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Vancouver Home Prices Turn Negative, First Time Since 2013

The sudden shift in the Vancouver housing market has been well documented. In November, home sales across all property types sank to a ten year low for the month. The drop is rather unprecedented considering the current economic backdrop suggests unemployment across Canada has plunged to a 42 year low. And while unemployment may be a lagging indicator, the housing market is certainly not. Of the components of GDP, residential investment offers by far the best early warning sign of an oncoming recession.

So too does the yield curve, which continues to flatten. Earlier this week the Canada 2 and 5 year bond yields inverted, the first time since 2007. A flat or inverted yield curve is when short term rates exceed long-term rates. This is often taken as a signal that investors are more optimistic about short-term prospects versus the long term, suggesting a lack of confidence in continued economic growth. This can also impact bank profitability, as banks pay short-term rates on deposits and take in long-term rates on loans. A flat or inverted yield curve, therefore, could lead to negative net interest margins.

In simpler terms, this can cause bank lending to further tighter, leaving borrowers high and dry when market liquidity is most needed.

Canada 2/5 yield spread.

While the resulting slowdown from bank lending can most easily be seen in the decline of sales volumes, it is now more noticeably reflecting in home prices.

The detached home price has now dipped 8.5% from last year, the largest decline since late 2009.

detached prices Vancouver
Year-Over-Year price change in the Vancouver detached MLS benchmark price.

Meanwhile, the resilient condo market has finally dipped into negative territory as well, dropping 1.8% year-over-year in November, the first negative reading since October 2013.

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Anatomy of the Housing Downturn in Vancouver, Canada

Anatomy of the Housing Downturn in Vancouver, Canada

It’s not pretty.

In 2018, “each month has brought weaker than normal sales, rising inventory, and continued downward pressure on prices” in Vancouver, British Columbia, writes Steve Saretsky, a Vancouver Realtor and publisher of real-estate blog, Vancity Condo Guide. The market faces another headwind: “With the Bank of Canada determined to reach a neutral rate of interest of between 2.5-3.5%, borrowing power continues to erode.”

The single-family price spike unwinds.

The hardest hit segment are single-family houses (“detached houses”). Sales volume in the city of Vancouver has dropped to 27-year lows for most months of the year. In October, sales plunged 32% year-over-year to 146 houses, the third worst October on record. The plunge in sales was first triggered by the imposition of a tax in August 2016 on nonresident foreign buyers – mostly investors living in China. This chart from The Saretsky Report shows sales volume in every October going back to 1991 (click to enlarge):

Inventory for sale of all types of homes combined – single-family, townhouse, and condo – in the city of Vancouver surged 24% year-over-year, “pushing prices lower across all property segments,” he writes. Within that group, townhouse inventory jumped 34% and condo inventory soared 74%.

But inventory of single-family houses edged down by 4%, to 1,556 listings, “primarily a result of sellers taking their house off the market and trying to wait out current conditions,” Saretsky writes. Given the decline in sales, months’ supply surged 35% to 10.7 months. “This has paved the way for buyers to negotiate steep discounts”:

We have now been in a weak detached housing market for over two years and as a result, price declines are becoming more noticeable and more significant. There is strong evidence from previous housing booms that volumes tend to lead prices by about two years, and for the most part that has been the case here in Vancouver.

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Vancouver Housing Starts Flash Red As Chart Rolls Over

Canadian housing construction starts slowed in August, coming in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 200,986 vs. 205,751 in July – missing expectations of 210,300, according to CBC

The decrease came as the annual pace of urban starts fell 2.5 per cent to 184,925 units. Starts of urban multiple-unit projects such as condos, apartments and townhouses fell 2.4 per cent to 132,700 units in August while single-detached urban starts fell 2.6 per cent to 52,225 units. –CBC

“The national trend in housing starts continued to decline in August from the historical peak that was recorded in March 2018,” said Bob Dugan, CMHC chief economist. “This moderation brings total starts closer to historical averages, largely reflecting recent declines in the trend of multi-unit starts from historically elevated levels earlier in the year.”

Of note, housing starts are in Metro Vancouver are slowing to a greater extent, falling 4% from its March 2018 peak, according to Steve Saretsky of the VanCity Condo Guide.

