Toronto Real Estate Forecast 2018 – 2019

Toronto Real Estate Market Forecast/Predictions 2018

April 5, 2018. The February TREB report isn’t hugely informative, however it does reiterate the downward housing market in Toronto. The Toronto housing market shrank 39% in March 2018 compared to March of 2017.

Strangely, home prices rose 2.2% vs February, so are we seeing the beginning of the turnaround? Hope isn’t enough in a repressive market. Change is needed and it looks like the factors will align this summer.

Although news reports suggest the market is stabilizing, there doesn’t seem to be a bottom in sight yet for luxury homes. They took a precipitous fall this winter. Those who didn’t sell last spring and fall may have been feeling sick all winter long.

Time to Prepare to Sell Your Home or Condo?

The monthly stats below and trends seem to be predicting this may be the best time to sell your home. I’ve predicted a boom after the election, and if we improve our trade agreement with the US, GTA home prices and the Canadian dollar should jump.

Recent reports have it that the City of Toronto could face a $1.4 billion deficit, due to the loss of the lucrative land transfer taxes. Toronto’s starry eyed spending may have to be reeled in thus adding to a cascading recession threat.

A lot of Toronto home buyers are likely cheering the price falls and this spring might be the lowest price point as we head into provincial elections in 2 months and the settling of the NAFTA trade disagreement. Homeowners may decide to hold onto their homes and wait for prices to return after the upcoming provincial election.

For the march report, TREB focused solely on the YoY losses and it is ramping up its election time rhetoric regarding the responsibility of government to foster a healthy housing market. They also believe sales will pick up this summer (post election) but didn’t offer a spring forecast.

Other than stats which you’ll see below, what are the real issues for the GTA market? TREB suggest interest rates and mortgage rules are disouraging home sales. Yet, condo and apartment sales are still strong.

When will prices bottom out? May, June, or next October?

A Change is Coming for Ontario

The real matter for Toronto prices and sales is psychological because the economy is uncertain. Home prices are trending downward strongly, NAFTA is troubled, world leaders are threatening trade tariffs, and the provincial election is coming.

Ontario’s provincial taxes have become crushing and the Liberals have shown no mercy. You have to be genius if you want to be a successful business person here. Yes we’re aging here in Ontario but there’s incredible intellectual capital that’s being wasted. We’ll see more people leave the province even with a new government.

The death throes of the Wynne government show that the people and the business sector can’t tolerate this behaviour and that a new, fresh attitude toward open markets and small business success must happen. If small business is represented in the NAFTA agreement, it could give Ontario a boost it has never seen before.

As Kathllen Wynne’s MPs give up, the wave for the PCs and Doug Ford grows. Screen cap courtesy of Vice.com and CBC

No one can predict what incoming Premier Doug Ford is going to do. Will he toss the market a parachute, open up development and then delete the repressive taxes? We sure hope so. The results for the economy will make news across the and we’ll go from laughing stock to free market leaders.

After the Storm

During uncertain times, buyers will not stick their neck out to purchase a high priced home in a market rated as the most likely to crash. And theTSX? It’s been the worst performing stock market in the world for some time now. But that could change.

Home prices in Toronto actually rose, yet prices in Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, and Bradford declined strongly again.

TREB Outlook

TREB reiterated its belief in the role of housing and real estate sales in its yearly report . TREB suggests the GTA market is a key to economic health in Ontario.

On average, each residential transaction reported through TREB’s MLS® System in the GTA generates $68,275 in spin-off expenditures, … The real estate industry is a key contributor to our economy, with total annual spin-off expenditures close to $7 billion.

They went further to hint that without real estate sales and the taxes it generates, the government will have to get their tax money elsewhere! Voters may not want to hear that and it’s probably something Doug Ford will jump on to put the finishing nails in Kathleen Wynne’s guilded coffin. I’m sure HGTV will want to support the pro-development initiatives??

Wynne has killed the Toronto housing market, tax base, young people’s dreams, and as an election promise, is offering free day care, which the government will have to borrow to pay for. Wynne’s passing will generate a wave of relief which Doug Ford will surf on for many years. With a few legislative changes, he could relaunch Ontario’s economy and the Toronto real estate sector.

The March 2018 TREB update reveals the damage to what should have been a strong and vital Toronto real estate market.

Toronto Forecast for 2018

What as the Toronto Real Estate forecast for 2018? A gloomy winter/spring followed by lots of sunshine in June. All we need is the June sunshine and we got it 100% right.

Why so optimistic against all the negative reports coming out? None of them are accounting for the upcoming election in Ontario. It’s to soon to celebrate but only 2 short months away, and we may see the boom I sort of suggested might happen:)

This chart from TREB shows the market 2 months ago in January. Numbers of house sales rose last month yet cond sales fell. Notice condo prices are up $43,000 in March vs January. Keep an eye on the Toronto condo market.

The market seems very quiet right now, and as Benjamin Tal, CIBC’s chief economist said, “This is the most significant test the market has seen in recent years.”

Is this the best time to buy a house in Toronto? The answer to that may be yes. Prices may plummet further in February and March only to begin a strong rise in April. Why? The election in 4 months and the NAFTA fears will have abated.

Selling your home in 2018? Should you sell your home and upgrade to a roomier one? Or perhaps you’ll be downsizing to a condo? Condo sales boomed in 2017 and you’ll be competing hard for anything under $600k. Your Realtor will likely have to work a sophisticated marketing strategy to help you get your house sold and get you moved into a better one.

Are you a 25 to 35 year old first time buyer and hoping to buy a condo? Is this the best time to buy a home? See the Toronto condo market forecast for prices and opportunities.

Is it a good time to buy a condo apartment in Toronto? Which are the best neighborhoods to buy one? Check the Toronto condo market page for insight.

If you’re looking solely for home prices, then see the detailed running home price stats for each town and district. This post has a collection of videos, opinion, stats, charts, of historic sales/prices and current stats to help you with the decision of whether to buy or sell.

The most meaningful Toronto housing market prediction: After a short depressed period this spring, there will be a fast growing increase lead by optimism with the new incoming Ontario government in July. The prediction is that the optimism of the new government will keep buyers and sellers optimistic until July.

With immigration high (300k new Canadians each year), migrants from other parts of Canada increasing, birth rates up, and Ontarian’s expectations optimistic, 2018, 2019 and 2020 will see strong demand for most properties. As you can see in the Toronto market stats below, some towns and districts in the GTA have seen very strong price growth.

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Anyone buying or selling should have the best overview of factors.

Teranet Home Prices

Teranet released its market report on home prices in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and other Canadian cities and predictably we saw the final burst of buying before the stress test rules came into play.

Toronto Real Estate December Report

What happened in December 2017: listings up 50% but sales down despite the last minute stress test frenzy. New housing starts dropped by 33,000 overall in Ontario in December, after a record amount built in November. Condo apartments and townhouses are all the rage, due to the almost affordable prices.

This recent chart from TREB shown below, reveals prices are still up year over year.

Check the running Toronto home prices chart down below. Leave a comment below.

In December, the MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) Composite Benchmark was up by 7.2% over last year, and the overall average selling price was up by 0.7% year over year. — from TREB report.

Check out the Vancouver and Calgary forecasts too as it reflects on Toronto (And Share on Facebook!).

You Can’t be Serious! a Housing Boom in Toronto in 2018/2019? Royal Lepage predicts prices will rise 6.8% or $57,000. Only Las Vegas Nevada is forecast to be higher. With new homes sold and new development halted, supply won’t be sufficient in late 2018 or 2019. Speculators will love that scenario.

Royal Lepage predicts continued price rises even as domestic investors shift to apartments and condos.

Condo Prices Rose 23%

And the danger in the condo market might be the depressing effect of rental controls on new condo builds. As supply dwindles, prices and rents will rise which is positive for condo investors. The average rental price for a 3 bedroom condo in Toronto is now $3461 per month.

Condo prices were up 21% year over year in December.

Detached Home Prices in many Treb districts has plummeted from 18 months. In some cases, prices are down almost 50% as you can see in the charts below.

If the Toronto Real Estate market nosedives in January 2018, it will be interesting to see what impact it has on the Ontario economy as well as the Canadian economic forecast.

While the talk was about rocketing house prices in Toronto, the Toronto condo market is doing okay and the demand for new construction condos is still brisk.

1 Million New Immigrants Will Affect Toronto’s Housing Market Demand

Demand is never ending, in fact PM Justin Trudeau just announced a program to being in 1 million new immigrants over the next 3 years along with a new national housing program to help with the housing availability crisis which will heat up demand and prices for Toronto apartment rentals.

So while the Ontario and Federal governments play a dangerous game of economic Russian roulette and await their political fate, homebuyers may be finding their homownership dream more distant than ever. It’s certainly not a good time for the homeless in Toront and area with the wicked cold snap coming through.

Will it be crash and burn in Toronto this year? Even the slightest economic slide in Canada could send nasty shockwaves through the housing market. Crashes normally happen after the euphoria period. Despite the government’s negativity toward home development and supply, the market should be good for 2018.

You can view the prices for each city and MLS district below.

TD Bank senior economist Michael Dolega is quoted last month as saying the market looks good “after some near-term weakness, likely to last into mid-2018, activity should begin to rebound thereafter given the fundamentally supported demand related to strong job growth and strengthening wage dynamics.”

The upcoming mortgage changes in January means buyers are putting rush orders in now. Condos below $500k are selling well and will continue to do in 2018. The key for Realtors is helping buyers find an affordable condo, or a house with rental income potential.

Rental Income Investment Property

Some smart buyers are looking at financing solutions that give them a shot at rental income. Real estate investors in Toronto, Vancouver and even Calgary are focused on rental income investment properties. You should be too.

What is the most notable change? It would have to be Toronto condos. Sales dropped by 15% yet condo prices rose by 23% across the GTA. When the selection of lower priced condos are gone, we’ll see a renewed surge in prices as buyers hunt the luxury market to see what they can get.

Rental prices are skyrocketing as rental apartments dry up because of the rental price controls. Rents were up 12% more in the 3rd quarter. How much further will Toronto condos climb in price and how long will voters, many of whom are home buyering milennials with nowhere to go, tolerate Wynne and Trudeau?

Are you considering using a HELOC to do a house renovation? With listings up, you’ll have to have to add some value to get your house sold. An educated Realtor might be a wise hire too.

Bookmark this page as it is updated very frequently.

Normally Toronto house prices slide back during the winter. That could help solve the afforable housing issue. Yet the market is 2 tiered – young buyers with limited financing and a rising group of detached houses that are well out of their reach. 2018 should be the year of the condo. Contrast the Toronto market with the Calgary Housing Forecast for greater investment insight.

November 2017 TREB Market Update with Jason Mercer

Considering buying or selling? Take a look at some of home buying tips and home pricing tips posts and this new post on the best renovations to grow the price of your house for sale. First Time buyers should remember that house prices always climb even through recessions as you’ll see in the graphics and housing data below.

Some recent reports from Toronto realtors have it that buyers are back in the market this fall, yet there aren’t enough listings. They feel Toronto House prices will rise again. However, buyers are probably gleeful at the drop in house prices over the last 5 months. If it continues, they might be able to find a great buy. The Toronto economy could boom for sometime if NAFTA is unaffected, yet CMHC beleives there are dangers lurking for this market.

New sales data from TREB’s Marketwatch report paints a telling story of what happened in Toronto Real Estate in the summer of 2017 and how 2018/2019 might look. Buyers and sellers are wondering if the Toronto housing picture will mirror the Vancouver real estate forecast where Vancouver condos are king. Vancouver seems to have held its own which means the Toronto market might be safe too. Let’s not kid ourselves. A crash or a housing slide in Toronto remains a possibility (government).

Consider this your most up to date report on the Toronto Real Estate Market – lots of food for thought below. Enjoy the monthly price charts below which may help you decide whether it’s time to sell your house. Also see the Mississauga real estate forecast if you’re out in Mississauga, Milton, Oakville or Brampton.

Do you know anyone who may be buying or selling?

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New Fed mortgage rules and a higher mortgage rate means buyers will need more money down and be forced to pay higher mortgage payments. The OECD and the World Bank are constantly nattering about Canada’s housing issues. What are they seeing that we don’t?

Most experts are calling for flat prices right through 2018, however there is still a lot of unsold new home inventory and governments are clear in their intent to suppress the housing market. Those considering putting up their houses for sale might be acting much sooner.

When Will You Put up your House for Sale?

Before it was all about finding a house for sale, and now there’s lots of houses for sale. It’s almost certain you’re going to get a much lower price for your GTA house in the next 4 months. As mentioned, the PCs will reconsider how the Liberal’s botched the housing crisis and how they might fix it.

That will change the market psychology. As soon as you and other buyers have somehwere to go, you’ll be putting your home up for sale. If you get prepared this winter and spring, you might hit it right before your neighbors sell theirs.

You’ll want to start reading my how to sell your home tips posts and a little on over asking bidding wars because even right now, multiple offers are still common.

The Toronto situation seems to mirror the US housing forecast only with troublesome government meddling in TO. Experts suggest it is government action that causes the markets to suddenly slide out of control.

Toronto Housing Market Predictions from the Experts

Let’s start off with the Swiss Banks review.

Is BNN’s “end of the housing boom” story valid? Does real estate drive employment in Canada?

CMHC keeps the red flag hoisted on real estate

Trump and squashed Canadian exports represent a big worry.

New MLS stats from TREB show sales in August dropped 34.8% year over year and the number of new listings on TREB’s MLS® System, at 11,523 which is 6.7 % lower than last year at his time. This is the fewest listings since 2010. Prices did decline yet are still higher than August of 2016, and did not decrease evenly in all TREB districts.

