Real Estate Blog by Doug Belcher RE/MAX of Nanaimo, July 2008.

The federal government tightening the rules relating to government-guaranteed mortgages.

The federal government said Wednesday that it is tightening the rules relating to government-guaranteed mortgages, even though there is no evidence that the Canadian market is facing the kind of turmoil that has disrupted the United States.

The new rules, set to take effect Oct. 15, are a "responsible and measured approach … to reduce the risk of a U.S.-style housing bubble developing in Canada," the Department of Finance said in a news release.

However, it also said that Canadian creditors' "prudent and cautious approach" to mortgage lending, as well as sound supervision, have "allowed Canada to maintain strong and secure housing and mortgage markets."

The government said the measures will apply to new, government-backed, insured mortgages. "Canadians who already hold mortgages will not be affected," it said.

The changes include:

Cutting the maximum amortization period to 35 years from 40.
Requiring a minimum down payment of five per cent, whereas loans for 100 per cent of the price are possible now.
Establishing a requirement for a consistent minimum credit score.
Introducing new loan-documentation standards.
The government acknowledged that the proportion of bank mortgages in arrears is stable at 0.27 per cent, "near the lowest levels experienced since 1990 and well below the highs of 0.65 per cent experienced in each of 1992 and 1997."

And housing prices don't show evidence of speculation, the Finance Department said, because they are "in line with economic factors such as low interest rates, rising incomes and a growing population."

'0 down mortgages only make sense in a rising market. When the market is 'correcting' or even just flat the 0 down mortgage can quickly become a nightmare for anyone.' --Richard B Add your comment
Mortgage insurance protects lenders when a borrower defaults by making up any shortfall needed to repay the loan if the sale of the property doesn't cover the debt.

Federally regulated lenders must have mortgage insurance on loans where the buyer's down payment is less than 20 per cent of the price.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC), a Crown corporation, as well as private insurers provide mortgage insurance.

The government backs CMHC and also private mortgage insurers so the private insurers can compete with CMHC.

Just over a year ago, Parliament passed a bill changing mortgage insurance to make home buying easier, and in 2006, CMHC eased the insurance rules.

Canada "Most Transparent Real Estate Market"

Emerging markets have significantly improved their levels of real estate transparency according to the latest Global Real Estate Transparency Index from Jones Lang LaSalle, The 2008 survey reveals that eight countries moved up a full transparency tier since the last index in 2006. Dubai, Romania, Ukraine and Russia showed the biggest improvements over the last two years. The Index, which provides a rigorous framework for comparing the level of real estate transparency in 82 world markets, shows that nearly half of the countries surveyed in 2006 demonstrated a significant improvement in their transparency score two years later. Transparency levels globally are improving as governments seek to streamline regulatory and legal hurdles to aid cross-border movement of capital and corporate facilities. Only Venezuela posted a lower transparency score this year compared with 2006, principally due to changes in government regulations and new taxation policies targeting foreign investors. Canada now ranks as the world’s most transparent real estate market, up from the 4th position in 2006. The U.S. and Australia are tied for second place on the list. The lower end of the scale includes Oman, Qatar, Morocco, Kuwait, Pakistan and Kazakhstan.

June real estate stats released from VIREB

The real estate stats from June show that although it is still very busy, sales have slowed from June 2007. This year (June) Nanaimo had 174 sales versus 239 last year in June. That is a 27% decrease in sales volume (# of units sold). The sale price versus list price is still 97% of asking price for a single family home. The number of days on the market went from 42 last year to 39 this year. The prices are up 11% over last year. The big change is the number of active listings last year there was approximately 566 single family homes; this year 860 homes are for sale. This is good news for buyers because they have more to choose from. A well maintained home that shows well and is properly priced should sell quickly but an accurate price is even more important when there is more competition.
-See the latest Nanaimo sales statistics here-

Nanaimo Real Estate Blog July 2008