enjoyed 30%-50% increases in fmv in recent years which, for the risk averse, allows to drawdown a cushion to mitigate upcoming volatility 6- rents have increased proportionally to housing prices 7-canadian real estate is still perceived as a safe haven for foreign investors For all these reasons, I do not believe the real estate correction will happen. We may see a slow down in the market but the banks and governments do not want the consequences of generalized defaulting homeowners. All based on my personal outlook coming from someone who has done very well in both the stock market as well as real estate, mostly by investing stock growth into down-payments for rental properties and remortgaging at opportune time to buy stocks and/or additional properties. Good luck in whatever you pursue. Hope the fear of the unknown doesn't stop you from getting your share.