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6 i, i) A) d3 L4 M* SZT: Cost of home ownership continues to rise: RBC7 c( ~( _, m) F9 p
5 K: }, C& s$ O: oCanadian Press, O4 x& S0 m8 ^; V7 G) |1 x8 J3 r3 q) h
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Wednesday, September 12, 2007' W/ c8 Y- k: ~% f0 j
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TORONTO — The cost of owning a home in Canada continued to climb in the second quarter as affordability in Western Canada showed the biggest change, according to a new report by the Royal Bank.
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3 l) b* J+ P4 m( {0 d9 w, i3 KSaskatchewan suffered its worst ever quarterly deterioration of affordability on record, according to the bank, as an influx of people caught the housing supply off guard.
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" l) j8 r- l# v" z ]7 ]* `! y8 ?“In the second quarter, Canada's housing affordability experienced one of the largest and most broadly based quarterly deteriorations since the mid-1990s,” said Derek Holt, assistant chief economist, RBC.
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“Higher house prices, mortgage rates, utilities and property taxes all combined to drive the country-wide deterioration.”
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The report measures the proportion of pre-tax household income needed to service the costs of owning a home. The higher the reading, the more costly it is to afford a home
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The bank said a standard condo was the most affordable, requiring about 29 per cent of income compared with 27.5 per cent in the first quarter.4 H' f8 Y9 e/ B; f7 [
; E0 G7 O- i- p2 H% O2 d3 QA standard townhouse was next at 33 per cent, up from 31.5 per cent in the first quarter followed by a detached bungalow which increased from 39 per cent to 41 per cent in the second quarter.
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- k+ H6 ?0 y3 ?6 NA standard two-storey home was 46 per cent, up from 44 per cent in the first three months of the year.
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$ N+ m; Q8 b2 }Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. saw the biggest increase in costs in the quarter.
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1 l* ], K6 } e/ ]" H: kAffordability fell about 20 per cent in Saskatchewan with no signs that prices were letting up yet, but the bank said the high prices were starting to weigh on demand.
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Among Canada's largest cities, a detached bungalow in Vancouver was the most expensive with the proportion of pre-tax household income needed to own a home coming in at 71 per cent. Toronto and Calgary followed at 45 per cent, Montreal at 36 per cent and Ottawa at 31 per cent.
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8 Z2 s Z; \9 Z0 K, G4 _“Market conditions in Vancouver have loosened up during the year, but conditions remain tilted in favour of a seller's market and are still supportive of fairly strong price gains,” the report said. |
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