Over 100,000 short-term rentals could be homes: StatsCan report

Over 100,000 short-term rentals could be homes: StatsCan report

A new report by Statistics Canada shows the country’s total number of short-term rental listings increased by more than 60 per cent between 2017 and 2023, while the number of short-term rental units that could be used as long-term housing grew by more than 80 per cent. The report identified more than 100,000 short-term rentals that … Read more

Fewer home sales and lower average housing prices in Canada compared to last year

Fewer home sales and lower average housing prices in Canada compared to last year

Real estate activity across Canada in June showed a drop in both sales and housing prices compared to June 2023, says the Canadian Real Estate Association, though sales perked up a bit compared to May 2024.  According to the latest numbers from CREA, home sales activity as registered in the Canadian Multiple Listing Service (MLS) went up … Read more

Many Canadians in their 20s and 30s are delaying having kids — and some say high rent is a factor

Many Canadians in their 20s and 30s are delaying having kids — and some say high rent is a factor

Anna Smith would like to start a family. But she would also like more space for a baby, as the 27-year-old and her partner currently live in a 500-square-foot apartment in Toronto’s east end for $1,550 per month. Like many Canadians in their 20s and 30s, she says she’s realizing she can’t have both.  So Smith, a University of … Read more

New home construction rose while home sales came down in May

New home construction rose while home sales came down in May

The annual rate of new home construction was up in May, while home sales were slightly down, according to data released separately on Monday by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Canadian Real Estate Association. Referred to as housing starts, new home construction was up 10 per cent in May compared to the previous … 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

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

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 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