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http://www.globalnews.ca/money/w ... 42638608/story.html* Y7 B3 }. T- D
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OTTAWA - For most Canadians their home is the biggest investment they'll ever make — but they might be surprised to learn you can use if for more than just sleeping.7 \+ ?- v) p- e2 f- v
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People generally don't think of their homes as a potential pile of cash in the bank, but experts say it's something worth pondering now that home prices in Canada may have hit their peak.$ r! c0 f- V- _4 p8 C! b1 e6 s
) l8 h7 O- c/ \% {" g5 `( `9 [: hIn fact, analysts say if finance is the only consideration, conditions now and into next year or so form a seldom seen sweet spot for using home equity as a type of asset for investment.
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6 a& i4 t" Y4 t' A& EWhy might it be a good time to sell?
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2 o' j7 ^0 ^" z& E. CAt about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.
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"Home prices to income, housing price to rent, all the indicators are setting off warning signals," said Derek Burleton, a senior economist with TD Bank.$ J- ^6 \! m6 J
/ r1 y3 h7 y5 b6 i"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.
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The profits from selling a home can be used to build savings, eliminate debt, make traditional investments or, ironically, buy more real estate — albeit in a different market where home prices are lower.
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Of course, even if it makes sense financially, selling the family home to rent or move to a less expensive housing market doesn't make lifestyle sense for the vast majority of Canadians.
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; m( L9 w; @8 v" W' C( UBurleton knows how they feel.
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"I wouldn't want to sell my home right now even if I wind up taking a hit on the home price, just because I enjoy where I'm living and moving is a pain," he said.3 m$ K7 S: ^7 C) O
! o; P+ {% H. a) VWhile there's no guarantee of a correction, observers note there are additional signs that the housing market could cool off in a big way.) c( u# n1 o$ u
9 [. B9 N% [, i* KWith ownership levels near a record 70 per cent, demand is expected to wane, making it a buyers market for the first time in years.
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( ]2 F6 V5 Q+ l! Q# u4 _& gAnd Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney warned last month he was preparing to hike rates, which along with tighter lending rules being applied by federal authorities could trigger a flight from real estate.
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In market terms, selling a home at the peak is a way of "locking in" profits accumulated over the past decade of price appreciation — and tax free if it's the principal home.
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. r. v. W0 M$ ^Meanwhile, home valuations have been rising far faster than the rent they would fetch since at least 2000. Canada's home price-to-rent ratio is well above historic norms and among the highest in the advanced world./ D9 X8 L7 ]7 u
, j( m1 j* Y3 r6 E: y( HThat is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying.
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$ |( ]/ Z, M5 \2 Q' I" Y) GDavid Madani of Capital Economics, who anticipates a 25 per cent price crash over the next few years, cautions that like selling stock shares, timing is always tricky.: i3 i3 j$ _. P$ [
+ g1 _+ U$ g: K( j$ v& F"We're dealing with irrational exuberance. We've been treating housing like some magical financial asset that is going to solve all our problems because prices are always going up," he said.- f3 X7 ]7 C8 G: t3 Q; \4 J/ h
# u9 _( b' h& R/ U6 y! l0 |"Of course, when the turn comes, the over-confidence that drove the market up can turn to fear. You are dealing with emotion ... so I don't believe in a soft landing."
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$ O2 c9 G) b# pThe market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.0 E5 X; C3 _- O3 t8 Q, j4 l# w
/ t6 C% I' r" g2 [But then again he felt that way a year ago, he points out, and if households had acted on his advice they might not have gotten all the value they could from the premature sale. |
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