Affordability for Toronto single-detached homes nearing risky levels
TORONTO, June 22, 2015 /CNW/ - Ontario's housing affordability levels
continue to be split by category with affordability for single-detached
homes deteriorating and condominiums improving during the first quarter
of 2015, according to the latest Housing Trends and Affordability Report issued today by RBC Economics Research.
RBC says owning a single-detached home at market price in Ontario has
become increasingly less affordable over the past four years or so,
whereas the weight of owning a condo has remained quite consistent.
"Ontario's diverging trend reflects a shift in the mix of new
construction toward multi-unit structures, with about half as many
single-family homes being built compared to 10 years ago," said Craig
Wright, senior vice-president and chief economist, RBC. "The relative
scarcity of single-family homes in the face of growing demand has
fuelled stronger price increases compared to the solid supply and
stable affordability levels in the condo market."
RBC notes that after an uneven winter period, home resale activity was
quite brisk in the spring, particularly in markets such as: Toronto,
Hamilton, London, Windsor, and, to a lesser extent, Ottawa.
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 for two of the three housing
categories tracked in Q1 2015 (a rise in the measure represents
deterioration in affordability). RBC's measures for bungalows and
two-storey homes both rose by 0.3 percentage points to 45.5 per cent
and 51.7 per cent, respectively. Condominiums edged lower by 0.2
percentage points to 28.9 per cent.
Affordability for single-detached homes in Toronto inching closer to
risky levels
"Little by little, we're seeing housing affordability levels for
single-detached homes in Toronto deteriorating closer to the
historically poor levels of 1990," said Wright. "This signals that
risks may be mounting - affordability levels in 1990 were associated
with a housing bubble, and were followed by a steep and prolonged
downward correction in prices during the first half of 90s."
One key difference at this period in time, RBC notes, is that condo
affordability remains largely in check, with measures barely
deteriorating over the past five years. RBC says this means there
remains more reasonably priced housing options in today's market, which
was not the case in 1990. Condo prices are unlikely to escalate in the
near-term given that a surge in new condo completions in the first few
months of this year are bound to keep the resale market flush with
available condo units.
In the first quarter of 2015, RBC's affordability measures for Toronto
area bungalows and two-storey homes rose to their highest points in
more than 24 years - by 0.6 percentage points to 57.3 per cent and by
1.5 percentage points to 67.0 per cent, respectively. Condominiums
inched higher by just 0.2 percentage points to 34.0 per cent.
Plentiful supply helping to improve affordability in Ottawa
Owning a home at market price in Ottawa became slightly more affordable
across all housing categories in the first quarter of 2015. RBC's
measures fell by 0.6 percentage points for both bungalows and
two-storey homes, to 35.4 per cent and 37.1 per cent, respectively, and
by 0.3 percentage points to 23.7 per cent for condos.
"The improvement in the Ottawa area's housing affordability came amid
stagnating home prices in the early months of 2015, as demand-supply
conditions continued to weaken," said Wright.
Home resales for condos and single-family homes fell in the first
quarter while new listings increased dramatically. RBC notes that part
of this rise in new listings reflected higher levels of condo
completions in the past year, and many of these units remained
unabsorbed in the first quarter. Despite a setback in resales this past
winter, RBC says there are signs that positive demand momentum is
building - home resales have run ahead of year-ago levels for three
consecutive quarters, and more recent data suggests they will do so
again in the second quarter of 2015.
"Ottawa's plentiful condo supply will likely continue to be a key factor
weighing on prices in the near term," added Wright.
During Q1 2015, affordability measures at the national level edged lower
by 0.3 percentage points to 27.1 per cent for condominiums and 0.2
percentage points to 47.9 per cent for two-storey homes. The measure
for detached bungalows was unchanged at 42.7 per cent.
RBC's housing affordability measure for the benchmark detached bungalow
in Canada's largest cities in Q1 2015 is as follows: Vancouver 85.6 (up
2.8 percentage points from Q4 2014); Toronto 57.3 (up 0.6 percentage
points); Montreal 37.2 (down 0.2 percentage points); Ottawa 35.4 (down
0.6 percentage points); Calgary 32.8 (down 1.0 percentage points);
Edmonton 32.8 (down 0.8 percentage points).
The RBC Housing Affordability measure, which has been compiled since
1985, is based on the calculated 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
home ownership costs, including mortgage payments, utilities and
property taxes, would take up 50 per cent of a typical household's
monthly pre-tax income.
It is important to note that RBC's measure is designed to gauge
ownership costs associated with buying a home at present market values.
It is not a representation of the actual costs incurred by current
owners, the vast majority of whom have bought in the past at
significantly different values than those prevailing in the latest
period.
Highlights from across Canada:
British Columbia: Vancouver skews provincial affordability
-
Q1 developments varied by housing categories, but still signaled
greater-than-average pressure on affordability. RBC's measures eased
0.4 percentage points for condos and 0.1 percentage points for
two-storey homes, and rose 1.0 percentage points for bungalows.
Alberta: plummeting oil prices contributed to improvement in affordability
-
Housing affordability improved significantly across the province during
the first quarter, with RBC measures falling across all categories
(between 1.0 and 0.6 percentage points).
Saskatchewan: slower resale activity combined with moderating household income mutes
impact on affordability
-
Home resales plummeted more than 16 per cent in the province during Q1,
contributing to price declines across housing segments. The impact on
affordability was partly muted by a moderation in household income.
RBC's measures fell 0.1 percentage points for condos, rose 0.3
percentage points for bungalows and remained unchanged for two-storey
homes.
Manitoba: affordability stands close to long-run averages
-
Affordability of single-detached homes and condos evolved in opposite
directions in Q1. RBC's measures rose by 0.3 percentage points for both
bungalows and two-storey homes, while the measure for condos fell
noticeably by 1.1 percentage points.
Quebec: affordability at multi-year best levels
-
After remaining steady for years, housing affordability improved in the
province over the course of 2014 and the trend continued in Q1 2015.
RBC's measures fell across all three categories tracked (between 0.3
and 0.1 percentage points).
Atlantic Canada: affordability still attractive and improving
-
The lingering effect of earlier softness in home resale markets led to
further improvement in housing affordability in the Atlantic region in
Q1. RBC's affordability measures fell 0.7 percentage points for
bungalows and 0.5 percentage points for two-storey homes. The measure
for condos was unchanged.
The full RBC Housing Trends and Affordability report is available online as of 8:00 a.m. ET today.
SOURCE RBC
