With supply rising and prices dropping, is it time to buy a new car?

With supply rising and prices dropping, is it time to buy a new car?

For the first time in years, car shoppers are having an easier time finding a deal as the auto industry bounces back from supply chain woes — and experts say the outlook could get even better. Sticker prices at dealerships have started to come down and affordability is improving, said Daniel Ross, senior manager of … Read more

Are you renting with no plans to buy? Here’s what the federal budget has for you

Are you renting with no plans to buy? Here’s what the federal budget has for you

The federal government tabled its annual budget on Tuesday with a promise to open the door to homeownership for millennial and Gen Z renters. You’ll have to read the fine print to find measures for young renters who can’t buy a home — or just don’t want to. In her budget document, Finance Minister Chrystia … Read more

Apartment construction surged last year but demand still outpacing supply, says CMHC

Apartment construction surged last year but demand still outpacing supply, says CMHC

A surge in new apartment construction drove housing start increases in some major Canadian cities last year, but demand continues to outweigh supply, according to a report released Wednesday by the federal housing agency. The report from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation focuses on six major cities: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa. Their combined housing … Read more

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

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

Rent hits another record high in January as average asking price reaches $2,196

Rent hits another record high in January as average asking price reaches ,196

The average asking price for rent in Canada reached $2,196 in January, a 10 per cent increase from this time last year — marking another record high amid a deepening rental crisis. According to data released Wednesday by Rentals.ca and market research firm Urbanation, the average asking price of rent went up by 20 per cent (or $373 per month) compared to rental … Read more

High interest rates aren’t to blame for housing crisis, Bank of Canada governor says

High interest rates aren’t to blame for housing crisis, Bank of Canada governor says

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says the central bank can’t solve the housing crisis with interest rates because the root cause is a supply shortage. Macklem faced multiple questions on housing affordability during an appearance before the finance committee on Thursday — one week after the bank yet again kept its key overnight interest rate at … Read more

Bank of Canada says government efforts to curb housing crisis will help ‘gradually’

Bank of Canada says government efforts to curb housing crisis will help ‘gradually’

The Bank of Canada says record levels of immigration are driving up the cost of housing and recent government efforts to cut the number of non-permanent residents and encourage home building will help lower housing costs, but “only gradually.”  “In the short term any increase in population, particularly in an environment of constrained supply, is going … Read more

Surge in newcomers putting pressure on inflation via housing demand: BoC official

Surge in newcomers putting pressure on inflation via housing demand: BoC official

The recent surge in newcomers is adding to inflation through housing demand, a senior Bank of Canada official said Thursday, warning rental and home prices could continue to rise without a boost to housing supply. In a speech in Windsor, Ont., deputy governor Toni Gravelle acknowledged many of the benefits coming from this rise in immigration, … Read more