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ZT: Cost of home ownership continues to rise: RBC3 X5 P w9 a5 E# {& Y
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Canadian Press3 i! G& v+ A& n* X
& k: S1 G) r2 A8 Z! jWednesday, September 12, 2007
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, H% m, |) B8 I, m( ]1 D' \' bTORONTO — 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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; N5 M8 e0 m# l) i: r1 [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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“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.' d) k9 H) D ` |8 Y$ f0 B5 n7 V N
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“Higher house prices, mortgage rates, utilities and property taxes all combined to drive the country-wide deterioration.”' e; }* ?4 O; V5 M
& \/ F1 Y$ ~7 u( r6 J3 G0 m$ SThe 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 home4 {7 D4 l7 O, o& J z# P. \: O
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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.( S( H f5 Q! C+ q
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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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& y" i4 v" H% }: t# `: Y/ MA standard two-storey home was 46 per cent, up from 44 per cent in the first three months of the year.5 v0 s6 C. E( R1 N
8 P1 _% E1 m% s0 N6 V' Y; bSaskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. saw the biggest increase in costs in the quarter.! M/ A( ^/ P* ^
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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.* D3 `( f4 ?4 `* A
0 `- a3 e! e, U9 V' {1 ]“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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