Personal Finance 101 Canada’S Housing Market Analysis Buying Vs Renting a Home

A Case Study

Real estate market growth in Canada experienced unprecedented growth in the last five years, driving housing prices to an unaffordable level for an average household and giving an impression of a housing bubble, similar to the one seen in the United States in 2007. Yet a large number of Canadian families are dreaming of becoming homeowners at any cost (even if they are not able to afford it) without clear understanding of risks and costs associated with a home purchase. But under current market conditions, homeownership is a luxury rather than a profitable investment. The book provides a real-life illustration of two options available for a family debating between buying and leasing a townhouse in Toronto (the readers are able to easily extend this analysis to other types of residential properties). One of the findings from this mathematical exercise is that an unchanged house price by the end of a five-year term results in a $90,000 loss by the homeowner. This implies that the only rational explanation for a desire to buy the townhouse is expectations of capital appreciation that will be sufficient to compensate for the additional costs of homeownership. The analytical section of the book provides an insight into an upcoming price moderation stage for the Canadian housing market. Analysis include a discussion on the forces of supply and demand that drove the Canadian housing prices to the level where they are today and an outlook on what is likely to happen with these forces in years to come. The user-friendly Excel model is available for download by readers free of charge and can be used for evaluation of their own personal options.