While some areas such as the 905 have seen big drops, (houses are sitting and have to be rented now) areas in Toronto have maintained prices. These neighbourhoods offer a more reliable bet for sustainable property investment value. Many property investors have discovered the hard way, what the word sustainable means in bottom line dollar terms. Because of demand, two hot areas right now are rental property investment and student housing investment.

Adding to the story this month is a higher loonie, higher mortgage rates, foreign buyer withdrawal, new tax on vacant homes, and homebuyers losing interest. And in response, homeowners make a desperate attempt to sell at lower home prices.

Condos were the Hot Story in Summer 2017

condo average price up over half a million dollars
condo prices have risen 28% from second quarter of 2016
average condo price in Toronto rose to $566,000
condo sales volume dropped 8%
number of new listings grew only 1%
condos in C09 district rose to an average selling price of $1.345 million
Condos in C08 and C01 have the highest volume of unit sales and an average price of $603,000 and $627,000 respectively — high volume translates to more availability and lower prices

The Best Toronto Neighbouhoods are Sound for Investment

TREB stats show specific districts or neighbourhoods in Toronto have not seen a price decline and these ones below have seen price increases:

w10 – Rexdale Kipling, West Humber Claireville, Kingsview Village, Vaughan Grove
w09 – Willowridge Martingrove Richview, Humber Heights
w02 – High Park North, Junction Area, Kingsway South
c02 – Annex, University, Yonge St Clair
c04 – Bedford Park, Nortown, Lawrence Park North, Forest Hill North, Lawrence Park South
c12 – Lawrence Park North, St. Andrew Windfields
c13 – Banbury Don Mills, Parkwoods Donalda, Victoria Village
c15 – Bayview Village, Hillcrest Village, Bayview Woods Steeles, Pleasant View
e01 – South Riverdale, North Riverdale, Danforth, Woodbine Corridor
e06 – Oakride, Clarilea Birchmount, Birchcliffe, Cliffside

Many of these Toronto neighbourhoods are in such strategic locations for employment, that given the housing shortage, urban intensification, poor transit and roadways, that the condos and homes in them will never see a significant price drop. The events of the last 3 months with the Liberal’s fair housing act was an acid test. These Toronto neighbourhoods look to be the best neighbourhoods for safe real estate investment.

US investors should continue to follow the Toronto real estate market as the low Canadian dollar continues to create better real estate investment value.

The Toronto Condo market in July on the other hand is active likely due to affordability. Condos are selling well at 2% to 6% over asking price and comprised 91% of all sales. New apartment and stacked townhouse sales grew 89% year over year, compared to a 72% drop in house sales.

I suspect 2018 will bring moderation given the rhetoric around the NAFTA deal, tighter lending rules, higher loonie, and very high home prices.

Share the December 2017 Stats and Toronto Forecast with your family and friends on Facebook

Almost everyone is interested in the direction of the housing market. It affects the GTA economy, jobs and business oulook. This page is updated frequently.

A Look Back at 6 Months ago: TREB June 2017 Real Estate Report

Highlights from the June TREB market report at the end of the bubble:

Sales dropped 37% year over year, on top of May’s whopping 50% dive
residential listings were up 16%
Prices rose 6.3%
The MLS® HPI composite benchmark price up by 25.3% on a year-over-year basis in June
Home prices are down 1.1% month to month
apartment prices rose 1% month to month (higher rents)

What’s Compelling about the Toronto Housing Market?

Toronto is a high value housing market similar to New York City or the Bay Area of California, and TO is a city destined to be a super city. It’s unlikely that a property purchase in Toronto will be a disappointment over the long run. If you see the Toronto home price charts, you’ll notice that prices have climbed in the last 18 months. So buyers have not lost their equity.

And detached house prices will rise much further due to a severe housing shortage, improving economy, and rising population.

Despite the Ontario government’s new foreign buyers tax threat, demand for housing won’t fall. As the loonie falls in value, Toronto home prices turn out to be reasonable internationally, and may be a worthy investment for rising wealthy Americans. Canadian real estate is still a good alternative to US Real Estate in 2018.

While many buyers would like to live in Central Toronto, Oakville and Milton the prices in these cities is prohibitive. Instead, buyers are looking north to Vaughan, Newmarket, Aurora, Bradford, Barrie, Innisfil, and East Gwillimbury.

Share this detailed monthly home prices report with your friends.

Toronto MLS Real Estate Board Sales Stats for March 2018

Average Toronto Home Price – Detached Homes TREB – March 2018
City	March 2018	December 2017	November 2017	October 2017	September 2017	August 2017	April 2016	Price Change Last 23 months	Price Change Last 8 Months
Burlington	$993,500	$959,071	$871,879	$895,457	$974,446	$944,564	$961,502	3.3%	5.2%
Halton Hills	$852,500	$820,904	$790,683	$787,517	$706,500	$984,812	$828,719	2.9%	-13.4%
Milton	$868,300	$843,688	$841,998	$884,144	$853,790	$866,650	$765,973	13.4%	0.2%
Oakville	$1,298,000	$1,356,888	$1,438,656	$1,482,620	$1,393,860	$1,314,363	$1,191,503	8.9%	-1.2%
Brampton	$796,600	$763,814	$776,280	$775,170	$766,132	$766,831	$660,015	20.7%	3.9%
Caledon	$1,002,000	$1,185,182	$1,001,753	$952,466	$918,712	$1,028,591	$755,494	32.6%	-2.6%
Mississauga	$1,760,000	$1,140,965	$1,060,211	$1,034,338	$1,023,207	$1,066,015	$966,467	82.1%	65.1%
Toronto West	$1,099,000	$1,039,022	$1,016,076	$1,102,379	$1,015,711	$919,916	$944,422	16.4%	19.5%
Toronto Central	$2,100,000	$2,070,131	$2,109,070	$2,051,481	$2,302,146	$2,113,130	$1,983,187	5.9%	-0.6%
Toronto East	$969,000	$894,290	$889,002	$931,239	$961,805	$887,620	$860,814	12.6%	9.2%
Aurora	$1,118,500	$1,033,353	$1,249,613	$1,280,888	$1,458,481	$1,144,094	$1,155,487	-3.2%	-2.2%
E Gwillimbury	$865,000	$769,624	$763,071	$1,013,350	$895,119	$966,047	$764,055	13.2%	-10.5%
Georgina	$526,700	$619,105	$542,792	$524,735	$600,791	$604,838	$548,886	-4.0%	-12.9%
King	$1,727,600	$2,129,286	$1,889,738	$1,887,696	$2,252,933	$1,768,333	$1,283,432	34.6%	-2.3%
Markham	$1,272,600	$1,497,330	$1,342,508	$1,468,221	$1,358,328	$1,319,860	$1,363,887	-6.7%	-3.6%
Newmarket	$854,600	$879,151	$946,465	$916,350	$895,191	$901,055	$841,593	1.5%	-5.2%
Richmond Hill	$1,400,000	$1,365,373	$1,526,836	$1,345,898	$1,401,922	$1,466,884	$1,412,443	-0.9%	-4.6%
Vaughan	$1,238,800	$1,245,480	$1,236,250	$1,280,906	$1,392,781	$1,348,649	$1,191,632	4.0%	-8.1%
Whitchurch Stouffville	$1,289,000	$970,236	$1,058,486	$928,551	$1,159,545	$1,024,941	$1,048,658	22.9%	25.8%
Ajax	$700,000	$690,333	$710,440	$684,011	$696,604	$708,185	$646,370	8.3%	-1.2%
Brock	$570,800	$408,757	$445,829	$432,318	$513,579	$508,615	$419,758	36.0%	12.2%
Oshawa	$559,900	$532,813	$524,422	$516,459	$516,904	$550,677	$467,981	19.6%	1.7%
Pickering	$846,000	$812,035	$840,592	$790,733	$869,546	$812,643	$772,399	9.5%	4.1%
Scugog	$697,000	$689,250	$726,898	$614,678	$594,062	$719,375	$545,804	27.7%	-3.1%
Uxbridge	$858,500	$720,557	$771,521	$1,031,295	$957,221	$792,233	$798,749	7.5%	8.4%
Whitby	$718,300	$698,110	$669,922	$695,352	$745,222	$733,811	$618,032	16.2%	-2.1%
Orangeville	$585,500	$562,020	$575,349	$538,518	$594,636	$612,974	$490,825	19.3%	-4.5%
Innisfil	$644,600	$561,716	$599,443	$525,685	$541,274	$549,492	$476,756	35.2%	17.3%

Stats above courtesy of TREB Market Watch Report

A Look at Detached House Prices in Toronto’s MLS Districts

Toronto House Prices — MLS City Districts Home Price Comparison
TREB District City of Toronto	Avg Price December 2017	Avg Price November 2017	Avg Price October 2017	Avg Price Sept	Avg Price August	Average Price April 2016	Avg Price April 2017	Avg Price Mar 2017	Price Change Since March 2017
Toronto W01	$1,639,475	$1,269,500	$1,709,593	$1,652,600	$1,146,500	$1,405,442	$1,506,333	$1,543,961	6.2%
Toronto W02	$1,403,750	$1,256,500	$1,273,391	$1,280,867	$1,172,250	$1,331,780	$1,538,546	$1,381,945	1.6%
Toronto W03	$701,000	$774,021	$741,391	$771,142	$692,125	$666,904	$854,316	$829,396	-15.5%
Toronto W04	$799,973	$819,469	$840,110	$850,621	$846,775	$786,951	$1,024,908	$1,073,531	-25.5%
Toronto W05	$826,750	$800,063	$874,660	$805,031	$823,767	$749,333	$930,876	$1,073,531	-23.0%
Toronto W06	$1,010,600	$914,017	$922,286	$992,023	$797,392	$795,840	$974,420	$1,128,584	-10.5%
Toronto W07	$1,200,571	$1,086,386	$1,474,725	$1,277,336	$973,250	$1,112,233	$1,484,406	$1,352,042	-11.2%
Toronto W08	$1,317,240	$1,378,995	$1,356,671	$1,247,374	$1,161,882	$1,204,013	$1,544,869	$1,610,163	-18.2%
Toronto W09	$1,005,500	$886,872	$975,778	$922,000	$1,139,211	$839,479	$1,197,627	$1,115,970	-9.9%
Toronto W10	$717,539	$691,261	$688,011	$661,357	$665,268	$613,488	$831,579	$802,909	-10.6%
Toronto C01	$1,412,000	$1,597,750	$1,393,875	$1,430,667	$1,005,000	$1,528,085	$1,646,240	$1,694,333	-16.7%
Toronto C02	$3,730,000	$2,109,010	$2,313,611	$2,242,400	$2,242,750	$1,580,181	$2,710,038	$2,170,853	71.8%
Toronto C03	$1,374,437	$2,327,333	$1,880,584	$1,742,200	$1,317,111	$1,761,787	$2,246,734	$2,473,608	-44.4%
Toronto C04	$2,237,414	$2,204,173	$2,220,546	$2,212,838	$2,200,398	$2,033,140	$2,583,667	$2,245,813	-0.4%
Toronto C06	$1,147,545	$1,293,688	$1,243,727	$1,327,467	$1,445,556	$1,318,750	$1,625,779	$1,811,183	-36.6%
Toronto C07	$1,693,958	$1,609,066	$1,741,987	$1,903,632	$1,776,771	$1,657,822	$2,004,585	$2,155,365	-21.4%
Toronto C09	$2,410,000	$3,538,371	$3,414,450	$2,916,750	$3,500,000	$2,998,401	$3,246,445	$4,481,000	-46.2%
Toronto C10	$2,375,000	$1,856,406	$1,807,154	$1,747,079	$1,473,125	$1,864,333	$1,945,104	$1,786,091	33.0%
Toronto C11	$1,807,500	$2,344,375	$1,895,636	$2,137,000	$1,547,000	$1,542,867	$2,275,117	$2,201,462	-17.9%
Toronto C12	$4,213,580	$3,729,125	$3,775,636	$5,160,518	$3,910,000	$3,141,244	$3,969,281	$4,420,370	-4.7%
Toronto C13	$2,002,400	$1,342,464	$1,520,151	$2,110,709	$1,788,465	$1,926,266	$2,606,111	$2,108,137	-5.0%
Toronto C14	$1,802,222	$2,235,856	$2,001,750	$2,249,879	$3,055,823	$1,996,137	$2,554,047	$2,673,112	-32.6%
Toronto C15	$1,915,292	$1,587,250	$1,944,667	$1,832,921	$1,602,033	$1,766,219	$2,144,120	$2,108,137	-9.1%
Toronto E01	$1,319,250	$1,102,667	$1,135,156	$1,196,542	$1,224,440	$1,164,343	$1,747,894	$1,206,359	9.4%
Toronto E02	$1,188,324	$1,457,515	$1,494,639	$1,625,074	$1,414,357	$1,333,475	$1,458,167	$1,507,090	-21.2%
Toronto E03	$1,008,987	$913,430	$1,023,487	$1,038,377	$956,448	$947,611	$1,099,537	$1,121,847	-10.1%
Toronto E04	$765,124	$777,377	$768,002	$794,523	$772,883	$717,890	$897,304	$889,018	-13.9%
Toronto E05	$929,943	$899,419	$1,019,362	$979,800	$995,190	$991,136	$1,249,824	$1,303,892	-28.7%
Toronto E06	$855,347	$822,917	$766,159	$926,615	$841,995	$766,782	$1,051,918	$1,102,286	-22.4%
Toronto E07	$888,969	$911,018	$897,653	$1,025,444	$922,600	$874,280	$1,164,819	$1,142,611	-22.2%
Toronto E08	$969,634	$930,974	$1,014,526	$852,070	$872,641	$810,560	$1,066,868	$1,092,667	-11.3%
Toronto E09	$752,919	$714,451	$739,871	$690,382	$699,646	$664,378	$855,363	$895,417	-15.9%
Toronto E10	$882,733	$821,381	$897,856	$944,666	$883,852	$821,126	$1,067,925	$1,069,906	-17.5%
Toronto E11	$666,136	794,238	$758,288	$778,100	$780,618	$720,672	$842,414	$851,750	-21.8%

Huge new housing developments in Bradford, Newmarket, Aurora, and Vaughan are still selling well, but the market in the 905 area code has cooled. That means bargains are waiting.

