 鲜花( 7)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
A slowdown in some of the country's most expensive cities for housing continues to drag down the average sale price of a home in Canada, the Canadian Real Estate Association said.
5 F7 h1 l& \& g. @5 m
- h0 J) y. c% r9 y% x& y) V' S7 MThe average sale price of a home last month was $281,133, a 9.9% decline from a year ago. It's the fifth straight month that prices have fallen in the country's major markets on a year over year basis, and each month the percentage decline has increased.
; ~ |( y$ `' h* o9 i$ @2 H Q* [$ o, G
" u$ N8 u/ v( k- ]" n7 iSales also continue to decline across the country. In major markets, sales in October were down 15.1% from September. The 32,046 sales in October for the entire country were the lowest monthly level since July, 2002.
: k0 D8 g+ e4 u% Z4 ?6 s) P7 J I
! D% \7 E7 o1 W"The breadth and depth of the drop in MLS activity suggests a major downshift in consumers psychology," said Gregory Klump, chief economist CREA. "That has moved many homebuyers to the sidelines until economic news begins to improve."
( z {) _' H1 b: t: u. F9 j3 |6 c' B7 V
CREA said activity was down in 75% of the Canadian markets it surveys, including the five most active, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Toronto accounted for one third of the decline in the national sales figure.1 i- j' Z7 p2 [
- M+ \- |7 G3 n N8 @$ w"Many homebuyers across Canada battened down the hatches in October as they were concerned with dire headlines about stock market volatility and a global economic downturn," said Mr. Klump.. p/ P4 x! _% b% @8 W! y
$ d+ X8 I! Q. l0 `He said the government's tougher restrictions on home buying played into the decline. New rules that came into effect last month have forced consumers to have at least 5% down on any home purchase. Mortgages can also be amortized over 35 years, down from 40 years, making for a larger monthly payment.
5 Z8 t, [- y6 n) ^8 A! X S1 E# r4 B+ P5 b4 r* i8 `( I5 o# d
The market is expected to get some relief from the fact that new listings are expected to decline, Mr. Klump says.1 H' r2 O9 `. E% n1 i
7 F& M* l. j3 `: x
CREA president Calvin Lindberg said consumer confidence has not been this low since the mid-1990s. "The major drop in consumer and a steady stream of economic bad news from the financial markets is taking its toll on the national housing market," he said.' A4 o3 X0 ^' u. E6 n
6 a2 n3 z! Q$ P
The association pointed out a decline in housing is bad news for the overall economy, saying spin off spending from MLS transaction is about $15.3-billion per year when you include moving and renovation costs and the purchase of new furniture and appliances. |
|