Edmonton Real Estate Blog

Stock markets are not static and move both up and down. As a result, your asset mix—that is—the basket of different types of investments that make up your portfolio, may have shifted. Over time, your portfolio may have become weighted towards fixed income and away from equities, or conversely, overweighted in equities and underweighted in bonds. It’s important to regularly rebalance your portfolio.

Feel free to contact me or visit my website for more information.

Often by playing it safe financially, you think you’ve protected yourself from investment losses. Think again. Sometimes the price of playing it safe is the erosion of your money over time thanks to inflation. Certain investments often thought of as being safe may not keep pace with inflation, especially after considering taxes. The best way to ensure your investment stands the test of time is by investing in a diversified portfolio. A diversified approach should include exposure to higher yielding equity mutual funds. If your portfolio is appropriately diversified and tailored to your time horizon and tolerance for volatility, you’ll ultimately be playing it even safer over the long term.

Feel free to contact me or visit my website for more information.

Consider this scenario for a moment, the individual on the left invested $2,000 a year for nine years, a total of only $18,000 at which time she became disabled and stopped investing. Her friend on the right took the disability as a wake up call and decided it was time to start her own $2,000 a year investment program but she’s starting nine years later. At the age of 65, when they’re both ready to retire, there is still a difference in their investments even after one of them invested $70,000 over 35 years.

Douglas J. Bodtcher                               
Investors Group Financial Services Inc.
780-448-1988 ext. 284

As, April 19, 2010, CMHC made changes to minimum down payment requirement for purchasing rental/investment property. Also, rental income allowance to help qualify has been reduced. Ultimately both initiatives have made it more difficult for investors to purchase additional properties.

In order to purchase a rental property, minimum 20% down is required, hence, making it conventional. For investors to acquire multiple units, they will need to qualify for the mortgages using their own income and rental income.

Different lenders use different formulas for rental income. It is important to ensure you maximize your purchase power by using lenders that will allow more of your rental income.

The most conservative lenders use only 50% of the rental income. This amount is added to the applicant’s income and maximum 44% of that income can be used for housing costs and debt (i.e. Mortgage payment, property tax and heat)

Some lenders will allow you to use all of your rental income given they are declared and verified on your income taxes. These lenders will simply take the positive cash flow to add to your income or add the deficit as a liability.

Other lenders will use a rental worksheet. These worksheets will equate to 70% utilization of rental income.

Since, rental properties are not insured, each lender has their own nuances on requirements. This is where it gets tricky. In cases where investors’ portfolios include multiple units it is important to work with a mortgage associate prior to purchasing to review the portfolio and discuss various options. Also, since large portfolios also involve more documentation it would speed the purchasing process to ensure all documentation is in order.

Feel free to call if you have any questions or would like some more information.

Edmonton, April 6, 2010: Housing figures released by the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton for March and the first quarter of 2010 show that resale housing prices are up; listings and sales are up.

“There is consumer confidence in this market and both buyers and sellers appear eager to enter the housing market,” said Larry Westergard, president of the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton. “Prices are up about 10% from a year ago and sellers are eager to take advantage. Buyers are aware of higher mortgage rates ahead and are getting into the market before the rates rise.”

Single family residences in the Edmonton area sold on average* for $388,473 in March which is up 4.7% from February and 11% from a year ago. Condominium prices rose by 8.4% month-over-month and 10.5% year-over-year. The average condominium sold for $252,416 in March. Duplex and rowhouse prices (at $313,836) dropped a third of a percent in March but were up 10.4% from a year ago. The average residential price was $343,607 (up month-over-month by 8.5%).

Sales also demonstrated the optimism of the marketplace. 3,728 residential listings in March were up over 30% from a year ago and up 246% in the first quarter. Residential sales of 1,571 properties in March were up 15.1% from a year ago and 77.3% in the first quarter. Sales were up from 1,307 in February: a 20.2% increase. The March sales-to-listing ratio was 42%; down from 52% in February.

“Seller activity has boosted the inventory to 6,770 residential properties,” said Westergard. “I am less concerned about available inventory now than I was at the beginning of the year. I think the market has reached a balance between buyers and sellers.”

