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; n# `$ P/ N: ], ZZT: Cost of home ownership continues to rise: RBC
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0 u8 F! q, ^: ^! A: h' pCanadian Press
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: G" y$ Q+ R! |9 ~) X# r7 h$ zWednesday, September 12, 2007
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* A/ z0 I& i% q4 l5 QTORONTO — The cost of owning a home in Canada continued to climb in the second quarter as affordability in Western Canada showed the biggest change, according to a new report by the Royal Bank.$ j* i, O$ U! ?5 n# v: J; {
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Saskatchewan suffered its worst ever quarterly deterioration of affordability on record, according to the bank, as an influx of people caught the housing supply off guard.
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8 t6 F0 @$ W: L1 w“In the second quarter, Canada's housing affordability experienced one of the largest and most broadly based quarterly deteriorations since the mid-1990s,” said Derek Holt, assistant chief economist, RBC.; U0 B$ H% e; R, o0 r% I3 e
$ U- v$ D2 L2 w6 ]& S$ P“Higher house prices, mortgage rates, utilities and property taxes all combined to drive the country-wide deterioration.”
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The report measures the proportion of pre-tax household income needed to service the costs of owning a home. The higher the reading, the more costly it is to afford a home: E8 ^) u( z" u
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The bank said a standard condo was the most affordable, requiring about 29 per cent of income compared with 27.5 per cent in the first quarter.
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A standard townhouse was next at 33 per cent, up from 31.5 per cent in the first quarter followed by a detached bungalow which increased from 39 per cent to 41 per cent in the second quarter.
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A standard two-storey home was 46 per cent, up from 44 per cent in the first three months of the year.
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Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. saw the biggest increase in costs in the quarter.) D. |3 ?3 b* L; H! ?- O4 S
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Affordability fell about 20 per cent in Saskatchewan with no signs that prices were letting up yet, but the bank said the high prices were starting to weigh on demand.
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Among Canada's largest cities, a detached bungalow in Vancouver was the most expensive with the proportion of pre-tax household income needed to own a home coming in at 71 per cent. Toronto and Calgary followed at 45 per cent, Montreal at 36 per cent and Ottawa at 31 per cent. e: m/ P; b& n
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“Market conditions in Vancouver have loosened up during the year, but conditions remain tilted in favour of a seller's market and are still supportive of fairly strong price gains,” the report said. |
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