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http://www.globalnews.ca/money/w ... 42638608/story.html% v- B0 K% K, W' b0 W5 U* F2 _
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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.4 N& P0 X4 x2 F- J4 \
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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.% r8 H: Z, ]1 C6 z: @, L2 e8 `
2 }- V2 z4 ^. v& r, A+ VWhy might it be a good time to sell?: a- ]8 m! f/ ?0 u Z) v) Q
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At about $370,000 average nationally — and just under $800,000 in Vancouver — home prices are already at record levels. Many observers believe prices are long due for a downward correction of anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent, perhaps more in some of the hottest markets.
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/ R {/ Z: n6 I' p/ A"Home prices to income, housing price to rent, all the indicators are setting off warning signals," said Derek Burleton, a senior economist with TD Bank.
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; h4 I1 g' J* {, w5 y# X3 M"If you are purely in it for reaping profits, now is not a bad time to sell" before prices drop.
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The profits from selling a home can be used to build savings, eliminate debt, make traditional investments or, ironically, buy more real estate — albeit in a different market where home prices are lower.
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8 D( C9 P$ n8 c @! qOf 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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Burleton knows how they feel.- K' W/ R" a, L3 U
! F2 k7 u7 @3 q: a"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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I9 {9 A, O. \0 Q+ \3 k, h/ Q3 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.
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" d4 k. m7 T9 IWith 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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1 J* s" y2 m5 n' dAnd 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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1 T$ f) T. j; z& [# L4 b2 S: cIn 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.! ^# b7 s' y/ y& n# p" y h
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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.5 s: ^1 M& U7 `& x% ~3 ]! 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.5 r' z6 ~" A# a0 q7 a/ p8 A
` E( ~; d7 ZDavid 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.. K3 G8 q& W& G% S) s
: C' U# I, `" G b! S"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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/ \% V; @" s% p) F( _"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.& c& e0 W" R* W9 |! k$ q3 O+ E
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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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