Residential Markets Face a Cooling: Canada’s Two-Year Housing Outlook—August 2021

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Residential Markets Face a Cooling: Canada’s Two-Year Housing Outlook—August 2021

Canadian Economic Analysis Industry Economic Analysis Urban City Economic Analysis

Author: The Conference Board of Canada

$225.00

  • Canadian resale markets seem to be slowing following months of frenetic activity. We now expect turning points to signal a moderate pullback, not a meltdown. This may negate the need for further regulatory action following relatively modest efforts to date.
  • Work from home possibilities and the “race for space” have allowed big-city commuters to seek homes that are more distant. This has bolstered relatively remote resale markets but curbed demand for smaller downtown units. A looming end to the pandemic may temper this trend.
  • We expect housing starts to hit a 45-year high of 262,100 units in 2021–up from 217,800 units in 2020.
  • We also anticipate starts will remain close to 225,500 units in 2022.
  • Canada’s national average resale price will begin easing later this year, but still post a 24 per cent annual increase. We think this price will fall by nearly 3 per cent in 2022 and by 6 per cent in 2023, resulting in a peak-to-trough drop of 10 per cent.
  • Residential investment in ownership transfer costs, largely made up of realtors’ commissions, is surging. It generated a larger share of national output in this year’s first quarter than did investment in intellectual property products.
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This quarterly economic forecast presents the medium-term outlook for the Canadian economy. This release focuses on housing. For an overview of all major components of the economy, go to the Canadian Outlook main page.

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