A slowdown in housing starts suggests homebuilders perceive risks ahead or simply can’t make new projects feasible due to elevated land prices and construction costs, which is typical at this stage of the cycle. This does not bode well for future economic growth considering housing and the consumption that goes along with it (renovations, furniture, etc) are a big driver of the economy. In Canada, household consumption and residential investment as a percentage of real GDP is nearly 65%. –VanCity Condo Guide

Saretsky notes that a rebound in housing starts seems unlikely “given how extended this current expansion is,” while the labor market is at capacity and rising interest rates should cause investors to reduce exposure considering that Vancouver home sales are at a 17-year low.

Instead, the construction industry is working at a frantic pace to complete existing units. Housing under construction in Metro Vancouver ticked upwards to a new record high in August- hitting a staggering 43,684 units. well above annual population growth of 30,000. –VanCity Condo Guide

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CMHC Finds Irrational Exuberance in Vancouver & Toronto

There is much to learn from financial mania’s. In particular, the role of human behaviour responsible for inflating asset prices to previously unimaginable heights. Economist Robert Schiller has done some excellent work on this topic in his book Irrational Exuberance.

In essence, Schiller highlights a few key themes. Mainly that real estate booms seem just as mysterious and hard to understand as the stock market booms when they happen, there are always popular explanations for them- explanations that are not necessarily correct, but people love a good story. Meanwhile, higher prices tend to drive a positive feedback loop where initial price increases lead to more price increases as the effects of the initial price increases feedback into yet higher prices through increased investor demand. This second round of price increases feeds back again into a third and then a fourth round, and so on.

A recent publication from CMHC highlights strong human behaviour dynamics have been playing out in the Vancouver & Toronto Real Estate markets. After surveying 30,000 recent homebuyers, CMHC found evidence of euphoric and perhaps irrational behaviour.

For instance, respondents were asked about whether how much they paid was aligned with their plan budget. Respondents were also asked about a series of choices regarding location, size and timing of purchase. Choices all potential homebuyers must consider before buying a home in both Vancouver and Toronto, 48% of homebuyers respectively spent more than they budgeted.

CMHC believes home buyers may have experienced a fear of missing out, citing that homebuyers measure the value of a home through rule of thumb mechanisms like, “it’s a hot market, I can’t miss out, it’s really tight right now-will have to revise our budget if we want to get in”  all of which are phrases pushing homebuyers to overvalue an investment.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Spending on Housing Dropped 12% in Canada in June

Spending on Housing Dropped 12% in Canada in June

The national slowdown was particularly unkind to the province of BC.

Canadian housing data continued to disappoint in the month of June. Albeit the year-over-year decline in home sales was not nearly as disappointing as the month of May. National home sales fell 11% year-over-year in June, a slight upgrade from the 16% decline suffered in May.

As sales dipped, so too did the total amount spent on real estate. The total dollar volume dipped 12% year-over-year in June, totaling C$23.5 billion. A tough blow to government tax coffers which have reaped record sums of property tax dollars in recent years.

The national slowdown was particularly unkind to the province of BC where home sales slid 33% year over year, the largest draw-down since June of 2008. Weak buying activity hit Greater Vancouver & Victoria the hardest, sales fell 38% and 30% respectively.

However, the pullback was not exclusive to the province of BC. Other than small year over year gains in Quebec City, Toronto, and Montreal, most major cities were hit with a drop in home sales.

The average sales price across the nation dipped in June for the first time since June of 2012, shedding 1% year over year. While this marked the fifth month in a row in which the national average price was down on a year-over-year basis, it was the smallest decline among them. The Aggregate Composite MLS® HPI was up 0.9% y-o-y in June 2018, marking the 14th consecutive month of decelerating gains. It was also the smallest increase since September 2009.

Despite the rather grim data, the Canadian Real Estate Association remained upbeat, CREA President Barb Sukkau noted, “This year’s new stress-test on mortgage applicants has been weighing on homes sales activity; however, the increase in June suggests its impact may be starting to lift.”