Will 2017 Sales in Toronto be a New Record?

2016 was a record year for home sales in Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Newmarket, Bradford and Aurora areas in 2017 could well be even more intense.

One district in Toronto saw its prices rise $1 million since Sept! See TREB charts below.

TREB forecasted another strong year for home sales via the MLS®. Their outlook for the Toronto region was 100,000+ home sales for the third consecutive year. Between 104,500 and 115,500 home sales are expected in 2017, with a point forecast of 110,000. TREB’s districts include Mississauga, Oakville, Vaughan, Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Markham Bradford, Scarborough, Brampton, Oshawa and Milton.

But what drives the Toronto housing market? Will it succumb to the same fate as Vancouver or worse? If you’re a buyer, you’re wondering which neighbourhoods and towns to focus on and whether this market will tank. If you’re a seller, you’re wondering if you’re going to miss the biggest payday of your life by not selling. If you’re close to retirement, you may want to carefully review your choice not to sell. 2017 is a grand time for you to sell and move onto a better life.

The 16 Key Factors Driving The 2017 Toronto Housing Market:

severe shortage of housing stock in the GTA region
rising demand from buyers who have been renting
restrictions on development land for housing
Trump and NAFTA free trade deal and implications for Toronto’s automakers
will the low dollar continue?
will oil prices stay at current levels?
rising numbers of millennials hunting for a home or condo
bank of mom and dad continues funding kids home dream
rising interest/mortgage rates
Toronto and Ontario land transfer taxes
rates of employment and income
asian and persian home buyers and investors rush over?
will China curtail its outflow of investment money?
business investment in Ontario continues falling
consumer debt loads and credit ratings
further federal restrictions on first time buyers/downpayments
commuting distances and new construction in York region and Vaughan

A look Bak at Toronto Home Prices for June 2017

This graphic courtesy of TREBhome.com illustrates how hot Toronto homes prices had been for each type of housing. (See the Toronto Condo market outlook too).

Sharing is Good for Your Social Health!

The Toronto real estate market is in a precarious state. Help your friends and contacts who may be wondering if now is the right time to sell, before the housing crash. You can get your price in 2018.

How about the US? Different story for them. The US real estate market is ripe with opportunity with a minimal chance of a housing bubble or crash.

And from this telling graphic above, the shocking rise and fall of detached home prices tells us something is wrong with the Toronto real estate market. Could a Toronto housing crash occur? The renegotiation of the NAFTA deal may be the factor that starts the slide. President Trump’s goal is US jobs and economic health and he’s already stated he wants a better deal with Canada. It makes sense that he would want auto makers and parts manufacturing to be done in the US. The Canadian dairy and lumber industries are just a distraction.

If there was ever a time to sell your home, this is it. Some have sold $1 Million over Asking.

Investment Rentals are Big Money — How About Rental Income Property?

Are you going to buy rental income property as an investment in 2018? Check out cities in the US where there is a much better upside in profit. The US economy and housing market will be the top performer in 2017/18.

torontoforsale — Image courtesy of CBC — Hot Toronto Market Means Spending More

What do your realtor and local politicians say is happening in your local market in Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Oakville, and York Region? What’s their forecast? I’d like to know.

As we progress to 2018, emotions are going to run high as the critical factors you can read about below become intense. Could the Toronto economy collapse if home prices fall 20% (loss of taxes for governments among other fallout).

Below is an updated look at the March real estate market in the GTA. Recent trends show home prices are rising faster than any experts predicted. Will this be the excuse the government is looking for to upend the market? Or is demand for single detached homes simply too strong?

Government Values at Odds with the People and their Pocketbooks

Are the all too predictable actions of governments in Vancouver and Toronto foretelling what may happen in US markets such as Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and San Francisco? Is the battle over and treatment of land in all major urban areas simply an artificial means of inflating real estate prices or is there actually a land crisis?

If the Ontario government decreases available land for development, drives prices way up causing public furor thereby requiring draconian measures, will it end in a crash in late 2017? Will someone create a crisis to force a crash? We should be asking these questions if we’re investing or buying.

Scarcity of land is the primary driver of high prices in the Toronto real estate market. The biggest threat is unwise government manipulation.

BMO’s senior economist Benjamin Tal said in a Toronto Star report on October 14th, the Ontario Government’s Places to Grow program was primarily responsible for the fast rising prices in the GTA market. He also suggests other red tape factors worsened the situation. Prices in Newmarket, Markham, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Bradford East Gwillimbury and Aurora have definitly crashed.

If land scarcity is driving prices up, then even a 15% foreign buyers tax and new mortgage rules for millennial buyers may not be enough to cool demand for housing or condos. The real factor may be the next recession, fueled by housing market mismanagement.

Please send this blog post onto your friends and neighbours because they should know as much about the Toronto area forecast factors as possible before they buy or sell. It’s good to be helpful. Mistakes are painful.

March 2017 Price Index from Teranet – Index climbed right into August. October reports coming soon. Screenshot courtesy of housepriceindex.com.

What are the Causes of High Home Prices in Toronto?

The major factors that drive housing demand growth to Toronto: immigrant investors, better economy, low interest rates, increasing numbers of buyers in their home home buying years (millennials), and optimism all look on the upswing. As mentioned in the Los Angeles Real Estate forecast post, here are the key factors that affect home prices:

Housing Demand – High overall demand – “all cash bidding wars” in some cases

Housing Supply – Throttled, supply is far from what’s needed

Developable Land – Throttled by government which is the single biggest factor

Builder Red Tape – Builders can’t build even if they have funding – high exposure to financial loss

Mortgage Rates – Continuing Low, especially in light of global economic slackening and with recent tightened lending rules

Down Payment and mortgage rules – these are being tightened this taking some pressure off of the purchase market and re-routing it to the rental market (people have to live somewhere)

Toronto Region Employment – moderate and remaining moderate despite Federal infrastructure

Taxes – rising quickly due to Ontario government and federal government spending

Buyer Income – moderate and not rising much

Home or Condo Prices – High and rising fast – out of reach for most buyers

Demographics – Millennials coming into family and home buying years and must begin to acquire their own living space

Number of Renters – increasing fast because of tight mortgage lending rules

New Home Construction: limited because of Green Spaces Act, but is a source of supply

Economic-Foreign Trade – Canada struggling and Free Trade agreements now being scrutinized because they don’t see to be working like they used to

Taxes on Sale of Home – huge tax burden for those selling in the city of Toronto

Some point to the Ontario government’s Places to Grow intensification plan as the major culprit in skyrocketing single detached home prices. Toronto condo prices haven’t risen like house prices have, yet condo demand is usually not spoken much about. It does look like a growing population want house to live in. A growing millennial family would certainly find it tough to live in highrise condos designed for adult living.

Share this post with your friends and clients. Everyone should know about the housing crisis factors and the economic spinoff from the Toronto Real Estate Market. It’s good and bad, but they should know the factors and help in the solution.

News posts in the Financial Post, Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, CTV, CBC etc, is often based on varied expert opinions and a few isolated market factors. Why don’t we look at all the factors that comprise a realistic Toronto housing market outlook for 2017.

What are the Trends in Toronto Real Estate and New Housing?

Toronto Home Prices Historical — The only drop in Toronto home prices took place in 2008, in lieu of the great recession. Graphic courtesy of the Financial Post

I’ve heard a number of convincing arguments for both a bubble and an extended period of growth in new housing development and resale housing price growth in Toronto. And I’ve heard before that money from China has no effect on the market, and from others, that today’s real estate market is driven by Chinese money. The banks and CREA just can’t get their stories straight and the media doesn’t report on how badly their forecasts were off the mark in previous years.

Was it All Driven by Chinese Buyers?

Fully 10% of new condominiums being built in central Toronto were going to foreign buyers, according to a survey released in April by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC); veterans of the city’s rough-and-tumble real estate market believe the vast majority are mainland Chinese investors 10% doesn’t seem like a big number and we’re told that Chinese buyers are only interested in luxury priced properties.

TREB’s own survey found that foreign buyers actually had little effect on the market, and it was the chilling effect of the fair housing act that destroyed what was a health Toronto real estate market.

foreignownership-toronto-cma — Graphic and data courtesy of CMHC

Strangely, CREA is forecasting a marked slowdown in housing start for 2017 to a flat market for Toronto, Mississauga and Vancouver. But they admit the market is still very intense. In fact, in my town, sold over-asking price stickers are on almost every sold sign. There’s not just a few bids on these homes, sometimes there are a lot. It would take a serious economic recession or government action to get rid of all those buyers. Given how troubled our economy still is, in Ontario, it’s unlikely any government would push it into recession.

If you can sell a new house for $600,000 or a Condo for $300,000, why wouldn’t developers be building as many as they can? With economic factors supporting growth, the problem must be political. A quick look at Ontario’s urban intensification plan might show us where the real core of the housing availability crisis and fueling high rent and housing prices.

A quick look at the US housing forecast and a small market forecast for San Diego tells you that the Americans are enjoying moderate growth now and all the way to 2020. That will help carry us.

In a low oil price world, the Toronto and Vancouver economies have benefited and that has to be the key factor. And we haven’t benefited much because manufacturing jobs didn’t come back. In fact, even with the low loonie, jobs still moved to Mexico and China.

Expert Asks; Can You Believe Anything from Anyone Anymore?

We were told by the experts that the boom is only being experienced in Vancouver and Toronto, but the graph below tells a different story. If the US economy picks up, we could see all Canadian cities heating up.

The Usual Suspects? Government

The upcoming jump in downpayment for mortgages will only hurt first time buyers who will still have to rent a condo or home somewhere, if they can afford it. There’s word the BC government may levy taxes against unoccupied homes and they’ve talked about harassing investors (background checks). Of course, BC just levied the 15% foreign buyer tax and caught many unwary buyers offguard, resulting in extra costs of over $100,000 for some. That’s what happens when government starts meddling in markets – they don’t work anymore.

Ontario’s Urban Intensification Act appears to be colliding head on with the Greenbelt expansion plans by intensifying growth near the greenbelt areas and at the same time shrinking available land. Is this a wise move at a time of fragile yet positive economic growth?

Houses for Sale in the Sizzling Hot GTA Market

Housing markets such as Vaughan, York Region, and Central Toronto heated up considerably in 2017 and more people moving to these municipalities. No one looked at Aurora real estate in past years, but new housing developments, great lifestyle, along with a very limited supply of land within the town means speculators will be jumping on the bandwagon. Days on market for Aurora homes was down to 10 last spring — only Oshawa homes sold that fast, and for over asking price.

Homebuyers are willing to look beyond the green spaces belt, but they’ll look at Aurora, Bradford, Stouffville, and Newmarket first before heading north. The pressure from Toronto, Chinese, and Mississauga buyers should put much upward pressure on these regions.

Generating leads for Toronto realtors and realtors in Los Angeles, Toronto, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, New York, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, St Louis, Minneapolis, Green Bay, Charlotte, Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Oshawa, Hamilton, Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Calgary, Kelowna, Mississauga, Anaheim, Beverly Hills, Malibu, San Francisco, San Jose, and many more cities acorss North America. I welcome enquiries from the UK too.

March 31, 2018March 31, 2018

Switch Auto Insurance Companies – Cost Savings from Switching Insurers

Shop for Cheaper Car Insurance

Every year, tens of millions of drivers get their insurance renewal papers mailed to them and they simply ignore them and let their policy rollover. That’s money lost!

By taking a moment to consider the high rate they’re paying for the type of coverage they’re receiving, they might decline theie insurance company’s offer. If you knew the savings they might be getting, you’d be switching.

If you want to save thousands on car insurance, you have to start thinking bigger savings numbers than the 15% someone like Geico offers. Very few auto insurance companies talk about savings. Their advertisements are low key because they want to make a brand impression without stirring up their customers thoughts about value and price.

You’re a Smart Consumer – Shopping Gives you Power!

It’s a fact that shopping is power. Your choice of where your money goes, shapes the economy and is helps you share and promote your values. You decide who gets rich.

And right now, you’re here because you demand a lower quote for auto insurance and by searching, you’re going to get your wish. If you’re persistent and keep at finding the insurers who want your business, you’ll be switching car insurance providers. In the past, car insurance companies would give you misery if you tried to change insurers. Even today, you have to be careful of it because even the smallest gap in coverage could cost you. Yes, insurance is a racket and there’s nothing you can do about it other than keep shopping for the cheapest rates and lowest quote.

The 10 Major Auto Insurance Companies

Here’s more than 30 insurance companies below to help whet your appetite for a lower auto insurance quote.

Here’s the major brand insurance companies in the US, beginning with Geico who spend a inordinate amount of money on TV advertising. Many of these companies advertise online and you’ll see them in your searches on Google. Don’t be hypnotized by the brand names and sign on eagerly because you liked their TV mascot. Remember you’re here on this site because you intend to save money on your car insurance. That’s you quest and you should stick to it. It could be mean saving $10,000 or more over 5 years. What could you do with $10k?