All major banks raised their fixed mortgage rates in late March and the Bank of Canada has warned that interest rates will rise again after the second quarter. Many buyers are hurrying to lock in rates and find a home before the more stringent qualification requirements for mortgages come into effect on April 19. Alberta will not be influenced by the GST harmonization taking place in Ontario and BC so we may not see the sales slump in the second quarter that is expected in those two provinces.

The average days-on-market in March was 41 as compared to 47 in February.

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Highlights of MLS® activity

¹. Residential includes SFD, condos and duplex/row houses.
². Single Family Dwelling
³. The middle figure in a list of all sales prices

* Average prices indicate market trends only. They do not reflect actual prices, which may vary.

Source: REALTORS® Association of Edmonton

We have received an update from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) regarding the upcoming changes that we informed you about in mid-February. To briefly recap, fixed rate mortgages with terms of less than 5 years, as well as variable rate mortgages, will be reviewed for approval (qualified) based on 5 year rates, beginning April 19, 2010. It was not clear at the time of the announcement if the 5 year rates used for qualification would be discounted rates (currently 3.89%) or posted rates (currently 5.39%).

CMHC has now clarified that the qualifying rate for the affected terms will be the greater of the “benchmark rate” and the contract interest rate. CMHC defines the benchmark rate as the Conventional Mortgage – 5 Year rate published by the Bank of Canada (series 121764), which is currently 5.39%. The following are updated examples that illustrate the upcoming changes:

 Fixed rate mortgages with terms of less than 5 years will be qualified based on the greater of the benchmark rate and the contract interest rate, rather than the current method of qualifying clients based on their contracted interest rate. For example, a client selecting a 3 year fixed term today would qualify based on 3.40% (some lenders offer lower “sale” rates), the new criteria will instead require the client to qualify based on the 5 year benchmark rate (currently 5.39%). If however the client selected a 5 year fixed term (or longer), the client would qualify at the contract rate (currently 3.89% for a 5 year term).

Variable rate mortgages will also be qualified based on the greater of the benchmark rate and the contract interest rate. By comparison, variable rate mortgages are currently reviewed based on 3 year rates. Assuming that posted rates are used in both cases, a client will need to qualify based on the 5 year posted rate (currently 5.39%), rather than the 3 year posted rate (currently 4.30%), which reduces the maximum amount that a client can borrow.

 
Changes to CMHC policies re: Self-Employed borrowers
Effective April 9, 2010, self-employed borrowers with more than 3 years in the same business will be required to provide third-party validation of income (e.g. financial statements, contracts, T4s, Notice of Assessments, etc.). This means that the above category of self-employed borrowers will need to fully support their personal income with adequate documentation when obtaining a mortgage.

 
Shirley Froese
Mortgage Agent
CENTUM Elite Mortgage Corp.
Ph:   780-940-4813

Tips from the professionals on how to make your mark in real estate investing

With the Canadian real estate market – be it residential, industrial or commercial – showing resiliency in the wake of the recession, property as an asset class is drawing investors with the promise of higher returns on hard assets.

After watching their wealth evaporate on the stock market, many investors are drawn to the property market because they want to be able to look at what they just bought, said Queen’s University professor John Andrew, who specializes in investment real estate.

“Historically real estate has been a haven in times of inflation,” he said. “It’s also been a place where people feel they have an understanding of what they’ve just done – they can walk down the street and see their purchase.”

That said, it can be a risky proposition. If this recession has taught us anything, it’s that property values can plummet, and fast. You just can’t buy a building and walk away. But if you have the nerve, here are some tips from the professionals on how to make your mark in real estate.

Getting started

Real estate investment trusts are the most passive way to get involved. These companies have units that are publicly traded, which means you own a share of the REIT rather than a piece of real estate. The sector is small in Canada, with fewer than 20 publicly traded REITs, but the well-funded companies have been actively adding properties to their portfolios in a bid to generate more income for their investors.

The first few weeks of this year haven’t been particularly great for the REITs, with the S&P/TSX Capped REIT index (which tracks the companies) gaining 2 per cent, but it’s still above the overall market’s .9-per-cent decline. For the past 12 months, the index has gained 60.8 per cent.

“This is a good way for a passive investor to get involved with real estate with fewer of the headaches,” Prof. Andrew said.

