 鲜花( 7)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
A slowdown in some of the country's most expensive cities for housing continues to drag down the average sale price of a home in Canada, the Canadian Real Estate Association said.: a5 T) w+ n3 z3 h2 b8 \& ~6 E
S& J0 O, p2 F( g& ]( W8 \5 m
The average sale price of a home last month was $281,133, a 9.9% decline from a year ago. It's the fifth straight month that prices have fallen in the country's major markets on a year over year basis, and each month the percentage decline has increased.
' ?+ ]% [/ r& F. W! X5 ?" w( ]6 R' N+ \3 w+ ^5 i
Sales also continue to decline across the country. In major markets, sales in October were down 15.1% from September. The 32,046 sales in October for the entire country were the lowest monthly level since July, 2002.$ Z+ w( q! g* Q8 ^6 G6 B/ W% c
L* V2 N0 o, d7 ?"The breadth and depth of the drop in MLS activity suggests a major downshift in consumers psychology," said Gregory Klump, chief economist CREA. "That has moved many homebuyers to the sidelines until economic news begins to improve."
& J8 p' E3 t- q- [' a b
+ X; @/ M7 ?8 ~+ u8 T: ~3 WCREA said activity was down in 75% of the Canadian markets it surveys, including the five most active, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Toronto accounted for one third of the decline in the national sales figure. \# q, c- V: b$ S
+ x& @( ?0 V# e; T1 y, U1 s"Many homebuyers across Canada battened down the hatches in October as they were concerned with dire headlines about stock market volatility and a global economic downturn," said Mr. Klump.
" M3 F# k8 j0 [# `" L5 }( m# d2 J0 i$ D" o8 x/ u" U
He said the government's tougher restrictions on home buying played into the decline. New rules that came into effect last month have forced consumers to have at least 5% down on any home purchase. Mortgages can also be amortized over 35 years, down from 40 years, making for a larger monthly payment.
6 F: M* ^1 ?4 d. H' z' o" Y' T @3 m2 e% Y1 U U
The market is expected to get some relief from the fact that new listings are expected to decline, Mr. Klump says.
8 H/ {" b/ O, z1 b
* f, ^! X- l+ B/ o3 h8 fCREA president Calvin Lindberg said consumer confidence has not been this low since the mid-1990s. "The major drop in consumer and a steady stream of economic bad news from the financial markets is taking its toll on the national housing market," he said.
8 A$ X" j5 I! U. k$ \3 D% [
3 k, N7 u# r zThe association pointed out a decline in housing is bad news for the overall economy, saying spin off spending from MLS transaction is about $15.3-billion per year when you include moving and renovation costs and the purchase of new furniture and appliances. |
|