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ZT: Cost of home ownership continues to rise: RBC5 v) H8 b- d! u
) }4 `1 |) ]/ {7 u( pCanadian Press7 J# N ?$ G) Y9 R- R0 m9 J
! U4 X1 Y. i$ q4 B# r; LWednesday, September 12, 2007, Z C- o5 K3 c7 V! e
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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 b4 n$ E! [. G( K, m. fSaskatchewan 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. K5 W+ j% H! {* x: A( h9 D3 u; Y
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“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.8 O; d. [! z Q. b" m" _
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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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/ l0 B" h5 F: b: Y a( DThe 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.
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A 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.# G. k3 x0 S c. l, X& C
& {: j& [. L5 X$ Z6 _# z+ VA 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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Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. saw the biggest increase in costs in the quarter.
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Affordability 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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7 O- V1 v2 ?, O+ TAmong 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.& R4 x2 F9 N( v- Z1 R3 m8 i
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“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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