mortgage rate

Smallest Decrease in Residential Sales in the Past Six Months

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Île-des-Sœurs, May 8, 2013 – According to the real estate brokers’ Centris® provincial database, there were 4,605 residential sales transactions concluded in the Montréal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) in April 2013, said the Greater Montréal Real Estate Board (GMREB). Although this represents an 11 per cent decrease compared to April 2012, it was the smallest drop in sales in the past six months.

“Sales have decreased every month since the entry into force of the new mortgage rules last July,” said Diane Ménard, Vice-President of the GMREB Board of Directors. “Despite the drop in sales, April 2013 was a better month than that of April 2011, when 4,474 transactions were concluded,” she added.

All three property categories registered a similar decrease in sales in April 2013. Sales of single-family homes fell by 11 per cent, condominium sales dropped by 10 per cent and plex sales slipped by 13 per cent compared to April of last year.

All five main areas of the Montréal CMA registered a decrease in sales in April 2013 compared to April 2012. The largest decreases, for a second consecutive month, were in Laval (-20 per cent) and Vaudreuil-Soulanges (-13 per cent), while the North Shore (-7 per cent) and South Shore (-6 per cent) posted the smallest decreases. Sales on the Island of Montréal fell by 12 per cent.
As for the median price of single-family homes, Laval ($285,000), the South Shore ($270,000) and the North Shore all registered an increase of 2 per cent, while the Island of Montréal ($380,000) registered a 1 per cent increase. The median price of single-family homes remained stable in Vaudreuil-Soulanges ($270,000) compared to April 2012. As at April 30, 2013, there were 33,099 active listings in the Centris® system, up 16 per cent compared to the same period last year. Once again, the increase in active listings was most noticeable for condominiums (29 per cent). The increase in supply was more moderate for single-family homes (8 per cent) and plexes (12 per cent). Geographically, the increase in the number of active listings was largest on the Island of Montréal (+26 per cent) and in Laval (+21 per cent). Vaudreuil-Soulanges, the South Shore and the North shore registered respective increases of 14, 9 and 4 per cent.

Source : http://www.cigm.qc.ca

CREA Updates Resale Housing Forecast

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The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) has updated its forecast for home sales activity via the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) Systems of Canadian real estate Boards and Associations in 2013 and extended the outlook to include 2014.
National sales activity has held fairly stable after gearing down last August in the wake of changes to mortgage lending rules and guidelines. Supply is responding to lower demand, keeping the housing market in balanced territory and resulting in stable average prices. However, national housing market trends continue to mask some increasingly divergent regional trends.
National sales activity is forecast to reach 441,500 units in 2013. This represents a 2.9 per cent decline from 454,573 sales in 2012, and stands five per cent below the 10-year average (2003 – 2012). It was also a downward revision from the previous forecast for a 2.0 per cent decline.
Alberta and Manitoba are the only provinces where sales are expected to rise in 2013, albeit modestly. The percentage decline in sales in Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia is forecast to exceed the national result this year. The percentage decline in sales in British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador is forecast to be less than the national result.
In 2014, CREA forecasts that national activity will rebound by 4.5 per cent to 461,200 units, reflecting a slow but steady improvement in activity. This would still leave national sales about one per cent below their 10-year-average, with activity not expected to return to levels recorded in the first half of 2012 at any point in the forecast horizon.
“Mortgage rules are expected to remain as they are, so sales should be less volatile than they have been in recent years,” said Gregory Klump, CREA’s Chief Economist. “Interest rates are also expected to remain low as the economy grows and adds jobs, which is supportive for the resale housing market.”

Source : http://www.crea.ca/

THE PITFALLS OF SELLING YOUR HOME ALONE

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stoneMany homeowners think that selling home alone without the help of a Realtor will help simplify the process and will save them money in the end. The fact of the matter is that selling your home on your own isn’t easy work. In fact, you may actually lose a substantial amount of money when you try to sell your home alone because you aren’t well spoken in the language and business of real estate. A Realtor can not only save you money, they can save you time and stress so that you can make the transition from one house to the other as smoothly as possible.
Read Full Article : http://www.articles3k.com

Investissement immobilier : les choix à faire

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vopros-otvetL’investissement immobilier peut se révéler aujourd’hui particulièrement attractif. A condition de faire les bons choix avant d’investir.

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Marché de l’habitation de Montréal – résultats 2012 et prévisions 2013

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Les taux d’intérêt demeureront faibles

taux

– Les taux hypothécaires affichés ne devraient pas remonter à court terme et ils resteront bas en regard du passé.
– Cette année, le taux affiché des prêts de un an devrait osciller entre 3,2 et 3,4 % et celui des prêts de cinq ans, entre 5,2 et 5,3 %.
– L’an prochain, le taux affiché des prêts de un an devrait se situer entre 3,5 et 4,2 % et celui des prêts de cinq ans, entre 5,1 et 5,4 %.

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