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4 |4 n8 Q( y& \) shttp://www.globalnews.ca/money/w ... 42638608/story.html
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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.! j8 O O- V0 L2 s8 v
1 X; H) @- d; s, P' yIn 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.- C( |0 d% T! a9 G3 j- k. U6 f# P S& \% p
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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 $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.
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& l6 O$ _" ^" p4 ["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.' ?9 l* R/ _9 u G
+ P9 W$ \1 x% L1 ~"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.
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* V8 }3 L- ?: UThe 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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4 K# D& s/ O' K* r8 {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.9 H& M* ?( _1 s% \6 {/ m4 P( G, K
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Burleton knows how they feel.; {2 ]2 G3 E- |! a
2 s6 c( c: Q, i( q, @# o2 y8 j0 R"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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While there's no guarantee of a correction, observers note there are additional signs that the housing market could cool off in a big way.
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With ownership levels near a record 70 per cent, demand is expected to wane, making it a buyers market for the first time in years.& J0 e5 w7 q1 I4 Q
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And 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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0 p9 ~$ _5 L! R' dIn 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.- o& \% P+ Y$ @. n
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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.9 r! r$ w' c1 h3 X* W! [. l
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That is a hard indicator that homes are over-valued, but also that renting is relatively cheap compared to buying. M! E% m3 }$ I6 ~9 c# D
6 c8 m6 _* R: Z7 l& d& h0 G' 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.
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! u: ^/ `$ n. ~) }5 b"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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& Y3 K% ^$ }7 T/ w) }% a"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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% o- M8 a! C ?The market is clearly at or near peak, he said, so soon may indeed be the time to act.
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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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