Do Ottawa’s proposed capital gains tax changes affect inherited properties?

The federal government’s budget proposal to increase the inclusion rate for the capital gains tax for people whose profits go past a certain threshold has drawn mixed reactions from experts, entrepreneurs and taxpayers. One asset affected by these changes is real estate, including cottages and investment homes. The change proposed in the Trudeau government’s new … Read more

Home sales and prices edging up as housing market ‘could get interesting,’ reports say

The housing market could soon get “interesting,” economists say, as home prices and sales start to edge up, according to a pair of new reports released Friday. In its latest quarterly Home Price Update and Market Forecast, Royal LePage is forecasting that the aggregate price of a home in Canada will increase nine per cent in the fourth … Read more

Bank of Canada worries a rate cut now could overheat the spring housing market

The Bank of Canada is trying to thread a needle. It’s keeping rates higher for longer at least in part because it’s worried a rate cut now could undermine the last two years of pain and progress. “We don’t want to keep monetary policy this restrictive for longer than we have to. But nor do … Read more

January home sales jump 22 per cent from last year’s weak start

January home sales jumped 22 per cent compared with a year ago, the largest year-over-year increase since May 2021, according to The Canadian Real Estate Association. The association says the increase reflected weakness last year, which saw the worst start to almost any year in the past two decades. Home sales in January 2024 were … Read more

Competition Bureau investigating restrictive real estate clauses in Canadian grocery sector

Business The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating the use of property clauses, which limit how real estate can be used by competitors, in the Canadian grocery sector. Watchdog says clauses make it harder for new supermarkets to open The Canadian Press · Posted: Feb 08, 2024 3:09 PM EST | Last Updated: 9 hours ago … Read more

National home sales in 2023 lowest since 2008 despite December ‘bounce,’ CREA says

Canada’s housing market is seeing some of the lowest annual sales volumes in more than a decade, according to the latest statistics from the Canadian Real Estate Association, even though December saw a jump in sales compared to the month before. In a statement, CREA noted that the annual home sales total of 443,511 units in … Read more

House ethics committee to discuss PM Trudeau’s recent Jamaica trip

MPs on the House ethics committee will meet Wednesday to debate whether to launch a probe into the prime minister’s recent Jamaica vacation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family vacationed in Jamaica over the holidays. The PMO said the family was “staying with family friends at no cost.” The PMO hasn’t said exactly where … Read more

Renters tighten purse strings as prices in Alberta grow at fastest pace in 40 years

Nikkie Miranda feels stuck and frustrated, weighing what she’ll have to sacrifice when her rent increases again this winter. Three years ago, when she moved into a two-storey, three-bedroom semi-detached home in southwest Edmonton, Miranda paid $1,650 per month in rent. Her rent later increased to $1,800 and will go up again to $1,950 when … Read more

Time’s up for some short-term rentals in B.C. as new housing rules look set to transform scene

Nancy Paine’s short-term rental business is dead in the water. As co-founder and CEO of Victoria-based Superhost, Paine said she had been at the forefront of the Airbnb revolution for seven years, acting as a “liaison” for homeowners needing help with the logistics of running a listing on the accommodation site. At the peak of … Read more