The Canadian housing market correction has yet to run its course but it’s gradually letting up, says a new report released Monday by RBC Economics.
“We think activity will hit bottom sometime this spring. Prices will level out a few months later—provided the Bank of Canada is done raising interest rates. All told, our forecast calls for a 15 per cent peak-to-trough decline in the national RPS Home Price Index. Roughly half of that is still to come,” said author of the report Robert Hogue, RBC’s Assistant Chief Economist.
RODNAE Productions
“What happens next will disappoint housing bulls. We see the recovery phase starting slowly later this year as affordability issues and a weaker economy continue to hold back buyers. The pace should progressively pick up in 2024 once the economy clears its soft patch, inflation returns to target and the Bank of Canada reverses part of the massive rate increases it’s imposed since March 2020.
“Booming immigration will fuel demand through the medium term (and possibly beyond), raising the odds of deep supply shortages in the future if homebuilding fails to pick up materially.”
The report said a precipitous slide in home resales has ended a two-year market frenzy that kicked off in March 2020. But this slowdown has significantly moderated since the fall.
“The primary reason: activity is now deeply depressed in most markets, and unless the economy craters (not our base case), there’s little downside left. Accounting for the growth in housing stock, nationwide resales are the quietest they’ve been since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis (excluding the lockdown period in the spring of 2020). We believe a bottom will form in the coming months. Some markets might be ahead of the pack (e.g. in Ontario and possibly Atlantic Canada), while others (e.g. in the Prairies and Quebec) might lag somewhat,” it said.
“Another reason: the Bank of Canada’s rate hiking cycle is now likely on hold. We think January’s 25 basis-point hike will be the final strike in a historic campaign that drove the policy rate up by a staggering 425 basis points, taking it to 4.5 per cent in less than a year. Market sentiment should get a boost when participants come to that conclusion. Any downward drift in longer-term bond yields—which is RBC’s call over the next year—is also likely to be viewed as a positive sign of a turnaround. But these factors will help stabilize the market, not prop it up. We see the interest rate environment remaining restrictive for a while and the Bank of Canada abstaining from cutting rates until 2024.”
It said the sharp deterioration in housing affordability since 2021 won’t unwind quickly. Buyers will continue to face steep challenges, especially in B.C., Ontario and other expensive markets where ownership costs have ballooned during the pandemic. Lingering affordability issues will stand in the way of a quick market rebound and a material easing in buyers’ budget constraints.
“We expect home prices to continue declining in the coming months as a result. The national RPS HPI is likely to fall another eight per cent by the third quarter from fourth quarter levels—with markets in B.C. and Ontario still bearing the biggest downside risk. Our peak-to-trough price forecasts range from -19 per cent in Ontario and -16 per cent in B.C. to -six per cent in Alberta and -five per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador,” added RBC.
“The dramatic swing in the market since March 2022 is a cyclical event marking the transition out of highly unusual circumstances—a global pandemic and exceptionally low interest rates. Structurally the market is sound. Inventories are still historically low (albeit rising modestly) and there are no signs of overbuilding virtually anywhere in the country. Canada’s population has grown the most in generations over the past year, and booming immigration will keep that going over the medium term. We believe solid fundamentals will come to the fore in 2024 once the market has adjusted to higher interest rates.”
(Mario Toneguzzi is Managing Editor of Canada’s Podcast. He has more than 40 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He worked for 35 years at the Calgary Herald, covering sports, crime, politics, health, faith, city and breaking news, and business. He works as well as a freelance writer for several national publications and as a consultant in communications and media relations/training. Mario was named in 2021 as one of the Top 10 Business Journalists in the World by PR News – the only Canadian to make the list)About Us
Canada’s Podcast is the number one podcast in Canada for entrepreneurs and business owners. Established in 2016, the podcast network has interviewed over 600 Canadian entrepreneurs from coast-to-coast.
With hosts in each province, entrepreneurs have a local and national format to tell their stories, talk about their journey and provide inspiration for anyone starting their entrepreneurial journey and well- established founders.
The commitment to a grass roots approach has built a loyal audience with over 120,000 downloads and thousands of subscribers on all our social channels and YouTube. Canada’s Podcast is proud to provide a local, national and international presence for Canadian entrepreneurs to build their brand and tell their story.
