The 2015 Real Estate Trend is Urbanization
Homeowners who choose the convenience of city life over the more generous living space in suburbia are driving Canada’s real estate market, according to a new report jointly produced by consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers and the non-profit Urban Land Institute.
The annual outlook on emerging real estate trends says the move downtown, which has emerged in the past few years, will continue as more Canadians decide to stay in or move back to urban cores; urbanization is now considered the ‘new normal’.
Much of this is due to changing demographics as young families and millennials forgo the white picket fence and house in the suburbs to take advantage of downtown living, where properties are smaller but offer more conveniences.
According to Statistics Canada, the most recent numbers available show that the population of urban centres grew 7.1 per cent between 2006 and 2011.
Frank Magliocco, Canadian real estate leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said there are a number of factors behind the urban growth, including that Canadians are more aware of the environmental costs associated with urban sprawl as well as the cost in time and money of lengthy commutes.
An expected rise next year in interest rates from historically low levels may also influence demand in the housing market.
However, among the 1,400 people interviewed and surveyed for the report, which included private property investors and developers, commercial developers and real estate service firms, the consensus was that the Canadian market is strong enough to weather a bump in mortgage rates.
Foreign Buyers Ban
Foreign Buyers Ban On December 21, 2022, the Federal Government announced that it will be placing a ban on foreign purchases of real estate property, which took effect on Jan. 1st, 2023. The Federal Government has brought this Foreign Buyers Ban in to curb the cost of...