Geico Auto Insurance Company – the popular insurer we recognize from their television Gecko mascot is the 2nd largest auto insurer in the United States, after State Farm. Geico is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway insurance (Billionaire Warren Buffett). Geico provides auto insurance coverage on 22 million+ cars, trucks, motorcycles, motorhomes etc for 14 million insurance policy holders.

State Farm Insurance Company – is headquarted in Bloomington Illinois and has a whopping and expensive payroll of 18,000 insurance agents. It’s total net income in 2013 was 5.2 Billion dollars and it has 44 million auto insurance policies in effect.

Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Company – BHI is is owned by Billionaire Warren Buffett, which boasts a yearly income of $24 Billion and they own Geico Insurance.

Allstate Car Insurance Company – Allstate is the 2nd largest personal insurance insurer in the US and in Canada, (behind State Farm). It is the largest publicly held insurance company (net income of $2.7 Billion) and it owns esurance.com a top online insurance website. Allstate has its headquarters in Northbrook Illinois and has a yearly net income of $2.7 Billion.

USAA Auto Insurance Company – The United Services Automobile Association is a financial services company that earns more than $24.6 Billion annually. It is located in San Antonio TX and offers a huge range of personal property and casualty (P&C) insurance, life insurance, automobile insurance, homeowner insurance, renters’ insurance, as well as umbrella and personal property insurance.

AAA Auto Insurance Company – The American Automobile Association (AAA ) is a large group of motor clubs throughout the US and Canada (CAA) having more than 55 millions members. AAA is a non-profit member service organization. AAA is located near Orlando Florida with office located in Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Chicago, Phoenix, Toronto and many more major cities.

Nationwide Car Insurance Company – Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company & Affiliated Companies is a group of large insurance and financial services companies based in Columbus, OH. It’s yearly revenue is $40 billion.

Liberty Mutual Car Insurance Company – Liberty Mutual Group is a huge, global insurance company with its head office located in Boston, Massachusetts. The company’s $29 billion, and 45,000 employee workforce means it is one of the biggest insurance companies in the world. The company provides home, auto, business and property insurance.

Progressive Auto Insurance Company – Progressive Insurance writes insurance policies for automobiles trucks, motorcycles, boats, and recreational vehicles through their independent agency channel and a direct channel known as progressive.com. Progressive Insurance has its headquarters in Ohio. The company reports yearly earnings of $21 Billion.

Farmers Auto Insurance Company – Farmers Insurance Group is located in Los Angeles CA. It earns $12.6 billion in revenue yearly and provides car insurance and truck insurance coverage for automobiles, homes and small businesses via it’s 50,000 independent insurance agents.

There are plenty more auto insurance companies you will want to research and switch your auto policy to:

American Family Auto Insurance (Madison)
Mercury Auto Insurance Company (Detroit)
Farm Bureau Auto Insurance Company
The Hartford Auto Insurance Company (Hartford)
The General Car Insurance
MetLife Auto Insurance (New York City)
Fred Loya Car Insurance
Travelers Auto Insurance
American Insurance Group (New York City)
Amica Auto Insurance Company
Freeway Auto Insurance Experts
AARP Motor Club
Kemper Automobile Insurance (Chicago)
Erie Auto Insurance Company
Dairyland Auto Motorcycle Insurance
Netquote Automobile Insurance
Wawanesa Auto Insurnace
Safeco Auto Insurance (Seattle)
Allied Auto Insurance Company
NJM Automobile Insurance
Shelter Insurance Company
Plymouth Rock Auto Insurance
Grange Insurance for Auto
Hagerty Auto Insurance Company (Detroit)

Car Insurance Infographic – Major Insurers in the US

Car Insurance Infographic courtesy of Graphs.net

Cheaper Car and Truck insurance Quotes

Search for hours for the best auto insurance rates in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, New York, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, St Louis, Minneapolis, Green Bay, Charlotte, Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Beverly Hills, Malibu, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Fresno, Santa Clara, Sacramento, Mountainview, Palo Alto, Portland, Washington, Atlanta, Irvine, Nashville, Sunnyvale, Salt Lake City, Riverside, Simi Valley, Raleigh, Albuquerque, Glendale, Kansas City, St Louis, Stockton, Scottsdale, Palm Springs, Indianapolis, Columbus, Colorado Springs, Fort Worth, Chula Vista, Escondido, Santa Monica, Miami Beach, and Honolulu.

March 31, 2018March 31, 2018

Auto Insurance Companies – Car Insurance Quotes

Compare Auto Insurance Rates

Stats revealed auto insurance premiums rose by 7% last, far above the usual 3 to 4%. With driverless vehicle technology ready to roll, and auto claims rocketing, drivers are likely to see even higher rates soon.

If your rates rose despite having no claims last year, well, isn’t it time you started shopping for cheaper auto insurance?

“Shopping around online is the only way you will reduce your auto insurance costs“

Compare Car Insurance Rates

If you’re not comparing auto insurance rates, you’re giving away money. In fact, car insurance shopping is the only way to can substantially lower your premiums and get better converage. This post will convince you and give you some new options.

You get lower auto insurance by comparing quotes from different vehicle insurance companies. There are a lot of them out there. There’s big and small insurance companies and independent brokers looking for your business.

Will you save on insurance for electric vehicles?

Rising auto insurance isn’t a local issue. Car insurance rates are rising everywhere but it appears consumers are apathetic about it. If you look at the price charts below you’ll see how much people expend for auto insurance.

Self-driving cars could raise auto insurance rates for you and I, since those autonomous car companies would negotiate their own low rate coverage. They’ll save plenty, but you will have to negotiate your own insurance rate.

The insurance companies are awash in cash now however they’re facing tough times as their own pool of revenue is eroded and claim payouts rise. Switching insurance companies might be a wise move. Consider this stat:

The average auto insurance premium in Ontario, Canada is $1,458, which is almost 55% higher than the average of all other Canadian jurisdictions — from a Globe & Mail report.

It’s 2017 and time to take massive action to save money. Have you investigated UBI or usage based auto insurance? Check out the auto insurance rates for your city or state below.

Get the best auto insurance quotes in Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami, Phoenix, Denver, Boston, New York and other cities where consumers are fed up. We’re all paying too much to insure our cars, SUVs and trucks. It’s hard earned dollars ($10,000) that you’re giving away but now that can change. Has your loyalty to one insurance company done much for you?

Look back at the last 20 years of auto insurance coverage you purchased (e.g., 20 x 12 x $150 = $36,150). Could you use that money right now?

It’s a Great Time to Switch Auto Insurance Companies

Yes, switching insurance companies is a wise financial choice. There are videos, charts, infographics and quote comparisons below that will open your eyes. When it comes to finding the lowest insurance rates, and a better policy, this might be a good starting point. It’s best to do lots of searching and get a wide variety of quotes from insurers. Just through persistence alone, you’ll get the best rates. You could save $10,000 over 6 years or as much as $1800 in one year.

Do you Need Collector or Luxury Car Insurance?

Here’s an auto insurance niche where you can get more price and appropriate quotes for your Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari, Lamborhghini, Bentley, Rolls Royce, or Maserati.

I’m sure you’ll find the auto insurance quote comparisons below an eye opener.
According to one source, the average price of auto insurance across the US is $1100 to $1200 per year — that leaves lots of room for you to start saving!

Virginia has become the 19th state to ban consumer price gouging – Consumeraffairs.com – fair warning that you are probably getting taken.

Searching for Insurance via Google

Google is certainly fast and you’ll get better rates than from an insurance agency in Los Angeles, Boston, Phoenix, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, New York, Indianapolis, Detroit, Philadelphia, or Chicago. Within seconds you can be on an insurance company website and buy an auto insurance policy. I’d advise looking first to the auto insurance comparison sites before you decide on an insurance company and take their coverage. That’s particularly true if you’re buying luxury auto insurance.

Not all of the big name companies such as Allstate, Progressive, Geico, Nationwide, State Farm, Mercury, StateFarm, and others offer great rates or the coverage you actually need. I know from my own searches that I tend not to be thorough enough. I get restless and frustrated and settle for a higher auto insurance quote than I should. I want to help you optimize your quest for the lowest auto policy.

Sharing Really is Caring
Share this post on Facebook with younger drivers who need some relief from $4000 to $8000 policies.

My Car Insurance Quote

I conducted a search directly on the insurer’s websites of Geico, Progressive, Statefarm, Liberty Mutual, Mercury, Allstate, AAA and Farmers. In the chart below, you can see the quote for a 40 year old male living in Santa Ana, California, driving a 2010 Hyudai Santa Fe 4 dr sedan to work 30 miles away daily, and having one non bodily injury accident (hit a car). We need an example to analyze an auto insurance quote, so let’s take a quick look at this one.

Statefarm’s auto quote was about $1300 less per year than Liberty Mutual’s. Over 6 years, that translates to $7800 in savings if I chose Statefarm. Further below, I sought quotes via insurance hotline and the variation was bigger. With your own search, you may find one local insurance company who may be willing to insure you at much less.

Is a 40 year old driver with one accident statistically that risky? Obviously Liberty Mutual, Statefarm, and AAA believe there is huge risk. Each company processes the statistics differently, and they’re entitled to. However, are they being reasonable about it. Is the auto quote abnormally high?

Screen Capture courtesy of Geico

Get a Quote in Your City

Auto Insurance Provider	Price per Year
Geico Auto Insurance Company	$1772
Progressive Auto Insurance Company	$1884
Statefarm Auto Insurance Company	$1654
Liberty Mutual Auto Insurance Company	$2909
Mercury Auto Insurance Company	$1760
Allstate Auto Insurance Company	$1655
Nationwide Auto Insurance Company	$2071
AAA Auto Insurance Company$	$2673
Farmers Auto Insurance Company	$2796

Some of these companies make you fill out endless questions, some of which you have to wonder are even legal. I liked Progressive’s online auto insurance quote process the best. It was quick and the least painful. They seem to respect your time the most. Their quote was a little higher than Allstate and Statefarm, but I suspect Progressive has a better corporate culture — a signal of how they’ll treat you after becoming their customer.

Auto Insurance Tips from Everquote.com

Auto Insurance Tips on how to Get Cheaper Car and Truck Insurance

Canadian Auto Insurance Buyers are Getting Ripped Off

Car Insurance Quote In Canada

Here’s another example auto insurance quote for a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe, 4 door, for a 48 year old male with one ticket. See the huge difference in quotes from individual brokerages? That’s right, in this case there are two Aviva brokerages competing. The lowest quote was from Travelers insurance. It equates to $1700 savings per year and more than $10,000 over 6 years. That’s a significant amount.

Auto Insurance Rates by US State

Just in case you’re curious, here is Insure.com’s rankings of States for car insurance policies for one year.

	State	Insurance Quote
1	Michigan	$2738
2	Montana	$2297
3	New Jersey	$1905
4	Louisiana	$1842
5	Oklahoma	$1778
6	DC	$1773
7	California	$1752
8	Florida	$1654
9	Maryland	$1610
10	Rhode Island	$1608
11	Delaware	$1607
12	Georgia	$1559
13	Texas	$1510
14	West Virginia	$1456
15	Wyoming	$1421
16	Colorado	$1393
17	Connecticut	$1367
18	South Carolina	$1353
19	Arkansas	$1345
20	Alabama	$1337
21	Massachusetts	$1325
22	Pennsylvania	$1305
23	Kentucky	$1295
24	New Mexico	$1277
25	Mississippi	$1277
26	Oregon	$1267
27	Minnesota	$1257
28	Nevada	$1221
29	North Dakota	$1200
30	Nebraska	$1188
31	Arizona	$1188
32	South Dakota	$1168
33	Washington	$1168
34	Tennessee	$1145
35	Kansas	$1135
36	Indiana	$1113
37	Alaska	$1078
38	Utah	$1061
39	Missouri	$1056
40	New York	$1050
41	Hawaii	$1049
42	Illinois	$1035
43	Virginia	$1020
44	Iowa	$989
45	North Carolina	$987
46	Vermont	$942
47	New Hampshire	$941
48	Idaho	$935
49	Wisconsin	$912
50	Ohio	$900
51	Maine	$808

Cheapest Cars, Truck and SUVs to Insure

Are you looking for the cheapest auto insurance? Check out usage based insurance and consider buying an old car. Here’s Yahoo’s list of the cheapest cars and SUV’s to insure:

1. Honda Odyssey LX – annual insurance premium: $1113 per year.

2. Honda CR-V LX – annual insurance premium: $1,170.

3. Dodge Grand Caravan – annual car insurance premium $1,174.

4. Jeep Wrangler Sport – annual car insurance premium $1,181.

5. Jeep Compass Sport 2WD – annual car insurance premium $1,190

6. Ford Escape S 2WD – annual car insurance premium $1,194.

7. Buick Encore Sport Tour 2WD – annual car insurance premium $1,200.

8. Jeep Cherokee Base 2WD – annual car insurance premium $1,203.

9. Nissan Frontier S King Cab – annual car insurance premium $1,204

Here’s something to think about to motivate you: a savings of almost $1000. How long does it take you to earn $1000 x the next 4 years = $4000. Because, insurance buyers tend to be loyal (or just lazy) and stick with the insurance company that’s sticking it to them. If that’s you, then, spend a whole afternoon or evening searching for a lower auto insurance quote. Save your money.

Sharing is Good for Your Social Health, and good for others bank accounts. Help them save by sharing this post! Who couldn’t use all that money?

A survey by carinsurance.com (they do these studies for PR and for wider exposure in social media and Google) so take it with a grain of salt. Carinsurance.com stated that in California, the average annual premium across the six top carriers was $1,428 (significantly higher than national average of $1,277). The cheapest car insurance averaged an amazing 33% less, at $960.