A little deeper

While the $12-million office building around the corner keeps catching your eye, maybe you find the price tag a little hefty. If only there was a way you could pool your resources with other cash-strapped millionaires.

Turns out, there is. Brokers around the country are constantly putting together syndicates – groups of private investors who want to pool their money and share ownership of attractive properties.

Jason Shiner of Ottawa’s District Realty said most deals involve investments of $100,000 to $250,000. The key is to ask questions before joining.

“You want to look at who you are partnering with, what rules there are about who can join, what are the exit strategies,” he said. “You don’t want to be the weakest link, or the strongest, you all want to have about the same amount at stake.”

For the big player

These investors – and if you’re one of them, you probably already know this – tend to purchase retail and industrial properties and keep them in the family. When they want to do a deal, they pick up the phone and call someone such as Michael Turner, an executive vice-president at CB Richard Ellis who specializes in private investments.

The country’s most expensive cities aren’t their primary targets. They opt instead for smaller markets where pension funds and real estate investment funds couldn’t be bothered to go shopping.

“They prefer places like Atlantic Canada, or smaller Prairie cities,” Mr. Turner says.

Joys of rental properties

The dream of home ownership isn’t the motivating factor for those buying rental properties – it’s the dream of a steady stream of cash as dream tenants make their payments on time and take extra care not to scratch the hardwood.

Of course, you’re just as likely to hand over the keys to someone who looks trustworthy but then decides that paying rent is for chumps. Worse yet, your unit could sit empty for months as expensive classified ads fail to draw anyone to your doorstep.

But for this exercise, let’s ignore the nightmare scenario and focus on the deal. Interest rates are at all-time lows, which means more of the cash that is generated each month can go toward paying off your mortgage. And with a 5-per-cent down payment, the barriers to entry are actually quite low (one caution – you carry that mortgage on your personal credit report).

And unless you want to spend a lot of time doing maintenance, a property manager is a must.

“If you are not handy, then get a manager,” Ottawa property investor Chris Jurewicz said. “If you do not want to be tied to your cellphone 24×7, you need one. It sounds like a lot of money at 4 to 6 per cent of revenue, but see if you would want to do it for that amount of money.”

Source: Steve Ladurantaye of The Globe & Mail (www.TheGlobeAndMail.com)

This won’t hurt a bit, homebuyers.

The mortgage rule changes announced Tuesday by Financial Minister Jim Flaherty will weigh a bit on real estate speculators and heavily indebted people who want to fold their high-rate credit card debt into a lower-rate mortgage. But for rank and file homebuyers, the changes will barely be perceptible when they take effect on April 19.

“This should have a limited impact on what I see daily,” mortgage broker Peter Majthenyi said in an e-mail he fired off after Mr. Flaherty’s announcement. “I believe it’s more a message that ‘Big Brother’ is watching and cares.”

Olympics aside, the favourite Canadian diversion of the moment is to debate whether there is a bubble in the housing market. Those most worried about the housing market plunging have urged Mr. Flaherty to raise the minimum down payment for a home and reduce the maximum payback period.

But the 35-year amortization, favourite of first-time buyers across this land, remains. So does the 5-per-cent down payment, which is heavily relied upon in high-cost cities like Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.

All the measures announced by Mr. Flaherty affect mortgages covered by government-backed mortgage insurance, where the buyer puts less than 20 per cent down. The key change for typical home buyers is that, regardless of what term or type of mortgage they choose, they’ll have to be able to afford the five-year rate.

This is a sensible way of building some slack into the system as we look ahead to a cycle of rising interest rates. If someone chooses a variable-rate mortgage, where the interest rate can be as low as 2 to 2.25 per cent today, they’ll have to be able to handle the payment at the current five-year rate. Right now, the posted rate at the big banks is 5.39 per cent.

You won’t have to actually make the higher payments required by the five-year mortgage. You’ll just have to theoretically be able to carry them and still remain within the limitations lenders set out on how much of your gross income can be consumed by debt (it’s 42 to 44 per cent, just so you know).

Mortgage brokers report that a lot of lenders were already ensuring clients could afford the payments on a three-year mortgage. So bumping up that up to a five-year term will only have a marginal effect.

“Are we going to see the odd borrower have to come up with more money or not buy they house they want? Absolutely,” Mr. Majthenyi said. “But will it have a dramatic effect? No.”

