John Pasalis in Real Estate Roundup
The Bubble Debate
The bulk of the headlines this week centered around the Canadian real estate bubble debate. We started out the week with a report from TD Economics ensuring us that Toronto is in for a soft landing and that "there is no bubble to be burst".
This was followed up with a report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a left wing Canadian think tank, titled "Canada's Housing Bubble - An accident waiting to happen"
On the same day right wing think tank CD Howe Institute published their own report on Canada's housing market titled "Not Here? Housing Market Policy and the Risk of a Housing Bust". The CD Howe report suggests that a US style housing crash is unlikely in Canada.
No housing bubble: TD (Toronto Star)
Housing prices due to fall, says think-tank (Toronto Star)
Housing bust unlikely, says think-tank (Toronto Star)
Is Canada in a housing bubble? (Globe and Mail)
Why the housing market may be heading for correction (Globe and Mail)
No housing bust here: CD Howe (Globe and Mail)
Housing bubble looms as prices soar (CTV)
A New Alternative to the MLS?
The Globe and Mail reported that Canada's leading real estate brokerages are planning to build an alternative to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) run by local real estate boards. As far as I know, the brokerages are not planning to develop an alternative to the MLS but are working on developing a way to share listings with each other. You can read Tony Wong's article in the Toronto Star for a more accurate description of their plans.
Real estate brokerages to share information (Toronto Star)
Big-name realtors plot rival listings site (Globe and Mail)
A Changing Real Estate Market
Several stories on Canada's changing real estate market as we move from a hot seller's market to more balanced conditions.
The seller: In the hot seat (Toronto Star)
The buyer: In the driver's seat (Toronto Star)
The end of Canadian real estate insanity (Globe and Mail)
The truth buried beneath the stats: Buyers are looking for a bargain (Globe and Mail)
Canada housing boom ending with whimper, not bang (Fox News)
Canadian housing starts will weaken but won’t be infected with U.S. virus (Journal of Commerce)
Toronto Neighbourhoods
Fort York Neighbourhood: Boom or Bust? (True Condos)
Do patio rules make good neighbours? (Toronto Star)
North Toronto condo complex sets new standard of urbanism (Toronto Star)
September 3, 2010
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