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Ron Chalmers, The Edmonton Journal
# c5 G4 W+ d- U3 S2 t2 ^- GPublished: Wednesday, September 20, 2006
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EDMONTON - Edmonton homes are less affordable than 10 years ago but are more accessible than those in most major Canadian cities.) t+ B9 ]. a% I% A3 C7 b2 Y
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The RBC "affordability index" measures the percentage of pre-tax median household income required to pay utilities and service a 25-year mortgage at current rates, with a 25-per-cent down payment, on a single-family bungalow -- based on local incomes and costs.
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The lower the better, for buyers.- ]6 M x; z% I( `! C0 A( O' b
3 W' M9 K: k# E/ K% {' C+ T0 ]Edmonton ownership cost only 17 per cent of income in 1997. As incomes rose, so did prices, with affordability worsening to 21 per cent in 2005.
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With the recent price spurt, however, our city's affordability index has jumped to 25 per cent. That's just where it was in 1985.3 _0 v: S+ y" _; E. n$ i
* W5 N/ M0 r. B* ~% ]Is this squeezing marginal buyers out of the market?% d Y3 C4 Z# o8 }2 b- t) j0 T6 D) d% o
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"Maybe a bit," said Jim Kulak, past president of the Edmonton Real Estate Board. "It will happen more if prices keep going up -- but I think they will stabilize in the near future."
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With the recent run-up of prices, "I think they're in for a breather," Kulak said Tuesday. "But I don't expect a downturn."
' {# q( }# l) G8 U2 t9 d; t/ r; qEdmonton single-family home prices rose 41.9 per cent to an average of $316,480 in the 12 months to the end of August 2006.
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During that time, incomes rose about five per cent.
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The RBC index may exaggerate the erosion of affordability, suggested Brian Countryman at ATB Financial, because it assumes a 25-year mortgage -- while many buyers now choose 30- or 35-year terms.
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"We, and other financial institutions, introduced them especially for first-time buyers," Countryman said Tuesday.
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Longer terms create higher interest costs -- unless borrowers accelerate payments when they are able. "We explain that they can reduce the overall cost through prepayment, lump sum payments and dropping the amortization period at renewal," Countryman said.) J5 y8 Q7 \0 X
/ o; {% K1 r# G5 m, yGary Burke, Scotiabank's western Canada regional sales manager, said Edmonton home affordability "is being tested," but "we have not had more trouble qualifying clients than in the past."
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Scotiabank's 35-year mortgages are "increasingly popular but not a majority choice," he said.6 w+ m; ^8 f) M- _0 x+ F. g6 m4 V
! ?) u! L3 w2 g6 j6 IWhile Edmonton home affordability has worsened, it remains more attractive than that of most Canadian cities. RBC calculates the indexes at 36 per cent in Montreal, 44 per cent in Toronto, 35 per cent in Calgary and 68 per cent in Vancouver.
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The Calgary Real Estate Board reported last week that 34 per cent of single-detached homes now on the market have reduced their list prices by an average of $26,000.9 h" Q, }1 n0 m; e0 \: c
"There's a fairly significant portion of the detached-home marketplace that was pricing themselves out of the market," said board president Kevin Clark.
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He noted, however, that 25 per cent of sales were at or above list price in August, when single-family homes averaged $412,331 -- up 51 per cent from August 2005.
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& \/ b$ A: j! o- A% ODespite rising home prices, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday that the consumer price index rose only 2.1 per cent in the 12 months through August 2006.
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That was down from 2.4 per cent one month earlier, mainly because of cheaper gasoline.3 C m; M+ x2 J8 G
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In Alberta, the CPI rose by 4.7 per cent over the year, the greatest gain of all provinces, apparently because of housing costs. "The homeowners' replacement cost index, which captures the worn-out structural portion of housing and is estimated using new housing prices (excluding land), rose by 8.1 per cent between August 2005 and August 2006," StatsCan reported.3 L% V7 k9 f4 l: P6 R) R
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In Alberta, that factor rose 43.4 per cent.
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' D1 R; `' T! Y"By all counts, Alberta's housing sector stands out clearly from that of the other provinces," StatsCan observed. "The boom in the oil sector, combined with a high employment rate and a high degree of consumers' confidence, translated into a surge in demand for new houses in that province." |
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