The Type of Car you Drive is a Key Factor

You may not realize that the insurance companies offer cheaper insurance for a certain type or brand of vehicle. Jeeps for instance have very cheap rates. Why? Who knows? They’re not divulging anything that will cause them to lose profit. Obviously, your age, sex, and recent driving record will determine if you can get those best rates. Are new electric cars like the Tesla Model 3, Chevy Volt or Nissan Leaf the way to go?

Find the lowest insurance rates in your city: Los Angeles car insurance, Boston auto insurance, Phoenix car insurance, San Francisco car insurance, San Diego car insurance, Seattle car insurance, New York car insurance, Indianapolis car insurance, Detroit car insurance, Philadelphia auto insurance, Toronto car insurance, or Chicago car insurance.

Inforgraphic courtesy of Enhance Insurance – Automobile Insurance facts in all 50 states

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Lowest Auto Insurance Coverage in a City Near You

I welcome all inquiries from businesses inLos Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, New York, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, St Louis, Minneapolis, Green Bay, Charlotte, Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Oshawa, Hamilton, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Calgary, Kelowna, Mississauga, Anaheim, Beverly Hills, Malibu, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Fresno, Santa Clara, Sacramento, Mountainview, Palo Alto, Portland, Washington, Atlanta, Irvine, Nashville, Sunnyvale, Salt Lake City, Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga, Costa Mesa, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Raleigh, Albuquerque, Glendale, Oceanside, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Carlsbad, Santa Clarita, Henderson, Mesa, Temecula, Kirkland, Redmond, Kansas City, St Louis, Stockton, Scottsdale, Palm Springs, Indianapolis, Columbus, Colorado Springs, Fort Worth, Chula Vista, Escondido, Santa Monica, Miami Beach, and Honolulu.

March 25, 2018March 25, 2018

Auto Insurance News – Car and Truck Insurance Coverage Comparison Savings

Auto Insurance News Report

Welcome to the latest edition of the Auto Insurance News Report. Aside from finding the insurance company offering the lowest auto insurance quote, we’ve got insight into auto insurance trends in the US and Canada.

Please bookmark the page in your browser and return often.

ICBC Desperate for Cash to Stave off Bankruptcy, new ideas include caps on claim payouts, street cameras, and almost impossible requirements to gain a driver’s policy discount. New NDP government has its ands full with throttling Alberta oil and is clamouring to deal with ICBC $1.3 Billion deficit for 2018.

The government’s ICBC executives are trying to resolve their business crisis with ineffectural fixes. They believe raising car insurance premiums, capping accident claims, considering driving experience in driver ratings, raising premiums for drivers with minors and serious convictions, giving discounts for low-risk drivers and by revamping ICBCs antiquated driver rating system, they can avoid privatizing the auto insurance industry.

BC drivers and tax payers might still be wondering how this will resolve a $1.35 billion dollar problem each and every year ahead.

Vancouver’s experimentation with government run auto insurance is revealing what it should have known before. ICBC has run into severe financial difficulties and is now looking at any revenue sources to keep it alive.

Vancouver BC Canada to Have the Most Expensive Car Insurance

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is charging that the ICBC is using its monoply to drive Vancouver auto insurance rates higher. That would give Vancouver auto rates the distinction of being the highest in Canada, above the car insurance rates Toronto drivers pay.

The ICBC is a provincial government department which controls all auto insurance in BC. It was asking for a 6.4% increase in premiums. The CTF says this will push average car insurance rates in Vancouver to a whopping $1680.

That would underscore the importance of shopping for a better auto insurance quote and comparing value.

ICBC’s own poll of BC drivers suggested they want more competition in the auto insurance marketplace. 89% of respondents believe shopping around for insurance would save significantly on their auto insurance costs. Last year, ICBC stopped providing insurance coverage for luxury cars.

Auto Insurance in Toronto Continues to Rise

A recent report called Fair Benefits Fairly Delivered: A Review of the Auto Insurance System in Ontario, revealed that Ontario drivers paid an average annual insurance premium in 2015 of $1,458 per vehicle, nearly 57%higher than the national average of $930. A report in the Toronto Star suggest that high premiums are going to experts and lawyers and not to those injured in auto accidents. That was not the intent of the no fault insurance program, but it looks like the rich are benefiting from it, rather than ordinary Ontario drivers.

High Tech Cars Being Blamed for High Auto Insurance

A new report from suggests that new advanced technology used in today’s cars is actually driving up insurance rates. In fact they’re blaming the 8% increase in auto insurance rates on the new tech in vehicles, increase in cars on the road, and higher medical bills.

Consumers not using Latest Technology to File Claims

Although many insurance copnaies have sunk a lot of money into apps and online connectivity, car owners are not ready to use them it seems. JD Power and Associates just reported that only 9% of claimants will file online. Overall satisfaction with their digital first notice of loss (FNOL) online service dropped 16%.

It seems insured parties prefer a quick phone call to report an accident. JD Power found that claims service was the most important benefit. Customer satisfaction with digital appraisal apps improved by 26 points among Gen Y consumers, but declined by 16 points among Pre-Boomers.

Will Tesla Electric Vehicles Cost More to Insure?

If you’re one of the 300,000 people who put down $70,000 each for a Tesla Model 3 this year, you may want to plan ahead to pay your auto insurance too. If the price of the car plus finding a recharging station aren’t concerning you, the cost of your insurance may.

A report in the Huffington Post suggest insurance rates for electric cars is about 6 to 8% more expensive than a comparable gas powered car. This is despite the good crash testing ratings of the Tesla models. If you’re looking to know more about car insurance for Tesla vehicles, visit ratelab’s excellent coverage.

From the Denver Post:

Tesla’s U.S. sales of its Model S sedan jumped 59% over the same quarter last year, increasing its already sizable lead among large luxury cars, according to internal third-quarter sales numbers — which Tesla usually keeps confidential — and competitor data compiled by the company. Tesla says it’s now responsible for almost a third of all sales in the segment. Its nearest competitors are the newly updated BMW 7-Series and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

UK Drivers Paying More for Electric Vehicle Insurance

A new report from the Actuary says UK drivers are paying 45% more for ecar insurance. Despite government mandated controls of gas powered vehilce and a push to clean air, it looks like the cost of repairing electric vehicles may be weighing on cheaper auto rates.

Growth of Electric Vehicle Sales Faster Than Anyone Expected

According to EV Volumes, sales of electric vehicles are rising quickly. They found that total plug-in vehicle sales in June increased a 46 % over last June. The growth is reported to be 10 times that of traditional gas powered vehicles. The EV growth seems to be attributable to a preference for them in China and the fact new batteries are cheaper and more powerful. The trend continues.

Around 312,000 plug-in electric cars were sold during the first half of 2016

Tesla Motors is preparing to revolutionize the automobile and fuel industries. Learn more about Tesla.

Higher Insurance Rates in Some Toronto Neighbourhoods

Canadian insurance website Kanetix, recently published a report that shows that drivers in certain Toronto neighbourhoods are paying more for insurance. The graphic below shows the neighbourhoods Kanetix determined to have higher auto insurance rates. The report suggests that the presence of hazardous intersections may be the source of risk that results in the higher premiums. They also reported that insurance rates in Toronto may be 30% or $449 higher than the provincial average. The difference in premiums from the least expensive to the most expensive was $945 per year.

For certain types of drivers and certain types of vehicles, we’d have to think the differences could be much wider. The risk factors would magnify each other and results in a higher insurance quote for certain types of drivers in some neighbourhoods, yet generate very low insurance quotes for others.

A report in the Toronto Star, citing the Kanetix study says claims are more frequent in these areas of Toronto and the payouts are higher. They cited poorer neighbourhoods as having the biggest increases. In one case, a driver said his premiums rose by $1000 when he moved from Ajax to Toronto to eliminate his commute. In the report, Pete Karageorgos, director of consumer and industry relations of Ontario with the Insurance Bureau of Canada says that shopping for insurance is the key to keeping rates under control.

The takeaway from this recent news is that insurance companies may be making major alterations to how they underwrite insurance in order to grow their profit margin. Good too stay aware or get caught in their trap!

Searching for the lowest auto insurance in Toronto, truck insurance in Denver, car insurance in Seattle, motorcycle insurance in Las Vegas, car insurance in San Jose Ca or cheap car insurance in Chicago is easy. Search on Google continuously and get at least 10 quotes.

California Drivers are the Worst

If you’re a driver in California, you might be feeling badly about this ABC news report that you’re the worst car and truck drivers in the country! They quoted a study by QuoteWizard which looked at traffic citations, incidents of people driving under the influence, along with the number of car crashes into consideration. It seems California has more of all that and are probably paying for it when they buy a new auto insurance policy.

“California is number seven for accidents, number nine for speeding, and number five for citations. Even worse, its number two for DUIs,” the study reads.

Rising Speeds Have Results in 33,000 Additional Fatalities

This fascinating new report on CBSnews.com shows how accidents, fatalities and general road safety vary right across the US. We all know certain highways areas are fraught with risk, but the report shows how tolerance for bad behavior could be behind the rates of driving mayhem in certain states and cities. While Montana and Arkansas had most fatalities, with Georgia the fastest growing, New York and California actually had the fewest fatalities per 100,000 population.

Toyota and Honda top Safest Cars List for 2017

38 models were awarded the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s designation of Top Safety Pick. Toyota and Honda lead the list of manufacturers safest vehicles. The reported that one major design flaw in vehicles was headlights. These are the to 6 cars/SUVs that IIHS believed are the best of the bunch in 2017:

Acura MDX
Acura RDX
Audi A4
Audi Q5
Buick Envision
Chevrolet Volt

Only 82 vehicles qualified for the 2017 honors list. Your can read more at the IIHS Website.

Check out insurance for cars and trucks in these other cities:

Find your best insurance quote online – cheap car insurance for smatter consumers

February 1, 2018March 23, 2018

Toronto Housing Market Crash – 15 Reasons why the Toronto Real Estate Bubble is About to Burst?

Toronto Real Estate Market Crash Overdue in 2018/2019?

When we begin counting the many reasons why and when the Toronto real estate estate market might implode, we might agree it is a possibility now. TREB’s market report next week will tell us if it’s already started.

Is the Big Toronto housing crash coming in 2018? Would it precede or follow a Toronto stock market crash? In this post we’re going to explore the crash factors, some of which are getting noisy. Check here if you’re looking for the latest US housing bubble report.

The Ontario government’s disturbing strategy now is now working within an economy on the downturn and a smaller tax base. Wynne is rightfully concerned about the TPP trade deal threat which holds little promise for Ontario manufacturing. With the US pulling auto manufacturing back into the US, our key industry is threatened.

Companies here are facing a rising loonie and looking longingly south at the low tax rates there. You can read the other reasons for a doom and gloom picture for the Toronto housing market below.

If there’s been a perfect time to sell your home, this is it.

And with US President Donald Trump’s 2018 state of the union speech, it looks like the US is on its way to its biggest economic growth in history. Without the full benefits of NAFTA, the Canadian economic outlook is troubled, especially if oil prices rise only moderately, putting the economy in no mans land.

And for Ontario, the picture is less positive:

the TSX stock exchange is one of the worst performing in the world
the NAFTA deal may be cancelled or manfacturing exports down
the TPP deal would open up Ontario to cheap Asian competitors
the price of oil is rising and raising Ontario’s costs of doing business
real estate is very expensive
rent to income ratios are extremely high in GTA
interest rates are high
consumer debt is maxed out
the Ontario government is anti-business and anti-housing growth
Ontario’s taxes can’t generate enough money for infrastructure improvements
the CAD is rising and eroding Ontario’s competitive advantage
Canada has been near last in direct foreign investment for many years
US tax rates have plummeted giving companies reason to relocate there
cash strapped, stressed out Millennials will finally give up on the dangerous gamble of buying a home for $600k+
the Federal Government may raise the Capital gains tax

The Toronto Stock exchange one of the worst in the world, and is tumbling in 2018

Canadian beginning strong rise against falling US Dollar.

Are Canadians thinking crash?

From the Bank of Canada governor to expert authors, there’s a dull roar of people warning about a Toronto housing crash. Are they contibuting and pushing or is this just plain fact?

Now we’re into 2018, home sales are slow, sellers are definitely getting nervous, and younger buyers more frustrated. More worrisome is the recent troubles in the stock market, with the rising dollar and rising oil prices which just hit $66 per barrel.

The debate raged last year, but it looks like Douglas Porter (his most recent thoughts) might have it right for a 2018 forecast.

Here’s Douglas Porter again on Feb 1 saying there is no immediate danger:

The Americans too are worried about a housing bubble in 2018, yet their economy is on a definite upswing. The amount of money being repatriated into the US (Apple bringing in $450 billion) is incredible. All that investment money is coming back home to create jobs in the US. Of course there will be a spillover into Canada.

Huge personal debt and a vulnerable economy combined with Millennial desperation and huge immigration growth are fueling some sort of event.

Everyone’s wondering what will start the avalanche. The election of the PC party in June could create the euphoria and optimism that will inflate prices severely next summer. There’s some risk in it, however the benefits will be tremendous for anyone in Ontario looking to buy their own home.

“This is either a pause in the bubble and inflation is going to resume into even more stratospheric levels, or this is the start of a hard landing,” said Hilliard MacBeth, portfolio manager at RichardsonGMP and author of “When the Bubble Bursts: Surviving the Canadian Real Estate Crash.”

Should you list and sell your house now? Will interest rates and inflation, and government policies lead to a catastrophic housing and economic collapse in Canada in 2018/2019? Could our prime minister mismanage the economy?

In the booming US, they’re asking similar questions about a housing market crash. That would make a Toronto market crash more plausible. Yet many see the market ready to boom. Very confusing, but let’s take a look at the Toronto market crash scenario first and see all the factors to consider before you buy or sell your home.