Another reason why the changes won’t be jarring is that a huge number of homebuyers are actually choosing five-year mortgages these days. A study issued by the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals last month showed that fixed-rate mortgages accounted for 86 per cent of mortgages in set up in 2009 and, of those, 70 per cent were for a five-year term.

People who borrow to buy investment properties to either flip for a quick profit or to generate income are also affected by Tuesday’s announcement. If you buy a property you’re not going to live in, then you’ll have to put down a minimum 20 per cent to qualify for mortgage insurance. That’s up from 5 per cent.

But Mr. Majthenyi said not all lenders even require clients to have mortgage insurance if they put 20 per cent down. He also said that stiff mortgage insurance premiums already discouraged people from putting 5 per cent down on an investment property.

“In my office of 10 brokers, I don’t think I know of one client we’ve processed on a high-ratio rental property,” he said.

The final mortgage change restricts the ability of existing homeowners to refinance their mortgages to take on more debt. The new ceiling is 90 per cent of the value of your home, compared to the current 95 per cent.

Mortgage broker Jas Grewal said one group that will be affected by this is recent buyers who made a small down payment and are struggling with high credit card balances and other debts. By folding these debts into their mortgage, they can reduce their interest rate from as high as 19 per cent down to something closer to 3 or 4 per cent.

“Let’s say you put 10 per cent down – if we go from 95 to 90 per cent, you’re not going to be able refinance,” Mr. Grewal said. “You’re going to have to wait until your house value goes up and gives you some equity.”

Source: Rob Carrick of the Globe and Mail (www.TheGlobeandMail.com)

Edmonton, February 2, 2010: Single family homes sold through the Edmonton Multiple Listing Service® System sold on average for the same amount in January as at year-end while condominium prices dipped 2%. Month-to-month sales slowed by 6.8% as compared to December but the number of new listings in January doubled the December numbers. 

The average* residential price was $314,783 for January, down 1.4% from last month and down just 0.7% from a year ago. Single family home prices on average were stable increasing minutely from $366,761 in December to $367,747 in January. Condominium prices dipped just 2% in the month from $244,174 to $239,006. Duplex and rowhouse prices were up 1.5% to $300,563.

“There will be month-to-month fluctuations in prices for all types of properties,” said Larry Westergard, president of the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton. “We expect that the local market will continue to be robust and prices will trend upwards through the year.”

Compared to December, housing sales were down in January with 524 single family sales and 288 condominium sales. Total residential sales were 884 units – 154 ahead of last January. There were 2,199 residential listings added during January resulting in a 40% sales-to-listing ratio and a month-end inventory of 4,864 homes. The average days-on-market was 57 days. Total sales (including residential, commercial and rural properties) in January were valued at $315 million (up 19% from last year).

“While the low prices may have motivated some buyers, the continuing low interest rates are probably a bigger factor for first time and repeat buyers,” said Westergard. “The inventory increase shows that current owners are poised to enter the market and to offer their homes for sale. Buyers and sellers should consult their REALTOR® to work out an appropriate strategy for their situation.”

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Highlights of MLS® activity

¹. Residential includes SFD, condos and duplex/row houses.
². Single Family Dwelling
³. The middle figure in a list of all sales prices

* Average prices indicate market trends only. They do not reflect actual prices, which may vary.

Source: REALTORS® Association of Edmonton

TORONTO — Canada’s residential real estate market is expected to remain unusually strong through the first half of this year after a strong finish to 2009, according to a survey published Thursday by Royal LePage.

The Royal LePage analysis is consistent with other recent reports on the state of the Canadian real estate market, which has rebounded over the past 12 months after sales dried up in late 2008 and hit a multi-year low in January 2009.

The Canadian market’s sudden plunge was sparked by a credit crunch that originated in the U.S. housing and lending industries – eventually spreading globally, causing a worldwide recession in the late summer and early fall of 2009.

However, the Canadian real estate market has been much quicker to recover than its American counterpart, in part because of a more stable banking industry, historically low interest rates and improving consumer confidence.

Royal LePage executive Phil Soper says Canada’s real estate market enters 2010 with “considerable momentum from an unusually strong finish to the previous year.”

