Saskatchewan bucks national trend as home ownership becomes slightly less affordable: RBC Economics
TORONTO, Feb. 25, 2013 /CNW/ - Record high home resales and the
resulting appreciation in property values last year led to a decline in Saskatchewan's housing
affordability in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the latest Housing Trends and Affordability Report, issued today by RBC Economics Research.
"Job market gains and decades-high inflows of migrants into Saskatchewan
played a considerable role in the provincial home buying boom witnessed
in the first half of 2012," said Craig Wright, senior vice-president
and chief economist, RBC. "While market momentum slowed noticeably in
the tail end of the year, it wasn't enough to curb home prices in the
province, which continued to climb at some of the faster paces in
Canada in the fourth quarter."
The RBC report notes that while housing market activity in Saskatchewan
slowed markedly in the latter stages of the year, nearly 14,000 homes
were sold in 2012, which sets a new record for the province.
The RBC housing affordability measures, which capture the province's
proportion of pre-tax household income needed to service the costs of
owning a home at market values, increased across all housing types (an
increase in the measure represents deterioration in affordability).
RBC's measure for the benchmark detached bungalow rose by 0.7 percentage
points to 39.0 per cent, the standard two-storey home increased by 1.1
percentage points to 42.8 per cent and the measure for condominium
apartments increased by 0.5 percentage points to 26.8 per cent.
RBC's housing affordability measure for the benchmark detached bungalow
in Canada's largest cities is as follows: Vancouver 82.2 per cent (down
2.6 percentage points from the previous quarter); Toronto 52.8 per cent
(down 0.4 percentage points); Montreal 39.3 per cent (down 0.9
percentage points); Ottawa 38.8 per cent (down 0.5 percentage points);
Calgary 38.1 per cent (up 0.2 percentage points) and Edmonton 30.7 per
cent (down 0.1 percentage points).
The RBC Housing Affordability Measure, which has been compiled since
1985, is based on the costs of owning a detached bungalow (a reasonable
property benchmark for the housing market in Canada) at market value.
Alternative housing types are also presented, including a standard
two-storey home and a standard condominium apartment. The higher the
reading, the more difficult it is to afford a home at market values.
For example, an affordability reading of 50 per cent means that
homeownership costs, including mortgage payments, utilities and
property taxes, would take up 50 per cent of a typical household's
monthly pre-tax income.
Highlights from across Canada:
-
British Columbia: housing affordability improving, still has to go the distance
While housing affordability in British Columbia still has a long way to
go before reaching less stressful levels, homebuyers in the province
received a welcome reprieve in the fourth quarter. RBC measures fell by
1.1 percentage points for condominium apartments and 1.0 percentage
point for detached bungalows. The two-storey home category experienced
a small increase (0.4 percentage points), though this followed a
substantial decline in the third quarter.
-
Alberta: vibrant market bolstered by attractive affordability
Brisk demand for the province's housing in 2012 was supported by a
strong provincial economy, accelerating population growth and
attractive affordability. Further improvement was registered in the
fourth quarter with measures falling between 0.1 and 0.2 percentage
points.
-
Manitoba: market vigour unhindered by slight affordability deterioration
Manitoba's housing market registered a banner year in 2012 with a record
14,000 existing homes sold, indicating that housing affordability
levels had little dissuasive effect on homebuyers in 2012. Although
measures for detached bungalows and condominiums deteriorated in the
fourth quarter, measures for two-storey homes remained unchanged. RBC's
measures for Manitoba continued to rank slightly above their long-term
average, suggesting that any affordability strain is likely minimal at
this point.
-
Ontario: affordability largely improves, tempering overall market conditions
The tightness that characterized Ontario's housing market in the early
part of 2012 gave way and a more balanced market was observed in the
second half of 2012, improving overall affordability conditions in the
province. RBC's measures inched lower by 0.1 and 0.3 percentage points
for the detached bungalow and condominium apartment, respectively,
while the measure for two-storey homes rose marginally by 0.1
percentage points.
-
Quebec: generally improving affordability tone is sustained
Quebec's housing affordability improved, for the most part, for the
third quarter in a row in the fourth quarter, yet this did little to
stimulate homebuyer demand as resale activity continued to cool in the
province. RBC measures fell for two-storey homes (by 1.1 percentage
points) and detached bungalows (by 0.3 percentage points), but rose for
condominium apartments (by 0.4 percentage points).
-
Atlantic Canada: housing continues to be affordable
Affordability in the Atlantic region received another boost in the
fourth quarter, with RBC measures falling for two-storey homes (by 1.0
percentage points) and detached bungalows (by 0.5 percentage points),
keeping levels well below their respective national averages. The
measure for condominium apartments rose modestly by 0.3 percentage
points, though this followed a more sizable drop in the previous
period.
The full RBC Housing Trends and Affordability report is available
online, as of 8 a.m. ET today, at rbc.com/economics/market/.
SOURCE: RBC
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Robert Hogue, Senior Economist, RBC Economics Research, 416 974-6192
Elyse Lalonde, Manager, Communications, RBC Capital Markets, 416 842-5635