2018, 2019, 2002 or Beyond?

If it’s not a question of if the Toronto market crash might happen, then might a questio of when — 2018 or 2019? Or will the crash threat simply fade as demand for homes weakens? Lots of uncertainty and not much consensus.

There’s a list of the crash factors however if they line up in a certain squence, it might be enough to set the house of cards plummeting. Is the key crash factor financial, political, or would it be a sudden loss of consumer confidence in real estate and the Canadian economy?

Much of Canada’s prosperity comes via natural resources and trade with the US. Despite all the optimism, trade restrictions (Bombardier loss) by the US are no joke as are falling commodity prices. And if you were a bank, would you want to lend out billions to young first time home buyers in the face of an unstable government and economy?

I just read a story about a company that is ready to help buyers rent to buy so they don’t have to pay a downpayment in some cases. Is the same scenario we had in 2006 and 2007?

Provincial Governments and Drastic Actions

The Ontario Premier impulsively reacted with the foreign buyers tax which helped cool demand, but the crash may not be about the flame. It may be about the fundamentals of a Canadian economy which has the least direct foreign investment of any G20 country and a shaky trade deal with one country which seems to blocking imports of our wood and oil.

The Ontario, BC, and Canadian federal governments have been so negative, repressive, and unsupportive of the contribution of real estate to the economy, that those actions are the key to a disaster. Continued suppression of land development for housing is creating a true housing crisis.

1 million new immigrants are arriving in Canada by 2020, it’s sets the stage for desperate buying (the dreaded housing bubble) and bigger opportunities for rental property investors.

Some experts suggest a crash is impossible, while other expert predictions (from TD’s Bank President), support the theory that rising unemployment and rising mortgage rates would be needed to begin the landslide.

Canadians have one of highest per capita debt levels of any G7 nation. With the NAFTA deal in trouble, we could see those rise. So when someone asks “should I sell my house” in Toronto, the response depends on whether the government will change course and help in a massive housing development program.

crashahead — Image courtesy of look4itknysna.co.za

What Causes Housing Bubbles to Form and then Burst?

What causes a housing market bubble? What factors could burst Toronto’s bubble and possibly send the economy into a skid? Most of those factors are listed below. The key is rocketing demand (like we saw in spring 2017) combined with intensive government meddling, during a time of economic prosperity.

The key may be market susceptibility, instability, caused by investor uncertainty. After a charged up price index, an event occurs that sends investors scurrying fast. It could be foreign investors or Canadian investors. Only if the economy suddenly loses its strength and people find themselves without jobs will they default and abandon their underwater mortgages, as they did during the US economic recesssion. When bank governors begin to use vague, waffling language, it creates the kind of uncertainty investors dislike.

Bank governor Poloz said that interest rates could move “in either direction.” He emphasized that the Canadian economy was still highly susceptible to shocks, and a cooling housing market combined with debt worries are still worthy of concern – from the Fool.ca

Should I sell my house in Toronto and should I buy a condo in the Toronto area?

Find out how the Toronto Real Estate market shaping up. Check out more detailed market updates and forecasts for of Mississauga, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Aurora, Newmarket, and Bradford.

Vancouver’s real estate market has shown volatility of late. It looked like the market was coming back but it has leveled off again.

The lack of rentals is the “biggest pain point for our city,” With 100,000 people moving to the Toronto area annually, the region needs about 30,000 rental units. Toronto has about 1,500 coming on stream” from Toronto Star report.

If you’re thinking of selling your home to get in on this Toronto market winfall, you need to find a real estate agent. The market might not burst until 2018, but it could heat up badly in April, May and June to begin the freefall.

What exactly happens in a real estate market crash? Here’s one answer:

If a bubble were to burst, the real estate market would slow to a crawl. “You’d probably see very little transaction volume,” said University of British Columbia professor Thomas Davidoff. “People would be locked into their homes and their mortgages.”

In a crash, you couldn’t sell your home since buyers would just wait forever for the market to hit bottom and fewer could get financing to buy it.

Lots of questions to ask such as “is this just a monster luxury home problem?” If the market plummets, what will it mean if I have an underwater mortgage and can’t renew at higher mortgage rates? Are my relatives wise to buy right now? Will a crash have an effect on employment in the Toronto area? Consider this from a report on CBC:

1 in 10 wiped out by 20% correction — “A badly managed downturn in real estate prices could wipe out the wealth of a large number of Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers. We need to recognize that young families are the most likely group to be plunged underwater by a nasty housing correction,” said CCPA economist David Macdonald.

Sound scary? Then let’s take a real, no holds barred look at the real estate market in Toronto and the factors that could create a crash because our assumptions might be false.

Did you know sharing is good for your social health? Share this post on Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin or via email. It’s good to share!!

This report from the CBC tells us a lot about the whole business of forecasting crashes (and that they haven’t happened)

Prices keep rising. Bearish predictions that Canada’s housing market is about to crash, and calls for the government to cool hot markets, have been around for at least that long.

In fact, prices have risen steadily since the recession of the early 1990s and even the dip during the financial crisis of 2009 was a mild one. “Da Bears may some day be right, especially on the hottest markets, but getting the timing down is half the challenge,” Porter said. A Goldilocks market is not too hot, not too cold. But Canada’s housing market is running both hot, cold and lukewarm all at the same time. From http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bmo-porter-housing-crash-1.3493809

Nostradamus and the Pundits

Some experts are calling for a housing crash in 2017, based on overheated prices, yet they don’t discuss what might be done to alleviate the problem in the Toronto region. The key issue for the Toronto real estate market, (as it is in the US market) is a lack of housing supply but there are other factors outline below. A host of government leaders have sought to crush land development and have quietly gotten away with their policies. But now the spotlight is aimed directly on them.

Could Premier Kathleen Wynne arrange to cancel the Places to Grow legislation and open up new land to ease home prices? Isn’t that a more sensible thing to do rather than providing more incentives for first time buyers who are up to their ears in consumer debt pondering a very high priced condo or house purchase? Is Kathleen Wynne is precipitating risk factor for a big housing crash in Toronto? Will interest rates rise so buyers would be less likely to bid on homes and condos?

Some would suggest that she and the Liberals are too ideologically driven to flex on that one. Yet Wynn’s approval rating is now below 20%. That is really low so easing up when the Federal government is crack down on mortgages doesn’t make a lot of sense. Her super low rating means Ontario doesn’t want her as Premier anymore and out of desperation facing years more in office, she could do something risky to seek approval. Wynne is a sell now factor.

More Foreign Investment Needed

The high demand for homes and property from foreign investors from China and the Middle East and the US, has been a wonderful thing for Ontario and Canada. If not for real estate, the world has no interest in investing in Canada. Foreign investment is at its lowest level in 60 years which means no one is going to save us.

Federal Justice minister Bill Morneau recently announced measures to cool the Toronto market, however experts feel the Feds can’t do much, in fact the Feds have said that themselves. They believe the provinces should be managing their own affairs. That brings it back to the Wynne government who has used risky, sudden measures. So when ministers start using words such as fragile, you’ve been given fair warning about a potential crash.

Justin Trudeau should be travelling and posing for cameras on the subject of why investing in Canada is wise. New free trade deals with ailing South American countries won’t work because we have nothing to export and they don’t buy our stuff. Without financing, the Ontario companies don’t stand a chance competing against well funded foreign firms. A low dollar and access to the US market is all we have.

If the 2018 Toronto Housing Market does Crash

If a housing crash is imminent, you’d be wise to unload your property now during the winter. Is 10 or 20 thousand dollars worth missing out on the greatest real estate cashout of all time? Up or down market, a wise person would answer the question of “Should I sell my home now” is in the affirmative.

Toronto Housing Market Crash Factors

What are the economic and real estate market factors that affect your selling decision?

strength of the US economy
GTA economy and employment starts to fall
Canadian consumer debt reaching lmits
NAFTA agreeement conflicts and refusals
US restrictions on imports from Mexico and China begin to topple their housing markets
immigration levels drop off
add on taxation by Ontario, city and Toronto governments
soaring home prices fall
moderate new home construction – abandoned security deposits
government meddling with property use
mortgage rates rising faster
number of millennials buying homes drops or house prices are out of reach
Wynn and Trudeau don’t have a handle on the economy
political pressure to keep home prices up to protect homeowner’s equity and credit situations

What the Heck Happened in Vancouver?

The booming Vancouver real Estate market plunged not long after the foreign buyers tax was implemented. That hurt speculators and Asian buyers who were finding a way to invest in Canada. It was good for BC renters, but not good for Vancouver. Foreign investors will have lost some trust in the BC government. These sorts of radical taxes and regulations don’t go over well with investors.

Unfortunately, the pain of high rents and no vacancies was too much for the Vancouverites to to bear and they pushed the tax through. The Asian money soon transfered to Los Angeles and Seattle where potential is so high.
Will the bubble burst in Toronto soon? A lot of buyers and sellers and mortgage lenders are struggling with that question.

Kathleen Wynn and John Tory aren’t talking about the crash possibility and the various mayors in Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Aurora Newmarket etc aren’t saying much either. They’re enjoying the tax haul, but they realize Canadian consumer debt is a huge matter. If mortgage rates and unemployment rise, we’ve got a crash type situation on our hands.

With high home prices come new home construction and if you’ve been to Aurora Newmarket, Bradford and King township lately you’ve seen the huge growth in new communities. But the demand far outstrips supply. The fact is Toronto is a hot market and prices aren’t slowing.

Is this the best year to buy rental income property? Read these posts on best investments in 2017 including investing in real estate.

Does the Past Tell Us Anything?

If the past does tell us anything, it tells us we’ll probably make the same mistakes again about forecasting crashes and bubble downturns. If we look at Toronto home prices over the past 60 years, we’ll see that they’ve just kept rising. Even the great recession cause only a small blip and the US recession of 2007 didn’t even leave a dent. As long as there’s a lack of development land, the price will speed up like an angry commuter on Indy 400 (or 404 or 401) and inevitably crash.

The last thing we’re left with in pondering the possibility of a Toronto housing crash in 2017 is what starts an avalanche? Is a stock market crash in 2019 a possibility that will affect your decision to buy?

Here’s a few resources on the bubble issue:

Housing market has ‘low probability’ for collapse: RBC report

Why Every Investor Needs to Worry About Canada’s Housing Bubble

Hands off my housing bubble!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/cmhc-canada-real-estate-1.3822489

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January 30, 2018March 23, 2018

Home Selling Tips – How to Sell Your House for More | Growing your Selling Price and Buyers USA Canada UK

Home Selling Tips for 2018

Do we need home selling tips just for 2018? I think we do.

Our focus is 2018, the year of more competition and listings. The economic circumstances, taxation issues, price trends, migration, create unique forecasts for each housing market in 2018. To sell at a good price in 2018, you’ll need some strategy and tactical sales excellence.

Even in the best cities, prices are flat and homeowners will have more difficulty persuading buyers or property investors to buy their properties.

The tax situation is less profitable, the US dollar is falling, new home construction is up, the stock market is wild, real estate investors wary, and the economy looks solid.

There won’t be a housing crash in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Houston, San Diego, Seattle, and even the Bay Area forecast is excellent. All of these thoughts will be on buyers minds as they visualize a price for your property. If you keep the faith, then it comes down to what you can do to raise the perception of value to them. And these home selling tips should help greatly.

As you’ll read in the home selling tips, you can have your cake and eat it too. Let go of all the “compromise” talk and know that you can get the maximum prices your home, cottage, condo or land is worth. Everyone knows real estate is precious and governments are committed to constraining supply.

When is the Best Time to Sell My House?

Timing your home sale is important, and asking “when is the best time to sell my house” is a wise question. Make sure you know all the time related issues to seasons and the economic trends happening now.

How to Start a Bidding War?

At some point, you’ve quietly thought about how to start a bidding war. Selling at over asking price is common, but with top notch real estate marketing strategy and a knowledeable Realtor, you can ratchet up your selling price.

Tips to Sell at the Highest Price

These 14 tips to selling at the best price, are another view to your goal to get maximum value for your investment. These are good times with prices high or rising and many babyboomers are enjoying how their house and property is fetching a good selling price.

Which Renovations Increase your Selling Price the Most?

When you’re planning the sale, you know buyers are hungry, but maybe during negotiations they cite how your house is not in good condition. Worse, maybe a good number of prospects online are turned off by its appearance? Instead of letting that happen, and just dumping your home on the market, you might discover which house renovations increase selling price. Make the most of your reno budget.

Should you Sell Your Home Fast or for a Higher Price?

Do you know how Realtors selling strategy? You have a choice when you’re working with a Realtor, whether to sell it quick or take your time with marketing and build interest to a larger pool of buyers. Most Realtors use a blitz type of selling strategy where they maximize the impulse or desperation of buyers.

They might push it all into one intense weekend showing where it’s organized like an auction. Buyers see each other want your home and they might get emotional and start ramping up their bids, well over asking price. It works and clients get the picture that the Realtor has done a fantastic job of creating buyers and whipping up frenzy.

However, if the property has all sorts of flaws, is in a weak neighborhood, and it’s not high season for selling, the home might not sell. If the quick blitz backfires, you could see your selling price rocket downward. Anyone can sell during high season, but the Realtor who can sell you house now, is a good one.

Online Selling Strategy

Should you hire an old school Realtor or the new digital savvy Realtors who use real estate videos and social media marketing? If your Realtor is a power online marketer, they may be able to build substantial visibility to targeted buyer audiences.

