Toronto/Fraser Valley (Will files from Zoocasa/ Penelope Graham) – Housing affordability has long been a hot-button issue across Canada and will take centre stage in the upcoming October Federal Election as a top priority for voters. However, given the vast geographical size of the nation, and its many market nuances, buyers’ ability to purchase a home varies widely depending on local prices and incomes; in fact, the Canadian Real Estate Association has noted a growing gap between price growth in eastern and western Canada, with improved affordability concentrated in the Prairie markets, as well as parts of the Maritimes.
According to Zoocasa: The Fraser Valley, the numbers are bleak. The average hoe price is $823,000. A down payment of 70% or 576,000 would take the average earner 42 years just to get to the down payment and qualify for the stress test.
8 of 15 Markets Could Be Considered Affordable
Just how feasible would it be for a household on a median income to purchase real estate in Canada? According to a new study by Zoocasa of 15 major urban centres across the country, such a household would be able to afford the local benchmark-priced home in their region in a total of eight markets, and would be able to save up the required down payment in less than a decade. However, in the remaining seven, a median-income earner wouldn’t qualify for a mortgage large enough to fund their home purchase, and would need to supplement it with a hefty down payment, which, in some urban centres, would require a savings timeline that spans decades, assuming they set aside 20% of their total income each year.
