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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.
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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.
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In 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.; }/ ~8 X9 n' c6 D
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Why might it be a good time to sell?
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At about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.
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"Home prices to income, housing price to rent, all the indicators are setting off warning signals," said Derek Burleton, a senior economist with TD Bank.
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! P! c+ R! Y- Z2 d. n"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.+ p" r* z6 a* m; _+ z
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The profits from selling a home can be used to build savings, eliminate debt, make traditional investments or, ironically, buy more real estate — albeit in a different market where home prices are lower.
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Of course, even if it makes sense financially, selling the family home to rent or move to a less expensive housing market doesn't make lifestyle sense for the vast majority of Canadians.
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) d8 E) A" Q; g4 q. z/ d4 RBurleton knows how they feel.
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* H$ Q0 j& q1 L; R& b8 e"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.
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/ S# E! s7 S' ^5 zWhile there's no guarantee of a correction, observers note there are additional signs that the housing market could cool off in a big way.% D& k7 u8 T9 e) w+ k1 H
9 M5 y# X0 x1 N: n. `" \8 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.6 X- t6 H- M: d1 U ?: M
. e5 g9 u# v! G( XAnd 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.( E) \, W* N" S7 b5 e
" Z2 [/ @7 g5 V2 W# [1 l' S$ sIn 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.. H0 h' W o5 D+ `
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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.
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5 X @, ~* [4 |That is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying.* _! D# p$ [ H9 O) F* b) P& ~; c
8 |. U( x# I8 [# @/ O+ [David 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.
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"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.
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"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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The market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.
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5 P. h/ ~0 M- Q+ _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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