Consider getting that kind of Realtor, create a plan, and do a blitz over 3 weeks. The best buyer prospects will hang on if they know you’re doing a 3 week blitz. You won’t lose them and instead you could enjoy 3 times the buyers and bids (over that 23 day period). In fact, the collective effect on the final winning price could be staggering.

We’ve all seen homes sell for exhorbitant prices, even more than double the home’s value. You might want to tap into that craziness and get some extra money for your kids/grandkids education expense.

The above posts offer extensive home selling strategy and selling tips to help you reach a bigger, targeted audience, give them what they’re dreaming about, encourage more and higher bids, and help close the deal with a record high price. Hopefully, the media will report your selling success like you were a star Mega Millions winner!

January 12, 2018March 23, 2018

When is the Best Time to Buy a House?

Best Time to Buy a House?

Whether it’s 2018, 2019, or 2020 that you hope to buy a home or invest in a rental income property, you might be comforted by the knowledge that real estate does well anytime you buy.

If you take great recessions and banking crises out of the timeframe you’re considering to buy, then your long term investment is sound. The historic price charts show rising home prices throughout the decades.

In every major city, the market forecast is good. The Boston housing market, New York real estate market, Florida housing market, Houston housing market, Seattle, San Francisco, or Los Angeles housing market, the value of real estate has surpassed the stock markets, gold and of course your savings account.

An if you’re a first time buyer, paying a huge chunk of your income to rent, this whole matter of buying at the right time is important to your current and future well being.

Avoid the Peak Times to Buy a House

So you’re wondering what time of year is best to buy a house? Or, are you wondering if there’s a time of the month where more houses suddenly come on the market, where you might get first dibs? Sometimes selling after a major weather problem might be a good time too.

The floods in Houston and Miami, and the fires near Los Angeles and landslides near San Francisco, are events that trigger bargain home purchases. If prices have fallen precipitously as they did in the Toronto housing market and the Vancouver housing market, then this bottoming out period might be a great time too.

Okay, for those without a strategic sense, buying in the fall months traditionally might be best to get lower prices. However, everyone pulls their house off the market during October, November and December. That can’t be good for a home search.

If you have a smart Realtor, and a real good home search strategy, you might be able to find those sitting on the fence and get a low ball offer in. You might get lucky and save tens of thousands of dollars and get a property that everyone else gave up on.

Is Spring the Best Time to Buy a House?

Spring 2018 is a great time to get started your house search. Home owners and buyers are arising from their winter dens and thinking about 2018. In many cities, the demand for homes has already started. Realtors are still talking multiple offers and bidding wars.

If homebuyers are actively listing to sell during January to March, then they are likely eager to sell their listed home.

They might be babyboomers sitting on the fence about selling (they’ve got nowhere to go) or they could be Generation X aged couples thinking about moving up to a larger property. A lot of buyers, perhaps you to want more space.

If you meet with these property owners you may be able to convince them to progress with their life plans. That means anytime time of year might be the best time to buy a home.

A report from Trulia shown below reveals fall prices drop by about 7% yet still remain 5% below for the months of January, March and February. You can find a bargain from January to April 1st. That means you should be looking right now for your next home or condo, before mortgage rates start to climb.

January, February and March might be the best time of year to purchase a property for real estate investors as well.

This might run counter to what people believe and have been told about the market. It might be harder to search for a home and get sellers to sell quickly. But remember, the actually possession date is off in the future.

People who might sell have more time on their hands in the Winter, especially if they live in Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York or Boston. It’ll be easier to get in touch with them and discuss your sincere, heart felt offer.

The best time to buy might be right now. If the economy improves and wages do rise, home prices will rise throughout the 2018 to 2020 period. Unless you’re very pessimistic and believe in catastropic events, demand for housing is unmet across the US and Canada. With more money in the picture, the longer you wait, the more it will cost.

Launching your Research to Negotiation Strategy

So now, you need to discover the best way to reach them. Having a realtor who feels similarly about the winter search timeframe is good. If they don’t like, go with someone else. The compatible Realtor is likely not busy so they can put a better effort into finding homes, approaching the homeowner, and working with you to put out the best offer.

They may even take a lower commission, but don’t push that. The Realtor will likely be worth the 2.5% you pay them. If you wait till April, May or June to buy, you’re getting the highest prices, most competition, and your Realtor is too busy handling multiple clients and micromanaging negotiations. So that’s the worst time to buy — when everyone else is.

Another bad time to buy? During the Super Bowl Game. Take a look at the Super Bowl predictions and put your money down, and then enjoy the game on Feb 4th, 2018.

When is the Absolute Best Time to Buy a House?

The very best, ideal time to buy a house in the winter, may be near or at the winter holidays such as Easter, spring break, or teacher professional developent days. Homeowners may be at home and may be most susceptible to the idea of selling and moving.

Late winter is a restless time for those in the cold, snowbound north, which is why a good number of people fly south for a vacation. Discontent, fatigue, boredom, and desire for something better is what gets them off the fence about letting go of their old house. Why do people sell in the spring? Because they’ve had enough after their winter of discontent. Catch them early.

Don’t worry about which days are best to buy a house. The key is to use your all channel accelerated home search strategy into action, and begin uncovering your dream house amidst winter’s gloom.

Good luck with your house search. You’ve found the best time to buy because it’s the best time for them to sell.

December 16, 2017April 10, 2018

Real Estate Leads | Lead Generation California Texas New York Florida Arizona Georgia Toronto Vancouver

Real Estate Leads & Lead Generation

Spring will be here soon and you’re on the hunt for high quality buyer and seller leads looking for houses for sale. They’re online and if you don’t have a great web presence, you might still be able to leverage lead generation services or advertise on good real estate sites.

Contact me about advertising on my site. I have high volume pages that might work for you including city specific markets in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego, San Francisco and the Bay Area, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Miami, and Florida, Houston. (1 million visitors per year)

Good Exposure for $200/month for Realtors on the Move.

Companies which specialize in attracting real estate leads are known as lead generation companies. They advertise houses for sale and other remarketing advertising on Facebook and Google Adwords along with blogs and news sites to cull leads. They promise to rid you of the advertising and prospecting work and accelerate the lead generation process.

Unfortunately, when scraping for leads this way, a lot of poor quality leads are served up to participating Realtors. And the terms of the arrangement may not be attractive.

If it worked, who wouldn’t sign up? Well, nothing’s ever that easy. So let’s take a closer look.

Realtors from Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, San Diego, Seattle, New York, Vancouver and Toronto are wanting something better. Is it too good to be true?

Buyer sand Sellers. Find Good Real Estate Leads Fast!

There’s nothing wrong with fast, if it’s real. It can happen, and you shouldn’t be afraid to spend. Here’s 20 top lead generation services with a look at their strengths and limitations.

Leads Generated Still Need to Be Converted

This post is an exploration of 18 of the top online real estate lead generation companies in the US and Canada. And 2 more including Zillow Leads. There’s more new lead generation startups arriving every week.

Acquiring leads this way won’t hurt, however converting leads has a lot to do with brand image. Even if they agree to work with you right away on the phone call, they will Google you online and visit your website. Who wouldn’t? Trust, transparency, responsiveness, and proven competence are what motivate them.

There’s no doubt you can sign a client right away, however you probably need to take a hard look at your online presence and ask yourself whether you like what you see. Would you hire you?

Real Estate Leads Fact Number 1 — 90% of Home Buyers Go Online

90% of home buyers go online, and you need to be in front of them and number one in your Zip Code. Home sellers are there too checking out comps and searching using keyword phrases such as home selling tips, best return on home renovations to homes for sale + cityname, to bidding wars and best real estate agents. They’re doing hundreds of millions of searches using Google, Zillow, Realtor.org, Yahoo, and thousands of other websites.

Make sure you’re highly visible on Google for all of them. Set up an amazing new mobile friendly IDX website, with outstanding, professionally optimized content, use some real estate videos, and do a little pay per click advertising. Build a strategic plan, then work the plan.

With spring markets so inviting in Los Angeles, San Diego, Toronto, Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle Phoenix, Charlotte, and Miami, you’ll want to maximize your presence now.

Sharing is Good for your Social Health

Share this post with other agents you know.

Who are Lead Generation Companies?

These are firms who provide buyer (or sometimes seller) leads for realtors, using methods of aggregating online prospects (most often via Google Adwords or cheap ad networks) which they then sell to realtors. 3 drivers promote the growth: a lot of prospects are online, home buying is in a frenzied state right now, and the fact there is only one home sold for each realtor in North America — there are too many realtors and most have few quality leads.

agents-6 deals or less — Realty agents in the hot Toronto market face the same challenge as those in other US and Canadian cities

Questions: Let’s assume they can generate solid leads.

do you have the patience and skill to nurture and close these types of leads?
do you have a website that can help convert them?
what is the real cost of doing business with them?
would a luxury home owner from your target community use their websites?
can you respond to these cold leads fast?

Here’s Some Leads, but Let’s See You Try to Convert Them

The way these lead generators collect leads may be why they could be of poor quality. Ad campaigns, auto-dialers, and sketchy email lists of people make for testy, suspicious prospects. And these are someone else’s leads — they initiated them, which takes the warm and fuzzy out of it. Anything transferred from one person/company to another loses something in the process – the problem is lead quality and lead conversion.

Some realtors say these leads are hard to close while others treat them like flies at a picnic. They’re basically cold calls and the prospect knows nothing about realtor’s brand image or honesty. And how do real agents and brokers feel about lead generators?

I’ve never found an online lead generation system worth the investment. Better to cut out the middle man (Internet) and just get out there and meet… people! — John Souerbry, Agent, Fairfield, CA —

I have never bought a lead. I don’t think that is the way to be successful in this business. You need to spend your money developing a strong internet presence. — Carmen Brode, Agent, Scottsdale, AZ

It’s very expensive to purchase online leads. I’ve paid as much as $4,000 per month, but today I spend about $500 monthly. — Brian Talley, broker-owner, Austin, TX

Here’s 18 of the most visible lead generation companies onlinealthough new ones are coming. I’m leaving out realtor.com, and Zillow Leads because they’re more like Google or Facebook advertising programs. Some are well known while others are regional or startups. They all seem to be missing the vital component that creates genuinely good deals (in your target Zip Code) – the ideal customer experience from beginning to end.

The Good and the Bad about Paid Lead Generation

With some of them, the fees are low, sometimes only $20 a month and other times a little high, but almost never outrageous. For most, it’s like playing the penny slot machines at the casino. There’s a chance you could win, but is the payout worth it?

A few of the companies you’ll see below actually have you set up an account to be available for leads. Sort of like realtors sitting around a poker table. If you don’t respond fast, the lead is sent to someone else. In other cases, you will have to “buy your territory.” The lead gen firms will push you in that direction once they have you on the hook.

Before you hire a lead generation company, consider how home buyers and home sellers themselves buy and sell a condo, home or property. They likely already know a local realtor or they’ll go to Google to search. So online is a great place to be to lure the prospect away from his/her familiar agent.

Real Estate Search: Prospects begin with Google even though they could go directly to realtor.com or realtor.ca for MLS listings in their Zip code, or a major brokerage website such as remax.com, sothebys.com or kellerwilliams.com. Google has a better brand, a better search experience, and it leads to realtor’s websites or phone numbers where they can begin a trusting relationship with that agent.

Few condo or home sellers would type their personal details into the text box of an unknown website. And buyers are normally pretty cautious too. They want to get to know the realtor, so they’ll Google his or her name and if that discovery experience is unsatisfying, it dampens their spirit. That’s why it’s a good idea to be online in a good way – i.e., a great realtor brand image — an image built on prospects needs and preferences.

Google Adwords is the Lead Generator’s “Go to Source”

Google Adwords and remarketing programs could capture some good leads online. The highest quality leads will often originate from Google. However, most realtors could do this advertising themselves assuming they have a website with lead converting webpages. These programs are just a normal part of what a real estate digital marketer would offer along with lasting, sustainable, marketing assets.

Would I recommend using the lead generation companies? If they’re very cheap you probably don’t have much to lose other than your time, yet you could get distracted and fail to put 100% into your career. If you’re bright, you may learn a little about how they generate and convert leads.

Top Real Estate Lead Generation Websites

1. Bold Leads – Bold leads advertises on unspecified networks to capture leads and direct them to you. If the lead doesn’t give away info, boldleads will continue to nuture the lead for you. You are given your own landing page on the boldleads site.

2. Agent Locator – tells you straight they’ll conduct your ppc advertising and generate 480 leads for $6000. I like how they’re open about it. It may be worth gambling $6000 to try it out.

3. Market Leader – Aggregates leads from their own site called homevalues.com, Trulia.com, and via ppc advertising. Market Leader guarantees they won’t sell the lead to another agent. You get to manage it all from your “Pro” account.
realtyleads18

4. Point2Homes Leads – offers low priced straight forward advertising options on its website where prospects arrive to search for a home. They also provide you with a webpage on their site.

5. Real Estate Pipeline Leads – Real Estate Pipeline Leads says it has a network of real estate sites where it draws leads, and it gives realtors full ownership of their territory, although the size of that territory isn’t explained. Drip email campaigns are a big part of their service. Their basic package is $1164 for 12 leads.

6. Agent Pronto Leads – Agent Pronto is different. There’s no upfront charge for leads! You will only be matched to referrals who have specifically requested to speak with an agent. They match each referral with a single agent that they believe is the best fit for their needs. Once you accept the referral, they provide your with the prospect’s full information and the details from their conversation with them. Sounds good. Their site looks a little lacklustre, but give them a good look.

7. South Florida Real Estate Leads – This firms specializes in south Florida leads. They say they have a variety of sources of leads. It appears to be owned by Lex Levinrad who is a real estate coach and owner of the Distressed Real Estate Institute™

8. Offrs – Offrs uses vague sounding smart technology to find homeowners who are going to put their house on the market. It’s based on predictive algorithms or just social listening perhaps. If it works, it would be very exciting technology.

