Analysis: The income you need to buy a house in these major Canadian cities
Analysis: The income you need to buy a house in these major Canadian cities
A homebuyer would need less income now to qualify for an average-priced home in a major Canadian city when compared to how much it was costing in the summer, according to new data from mortgage brokerage Ratehub.ca.
The brokerage analyzed 10 cities across Canada using October 2022 real estate data and compared data from June and August.
“With the Bank of Canada signalling that the worst of the rate hikes may be behind us”, the report noted, there was a reason to be “cautiously optimistic” about home affordability in Canada.
Ratehub.ca looks at the minimum annual income required to buy an average-priced home in Canada’s 10 major cities. The analysis keeps into account the changes in mortgage rates, stress test rates, and real estate prices.
RateHub.ca Co-CEO James Laird said in a news release on Wednesday that it is likely that June 2022 was the low point for affordability since mortgage rates were up and home prices had not yet softened significantly.
The data collected from Ratehub.ca showed that Victoria had the highest drop in income and average-priced homes in October. The average price of a home in Victoria last month was $915,300, with a stress test rate of 7.44 per cent and a mortgage rate of 5.44 per cent.
Homebuyers would need to earn an annual income of at least $178,890 a year in October to qualify for a mortgage for an average-priced home, with a 20 per cent down payment.
Vancouver remained the most expensive city in Canada to buy an average-price home. One would need an income of $220,700 in order to be able to afford an average home worth $1,148,900. Toronto follows a close second, with a required income of $211,650.
The report noted that despite Vancouver being the most expensive city in Canada for buying a house, it is also where the prices have “declined the most substantially over the last few months.”
"As affordability continues to improve, we will likely see homebuyers resume their search in the new year. We will have to see if sellers are interested in listing their homes at values that are significantly lower than their peak,” Laird said.
The Bank of Canada hiked its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point Wednesday, bringing it to 4.5 per cent. Here's a look at what the rate means, how analysts are interpreting it and what it could mean for consumers.
The federal government's latest TFSA contribution limit increase took effect as of January 1, 2023. Personal finance contributor Christopher Liew outlines how the government’s most recent TFSA contribution limit increase affects you and how to make the most of it.
Finding an affordable place to live in the territories, where housing has long been a challenge, is getting even harder, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation suggested in a report released in December. In Yellowknife, the report said, the growing senior population, urbanization and strong labour market has pressured the housing supply.
Canada is suffering from a severe skills shortage in several key sectors, experts say, thanks to factors that include deficiencies in our education system as well as changing demographics. CTVNews.ca looks at some of the skills that will be most in-demand in 2023.
Bond portfolios took a beating in 2022 as interest rates climbed, but experts say investors shouldn't neglect bonds this year as the Bank of Canada nears the end of its rate hike cycle.
Canadian investors who made it through a tumultuous 2022 face further uncertainty in the year ahead amid increased recession risk. Investment professionals and personal finance experts say the easiest way to grow your money this year is to keep things simple.
In early 2020, 25.1 per cent of Canadians received $2,000 from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, according to Statistics Canada. In his latest column on CTVNews.ca, personal finance contributor Christopher Liew explains how repayment works.