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Canada’s Real Estate Sector Faces Difficult Transition

The great Canadian real estate bull market has pushed home prices to dizzying heights over the past two decades. And with ever-rising prices it has sucked in more capital and resources creating an almost self enforcing feedback loop, where an entire economy has become dependent on rising house prices. This misallocation of capital and resources is particularly well documented in the labour force where every year the number of realtors, mortgage brokers, and homebuilders seems to grow exponentially. Per Stats Canada, the share of employment tied to construction as well as finance, insurance and real estate is nearly two standard deviations above its long-term average.

I’m no economist but somehow it seems building an economy dependant on selling each other more expensive homes is probably not the greatest long term growth strategy. To illustrate this point we can see here that residential investment as a percentage of GDP now outpaces investment in machinery equipment research and development.

Source: Ben Rabidoux, North Cove Advisors

Currently there are over 55,000 new homes under construction across BC, with a record high number of housing starts also underway. This has created a massive shortage in the trades sector, while sending construction costs and house prices higher. However, with the real estate market across BC now beginning to slow, particularly in greater Vancouver, which saw housing sales across all property types drop to a 17 year low, early indications suggest a potential difficult transition may be underway.  With the help of Ben Rabidoux of North Cove advisors, we can see that job growth in British Columbia is been in a funk in recent months.

BC job growth
Source: Ben Rabidoux, North Cove Advisors

For simplicity sake, we can estimate how this would affect the real estate broker space, where real estate commissions now command 2% of Canadian GDP. Through the first four months of 2018, British Columbians have spent nearly $2 billion less on residential real estate.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Canada Home Prices Fall from Year Ago for First Time since 2009

Canada Home Prices Fall from Year Ago for First Time since 2009

The magnificent house price bubble wheezes.

With 2017 mortgage pre-approvals having now expired, the first wave of buyers facing OSFI’s ground breaking mortgage regulations are being put to the test. The regulations, also known as B-20, require all borrowers to pass a stress test at an interest rate 2% higher than the qualifying rate.

Early symptoms appear rather obvious. National home sales slid for the month of March, falling 23% year over year, and pushing the average sales price down 10%. Overall, it was a bearish quarter for Canadian housing, first quarter sales fell 16% year over year.

Much of the declines were felt in the single family housing market in Vancouver & Toronto, with many buyers unable to qualify at the recently inflated prices. The average sales price of a single family home in Greater Vancouver now sits at C$1.6 million and C$1 million in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Chief economist of the Canadian Real Estate Association, Gregory Klump, noted the squeeze as “tighter mortgage lending rules, which make it harder for home buyers to qualify for uninsured mortgages, are also shrinking the pool of qualified buyers for higher-priced homes.”

To little surprise this reflected in the national home prices across Canada. The Q1 2018 average sales price declined by 6.27% from Q1 2017. It was the first year-over-year percentage decline since Q1 2009.

The impact of the mortgage stress could become more apparent moving forward, particularly if borrowing rates continue to rise. As of today, a homebuyer hoping to purchase the typical home in Greater Vancouver (as per the MLS benchmark price of C$1.084M) would require a minimum down-payment of C$216,800 and a verified income of C$175,000, assuming a 5-year mortgage at a generous 2.99% interest rate.

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Rate Squeeze in Vancouver & Toronto Housing Bubbles

Rate Squeeze in Vancouver & Toronto Housing Bubbles

Variable-rate mortgages, the HELOC phenomenon, and new stress tests meet higher rates.

The Bank of Canada raised interest rates another 25 basis points last week. It was the third time in the past six months. Rates have more than doubled in that time, going from 0.50% to 1.25%. This hike was baked into the economic data, and now it’s getting baked into the debt loads of Canadian households.

Following the announcement, Canadian banks hiked their prime lending rateby an equivalent 25 basis points. The prime lending rate is the annual interest rate Canada’s major banks use to set interest rates on variable-rate loans, lines of credit, variable-rate mortgages, and HELOCs (Home Equity Lines of credit).

This means nearly instantly higher interest payments for borrowers carrying variable-rate mortgages, HELOCs, and lines of credit.

This is critically important, considering the context of the current situation. Interest rates have been at historically low emergency levels since the Financial Crisis. This has allowed households to absorb elevated house prices and a record amount of debt. Each rate hike reduces the ability to service that debt.