Combine that with communications that encourage homeowners to actually sell the property and that could be very powerful, particularly right now in places such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Toronto and Vancouver where prices are very high. They list by territory, but sadly your territory or Zip Code may be taken.

9. Trulia – Offers a service for seller leads with Market Leader, a company that was in severe trouble before the purchase. Trulia is no Zillow, but it does have some traffic.

10. Prime Seller Leads – Prime Seller leads creates a bunch of pages on their site for you. The CMS offers the ability to send epostcards and eflyers and their system integrates with many broker CMS.
11. eRealting – eRealting doesn’t sell leads, they give you a website to send all your traffic to! It’s kind of a CMS for rent. They state that it costs about $300 to create a client in their solution.

12. Lead Galaxy – Lead Gives you a home for your leads and uses the usual combo of Adwords, Facebook ads and telephone prospecting to create leads.

13. Experian – Experian is a research and statistics business who have mailing lists of potential buyers and sellers. You can build your list online.

14. Exact Data – Exact Data gets its lead list from telemarketing, opt in emails, and lists of prospective buyers and sellers. They claim superior data hygiene, however most list companies promise that.

15. Commissions Inc. Lead Platform – Commissionsinc claims they are the #1 Real Estate Tech Solution. They offer a platform and an app to manage your leads. They will run your Adwords and Facebook advertising campaigns for you. Sounds like a lot of noise. The value proposition is a little flaky.

16. Firepoint Realty Leads – Firepoint says they deliver scalable lead generation with intelligent routing, to automated lead follow-up and task scheduling, to ROI and conversion reporting for all of your lead sources. The price is $350/month and you set you PPC budget which they manage. Is this better than a self-directed digital marketing program?

17. Home Value Leads – Home Value Leads offers a CMS system for $59/month.

18. Refindly Seller Leads – REfindly helps you generate, engage, and convert leads using one convenient system. They claim that historically, their agents receive between 5 and 8 leads per $100 spent in advertising. You can spend as much as you like on ppc advertising and they give you a lead management system to use.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to leads and sales, dollars and time. I must say, I like Agent Pronto, and Offrs best.

Even the best lead generation sources and sites can be a negative if you neglect to build your own Internet presence and realtor brand image. People want to do business with those they know and trust.

Should getting known and trusted be your Job #1 in 2018?

Real Estate Lead Generation Company in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, New York, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, St Louis, Minneapolis, Green Bay, Charlotte, Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Oshawa, Hamilton, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Calgary, Kelowna, Mississauga, Anaheim, Beverly Hills, Malibu, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Fresno, Santa Clara, Sacramento, Mountainview, Palo Alto, Portland, Washington, Atlanta, Irvine, Nashville, Sunnyvale, Salt Lake City, Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga, Costa Mesa, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Raleigh, Albuquerque, Glendale, Oceanside, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Carlsbad, Santa Clarita, Henderson, Mesa, Temecula, Kirkland, Redmond, Kansas City, St Louis, Stockton, Scottsdale, Palm Springs, Indianapolis, Columbus, Colorado Springs, Fort Worth, Chula Vista, Escondido, Santa Monica, Miami Beach, and Honolulu. Find a Los Angeles Real Estate Agent who has the very best real estate marketing wizard to help you sell your home for more.

December 8, 2017March 29, 2018

Home Loans and Mortgages – The Lowest Rates Possible

Compare Lowest Home Mortgage Rates

How Much Could You Save By Shaving 1 to 2 points off Your Mortgage?

Getting a Lower Mortgage Rate might be easy. Shaving 1 to 2 points off of your mortgage is a great idea. The charts below tell you it’s possible, very doable, and a smart home financing choice.

Homes are expensive and you need to save money anyway you can. This is where you start, by looking for the lowest mortgages rates available.

Whether it’s our job, auto insurance, current home, and our lot in life, there are those who believe staying put is okay. However, staying with your current provider could be costing your tens of thousands.

Ads by RateSupermarket.ca

Save your money by checking out several mortgage rate quotes below.

mortgage-sign — Image courtesy of Brooklin Mortgages.com

In fact, corporate profits rely on you staying put and not comparing mortgage rates or auto insurance rates.

But the mortgage rate quote, auto insurance quote, refinancing rate etc. you currently receive is likely not all that competitive. It’s a good time to refinance or shop around for an entirely new mortgage solution. Get the system working for you.

Mortgage Rates Canada
Major Canadian Bank Mortgage Rates
Term Length	Fixed Rate	Best Rate

1 Year	3.49%
2 Years	3.29%
3 Years	3.74%
4 Years	4.09%
5 Years	4.99%
7 Years	5.49%
10 Years	6.19%

Lowest Mortgage Rates in Canada You can Find Below

1 Year	2.69%	✔
2 Years	2.84%	✔
3 Years	2.69%	✔
4 Years	2.89%	✔
5 Years	2.69%	✔
7 Years	3.44%	✔
10 Years	3.74%	✔

Mortgage Rates USA
Major USA Bank Mortgage Rates
Long Term	Fixed Rate	Best Rate

1 Year	4.0%
2 Years	4.0%	✔
5 Years	3.375
7 Years	4.0%	✔
15 Years	3.625
30 Years	4

Lower Mortgage Rates across USA You can Find Below

1 Year	3.83%	✔
2 Years	3.92%
5 Years	4.18%	✔
7 Years	4.06%
15 Years	3.28%	✔
30 Years	4	✔

Do it for Your Spouse and Family: Savings Are Smart

And sure, you’re not always looking for rock bottom rates, but you likely are paying premium rates for low quality mortgage loans.

Make Finding lower mortgage rates a priority right now, and you’ll save a lot of money. Consider how much savings translates to a 5, 10, or 20 year mortgage and it’s tens of thousands of dollars.

Saving Money on Your Mortgage – Is Money in Your Bank Account

With the money you save, you can buy a new electric vehicle, or take a vacation to Costa Rica or the Canadian Rockies. You can turn your mortgage rate search into a real adventure.

That money is yours. You worked hard for it. Count how many hours and days you had to toil in your job to earn that money. See what I mean? People are penny smart and dollar stupid. It’s part of our culture.

Financially wise people on the other don’t get duped when they shop for a mortgage or their auto insurance. It’s your money, get full value for it. You can’t earn as much as you can save, unless you’re Donald Trump. Oh wait a minute, the President has filed for bankruptcy many times.

You’d better shop around. According to a report from Consumer Finance.gov, 77% of consumers apply to only one lender when seeking a mortgage.

You can Save a lot of Money just by Shopping for a Better Mortgage Rate

There are some particularly important tactics you can use to lower your mortgage payments. Here’s 10 good ones:

search on Google – the top ranking websites are there because people like them
get quotes directly from bank websites – compare them
clean up your credit score – make extra big payments for many months to show your intent to pay down your debt. Bank credit score rating expectations are ludicrous, created only to justify charging high mortgage rates
don’t leave your current job until you’ve landed that long term mortgage successfully
check out the mortgage rate quote tools below
use a mortgage rate calculator and crunch some numbers yourself – at least it’ll be harder for lenders to pull the wool over your eyes
talk to your current provider and ask for a much lower rate – tell them you’re unhappy and intend to get a cheaper mortgage
take a shorter term home loan, let’s say 3 to 5 years – it’s risky however it can you a cheaper rate
take the bank’s teaser rate on a short term then shop for a better one when that expires
check out a mortgage broker, many of whom advertise online. They’re eager to compete and they’ll do more to offer that lower rate and better terms

All you need to do is search for a lower mortgage rate. The offers are plastered all over Facebook, Google, Bing, news websites and even a blog like this one. How easy can it get!

Is the Forecast for Higher Mortgage Rates?

Some are warning about inflation and fast rising interest rates are about to go out of control starting in 2018. Rather than jump at the first fixed rate mortgage offer, shop around.

This forecast shows mortgage rates might go down so you an bargain effectively with this outlook.

Mortgage Rate History and Forecast 2018

Mortgage rates are expected to rise, and mortgage shoppers are looking for the lowest rate 30 year mortgages. That’s smart considering how low rates are currently. The sooner you find a good 30 year fixed rate mortgage the better.

This chart from FreddieMac shows 30 year fixed rate mortgage rates since 2013.

1 Year Adjustable Mortgage Rate is Climbing

Mortgage Loan Options – Which the Best Mortgages?

While the lowest mortgage interest rate is one of the primary criteria home buyers take into account, there are other financial and real life issues you need to prepare for. Ensure you check out these popular and vital mortgage loan benefits.

fixed or variable rates
open mortgages
long term loans
amortization periods
payment schedules
skip a payment

Free Mortgage Calculator

Enjoy this mortgage calculator to estimate payment costs.

Mortgage Payment Calculator – Canada

Mortgage calculator by

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Mortgage rates from Lending Tree. Lending Tree’s mortage rate inquiry process is a bit nasty. I include it just to let you know that not all online mortgage lenders are high quality and they may not see inquirers as human beings.. They will ask endless irrelevant (to you) questions that don’t relate to a simple mortgage rate request (just give us the rate) and some of them you may not like at all. Just warning you that many of these companies, and banks don’t want to give out mortgage rates freely any longer. They may not feel they’re competitive or they’re more interested in capturing your email address and asking very personal financial questions.

Homes.com Offers Their own Mortgage Calculator

It might be tough to sell your home in its current condition so you’ll need to research with the help of your real estate agent, which types of home improvements make the best sense. If you’re considering selling your house, congratulations, it is a good time to sell. The market is high and it’s still rising which means home buyers see value in purchasing your home. It should sell quick whether you’re in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Boston, Miami, Vancouver, Toronto or New York.

And after you do sell, you can think about the joy of travel or to buy cheap international properties. What a great time of life it is for you.

December 2, 2017March 8, 2018

Federal Court Rules Against Toronto Real Estate Board – Toronto Mississauga York Region Durham Peel

Federal Courts Rule in Favour of Anti Trust Legislators

The Federal Court of Appeal has upheld an April, 2016 decision made by Canada’s Competition Tribunal. It has ordered the Toronto Real Estate Board to allow its members to share the sales histories of listed properties online.

This ruling relates as well to the incoming opportunities of Blockchain technology in real estate. What’s at stake is the all important client and property databases.

TREB has always contended that its first priority is to protect homebuyers data and privacy. It seems the courts didn’t buy that argument. This isn’t an isolated war in Canadian markets and courts. REBGV in Vancouver is fighting to hang onto its data too.

From the ruling: “The tribunal made no error in finding that TREB engaged in an anti-competitive practice and that this practice had and will likely continue to have the effect of preventing or lessening competition substantially in the (Greater Toronto Area).”

Whether this is good news or not so good news depends on who you are. It’s certainly good news for online real estate service businesses. They can improve their services with this open data source. TREB’s 45,000 realtor members may feel this is a threat to their own businesses who benefited from stifled competition.

It will create a further evolution in professional real estate sales. Agents and brokers will have to be smarter, more effective, and create a better presence online. The new market will move from Realtor intranets to the Internet and smartphones.

TREB is appealing the ruling and hoping to stay the order that allows immediate release of the home sales information. It’s a small win for some, but eyes are on the future, where more of the TREB data can be released and reported on.

Without accurate, up to date housing data, it is very difficult for service companies to do business in Toronto Real Estate. TREB has almost monopolistic power in an era that is demanding access to market data.

In a Toronto Star Report, the governments’s commissioner of Competition, John Pecman says Friday’s ruling is an important win for competition and consumers.

“It paves the way for much needed innovation in the real estate industry,” he said in a statement about the case has been going on for six years.” – from Torstar new report.

Realtors can now post home sales data on their websites for buyers and sellers to see. The tribunal also said TREB must provide data such as sales figures, pending sales and broker commissions, which might be embarassing situation for some.

It’s All About the Housing Data

Although the argument seems to be about the release of the actual sales price history of homes, it may actually be more about control and the rest of the data in TREB’s gargantuan database. Although TREB wants control of the data, which could mined for incredibly business value, it looks like they are losing the battle.

Perhaps TREB should go with the flow on this one and charge a fee for it? Even if the data is the property of TREB, the ruling shouldn’t prevent TREB from selling their data. If there are privacy issues regarding the data, then the Federal Government may be held liable for releasing it. Homeowners themselves were likely lead to believe their property and personal information would be protected and private.

Sounds like a legal can of worms.

Some wonder if it’s a sad state of affairs if a Realtor’s only value proposition is as a gatekeeper to the data. That data has immense valuable to a lot of investors and home buyers. Previously, only Zillow had this type of housing sales data. The release of TREB mls data may be a nail in the coffin for Zillow.

It is likely new businesses and business models will evolve as a result of the ruling. Smaller businesses can jump on it right away to offer enhanced services online, but other large scale, Zillow, Zolo or Zoocasa enterprise level businesses will likely have to wait until the matter is fully settled in the Supreme court.

We’re in a data driven business world, and until now, the housing data was contained. Now with that dam bursting, it opens up many possibilities for entrepreneurial startups in the real estate sphere.

For real estate agents, the news is likely not a good one. Agents will now have to work much more effectively at building new real estate leads, holding onto old clients, and revamping the power of their own realtor brand image.

The release of this immense database will open up all sorts of entrepreneurial opportunities and range of services by real estate marketers of all types. The Canadian markets are opening up open market models you see in the US.

Are you looking for the latest Toronto real estate market outlook, Mississauga real estate forecast, Vancouver real estate forecast, or the Calgary real estate predictions? See also the Toronto condo market forecast and Vancouver condo market forecast.