The stimulus effect of low borrowing costs has contributed to a sharp rise in demand that has driven activity to new highs, he said in a statement.

Royal LePage says house prices appreciated in late 2009, with fourth-quarter price averages higher than in the fourth quarter of 2008.

The average price of detached bungalows rose to $315,055 (up six per cent), the price of a standard two-storey home rose to $353,026 (up 5.2 per cent), and the price of a standard condominium rose to $205,756 (up 6.4 per cent).

Regions that saw the strongest declines during the recession are now showing marked gains. Those regions include Toronto and the Lower Mainland, B.C.

Vancouver, which is frequently Canada’s most expensive real estate market, experienced a particularly robust quarter, with home prices rising across all housing types surveyed.

“No other sector of the economy has been as highly affected by economic stimulus as housing,” said Soper.

“As consumer confidence has improved, Canadians have shown a lingering reluctance to acquire depreciating assets such as consumer durables, but have embraced the opportunity to invest in real property.”

Royal LePage estimates that Vancouver’s real estate prices will rise a further 7.2 per cent this year, although February may be soft because of the Olympic Winter Games that will be held in the city and nearby Whistler, B.C.

Detached bungalows in Vancouver sold for an average of $828,750 in the fourth quarter, up 11.4 per cent from the same period last year. Standard condominiums in Vancouver went up 11.8 per cent year-over-year to an average of $452,750. Prices of standard two-storey homes in Vancouver rose 9.6 per cent year-over-year, selling at $917,500.

In Toronto, the average price of a standard condo rose 2.9 per cent to $309,316, detached bungalows rose 9.9 per cent to $446,214 and standard detached homes increased 3.5 per cent to $564,175.

In Montreal, the average price of a detached bungalow rose to $245,125 (up 3.1 per cent; a condo increased to $216,667 (up 16 per cent) and a two-storey house increased 12.3 per cent from a year earlier to $345,789, Royal LePage said.

The Greater Montreal Real Estate Board reported Thursday that the number of sales last year increased 41,802, up three per cent from 2008. The median price of a single-family home was $235,000 last year, up four per cent from 2008.

“Although sales decreased the first four months of 2009, Montreal’s real estate market rebounded and finished the year on a positive note,” said Michel Beausejour, the Montreal board’s chief executive.

The group that represents Toronto-area realtors reported Wednesday that there were 87,308 transactions last year through the Multiple Listing Service, a 17 per cent increase over 2008.

In December, there were 5,541 sales in the Greater Toronto Area (average price $411,931), up from 2,577 sales in December 2008 (average price $361,415), according to the Toronto Real Estate Board.

The Toronto board also said the number of sales of existing homes rebounded in the latter half of 2009 after a slow start at the beginning of last year.

Royal LePage’s average price estimates for other Canadian cities include:

-St. John’s, N.L.: Detached bungalow, $217,167 (up 14.3 per cent); standard two-storey house $298,833 (up 14.1 per cent).

-Halifax: Detached bungalow, $238,000 (up 10.7 per cent); standard two-storey homes, $265,333 (up 1.8 per cent).

-Charlottetown: Detached bungalow, $160,000 (up 1.9 per cent); standard two-storey $195,000 (up 3.7 per cent).

-Saint John, N.B.: Detached bungalow, $228,000 (up 1.3 per cent); standard two-storey $299,000 (up 1.5 per cent).

-Moncton, N.B.: Detached bungalow, $152,300 in the fourth quarter (up 1.5 per cent); standard two-storey home, $131,000 (up 4.0 per cent)

-Fredericton: Detached bungalow, $182,000 (up 12.3 per cent); standard two-storey, $210,000 (unchanged).

-Ottawa: Detached bungalow, $332,417 (up 3.4 per cent); standard two-story home $331,917 (up 3.7 per cent).

-Winnipeg: Detached bungalow, $241,650 (up 9.9 per cent); standard two-storey home $275,500 (up 10 per cent).

-Edmonton: Detached bungalow, $299,286 (down 0.7 per cent); standard two-storey home, $340,557 (down 1.2 per cent)

-Calgary: Detached bungalow, $412,478 (up 0.5 per cent); standard two-storey home, $427,067 (up 2.3 per cent).

By David Paddon Copyright © 2010 The Canadian Press