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& `3 g3 k, j$ s: R+ QZT: Cost of home ownership continues to rise: RBC! z% W. z" O7 F. K( [& b
& b8 O$ C& l; n( Z8 v# {: RCanadian Press
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+ G. p2 Z# t; p1 g& hWednesday, September 12, 2007
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TORONTO — 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.
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+ V1 f! Z1 ~7 @ Y5 K ^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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/ C' I5 k, J9 U0 k0 c5 l2 G“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.
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“Higher house prices, mortgage rates, utilities and property taxes all combined to drive the country-wide deterioration.”
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/ f+ k/ A! ^3 s3 HThe 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
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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.: T- t/ I3 r) \
9 B1 q# t, ], D& ^( p9 ]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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- Y% @; ~! s- f( K3 G( i4 |% Q# ESaskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. saw the biggest increase in costs in the quarter.
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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.6 N$ F$ Z1 o& m. t# W" W' d3 d
9 H R9 I0 h& K3 z; N' NAmong 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.- J J& n& M+ Y; A- n3 [
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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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