Given the current size of the mortgages, for Vancouver households, a 1% rate increase in their variable mortgage rate would require an additional 9.2% of their income to make the payment, according to Better Dwelling, and for households in Toronto, it would require an additional 8.3% of their household income. In Montreal, it would require an additional 3.2% of their household income:

Further, the newly required stress tests for variable-rate mortgages require that applicants qualify at the minimum specified rate of the stress test, which just jumped from 4.99% to 5.14%, or at the actual rate they’re borrowing at PLUS 2%, whichever is greater.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Canadian Housing Affordability Hits 27 Year Low

Real Estate Hasn’t Been this Unaffordable Since 1990 per RBC

Nothing says Merry Christmas like a 27 year low for Canadian housing affordability. That’s right, real estate across Canada has not been this un affordable since the year 1990 per RBC. Spoiler alert house prices tumbled shortly thereafter.

RBC Bank released their updated Q3 numbers for housing affordability. To no surprise, Vancouver leads the nation in the most unaffordable market to buy a home. Followed by Toronto and then Victoria.

“The deterioration in the latest two quarters, in fact, put Vancouver buyers in the worst affordability position ever recorded in Canada.”

RBC housing affordability
Source: RBC

Vancouver Un affordability Sets New High In Canada

“The area experienced the sharpest affordability drop among Canada’s major markets between the second and third quarters. RBC’s aggregate measure surged by 5.3 percentage points to 87.5%. This represents a new record high for any market in Canada. We see further downside to Vancouver’s home ownership rate in the period ahead. The rate fell from 65.5% in 2011 to 63.7% in 2016.”

Vancouver housing affordability
Source: RBC – Vancouver housing affordability Q3 2017

High Un affordability Tends to Lead to Recessions

What RBC didn’t mention in their report is the correlation between elevated house prices that cause affordability issues and recessions. When too much household money is spent servicing mortgage payments it eventually becomes a drag on consumer spending and ultimately triggers a recession.

Canadian house prices and recessions
Source: Better Dwelling

This is not to suggest a recession is imminent. But when the percent of income the median family would have to use to service debt pushes above 50% in Toronto and Vancouver, a recession typically follows in Canada. Currently Toronto is at 71.7%, and Vancouver is at 79.87%.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Canadian Homeowners Take Out HELOCs to Fund Subprime Buyers Unable to get a Mortgage

Canadian Homeowners Take Out HELOCs to Fund Subprime Buyers Unable to get a Mortgage

The Housing & Debt Bubble ascends to the next level of risk.

By Steve Saretsky, Vancouver, Canada, Vancity Condo Guide:

The HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) has been a blessing and a curse for Canadian households. While it has helped spur house prices and simultaneously provided consumers the ability to tap into their new found equity, it has also crippled many Canadian households into a debt trap that seems insurmountable.

Between 2000 and 2010, HELOC balances soared from $35 billion to $186 billion, according to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, an average annual growth rate of 20%. As of 2016, HELOC balances sit at $211 billion, a 500% increase since the year 2000. While also pushing Canadian household debt to incomes to record highs of 168%.

Scott Terrio, a debt consultant, says the situation is a full blown “extend and pretend,” meaning borrowers are just continuously refinancing or taking on more and more debt in order to sustain their lifestyle. Canadians can extend their debt repayment terms and pretend to live a lifestyle they can’t otherwise obtain.

What the HELOC has also been able to do is help spur the private lending space which has ultimately supported rising house prices. Seth Daniels of JKD Capital, one of the most astute Canada-Watchers, says there’s a growing trend where “a homeowner acts as a sub-prime lender by drawing a HELOC at 3% interest only, and lends it to a subprime borrower at 8-12% for one year (interest only).”

This is something I’ve been hearing on an ongoing basis from mortgage brokers and lawyers who help facilitate these deals. Especially since mortgage lending conditions tightened, starting with OSFI’s first mortgage stress test back in November, 2016. The financial regulator required “high-ratio” borrowers (those with less than 20% down payment) to qualify for a mortgage at the borrowing rate plus 2%. So basically you’re getting qualified on what you can borrow at 5% even though you’re borrowing at 3%.

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Olduvai IV: Courage
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Olduvai II: Exodus
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