CIBC World Markets Inc. Economic Insights—June 25, 2015 The Many Faces of the Canadian Housing Market Benjamin Tal and Andrew Grantham In meetings we are often asked to make a brief statement regarding real estate in Canada. The reality is that the only brief statement we can make about real estate is that we cannot make a brief statement about real estate. It is a multi-dimensional market and a blanket statement will not do. and Toronto have if anything accelerated since the start of the year. So looking at the example of individual cities, there’s ammunition for both bulls and bears alike with regards to the overall market. Examining the rest of the market combined, it appears that price growth has slowed and is now more or less Below we discuss some of the dimensions that are most in line with the target rate of inflation. For CMA’s less relevant today. We examine the market in absolute terms Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, prices are around as opposed to the popular practice of comparing it to 2% higher than at this point last year. Earlier on in the the pre-recession US. The focus is on the characteristics recovery we were looking at figures closer to 4% (Chart that make the Canadian market unique and multi- 1). So those markets are a living proof that there is such dimensional. a thing as a soft landing in real estate. Another glance at Chart 1 and it also appears that housing markets Geography: Truths, Lies and Averages elsewhere in the country aren’t impacted by booms or busts seen in the big markets of Toronto, Vancouver or Averages can mask a lot of things. Provincially and Calgary. even at the city level, very different trends are occurring within the housing market that makes using a blanket Robust increases in cities with already above-average national average useless. As the economies of commodity prices works to bias upward the widely quoted average producing provinces are being hit by lower oil prices, national house price. As such the ratio of the simple housing sales and prices are also turning downwards. For average price measure and the weighted price measure example, a steady uptrend in Calgary house prices since (which compensates for changes in provincial activity the end of the recession came to an end late last year, and by taking into account the provincial proportion of the prices have now started to move downwards prompting privately owned housing stock) is at an eight-year high. concerns of a hard landing for that market. Demographics: Dangerous or Dependable? But, aided by even lower interest rates, other high-flying housing markets aren’t seeing any sort of landing yet. In One reason why it’s unwise to compare the Canadian fact, the annual rates of house price growth in Vancouver housing market of today to the US market before it crashed is that, unlike the situation stateside, there isn’t anywhere near the same degree of overbuilding in Chart 1 Canada relative to household formation. In fact, the ratio A Tale of Two Markets of housing starts to household formation is not far from its long-run average of 1.03. Weighted Average Price 14.0 y/y % chg, 3-mo moving avg There are some markets that have seen more aggressive construction activity than household formation, with Ontario, Alberta and BC all recently seeing rates of homebuilding that have outstripped by a narrow margin what normal demographics would dictate. However, the current trend in major cities within those areas is not uniform, with the Calgary market seeing a hit to activity as the repercussions of lower oil prices spread. 12.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0 11 12 13 14 15 All CMAs Less Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver Toronto and Vancouver Source: CREA, CIBC What has limited dramatic overbuilding in those centres is immigration. The three largest cities take in roughly 8 CIBC World Markets Inc. Economic Insights—June 25, 2015 In these areas, high rise condo developments have in many ways acted as an important substitute to the low rise sector. Due to land availability and other factors, the number of single & semi-detached homes being built in Toronto has remained extremely low since the recession. Chart 2 Canada’s Prime-aged Population Growth Has Been Better Than OECD Aggregate, US 0.30 0.25 101 0.20 0.15 100 99 And the condo market has also helped introduce an element of affordability into the market, helping first time buyers. Due to the lack of availability in the low rise market, particularly in already highly concentrated centres such as Toronto and Vancouver, prices of already expensive homes have been rising faster than prices in low and mid-range brackets3. That limited the ability of many homeowners to move-up, and supported renovation activity with smaller homes being made bigger through additions and extensions. But it’s also meant that first time buyers, who do not have the income or downpayment to afford their dream home yet, are increasingly turning to condo units. In this sense the condo market is acting as a stabilizing, rather than destabilizing, force on the market as a whole. But is it too much of a good thing? The answer lies within the rental market. 0.10 00 12 0.05 OECD Aggregate Canada 0.00 03 06 09 Canada USA Source: OECD, Various National Statistical Offices, StatsCan, CIBC half of all new immigrants into Canada. That means they are disproportionately benefiting from a demographic boost that new Canadians are providing. Immigration has accounted for around three-quarters of population growth in Canada recently, and crucially for the housing market a greater proportion of those new immigrants have been of prime home-buying age than in the past. Around half of recent new immigrants are aged between 25 and 45. In fact, over the past three years the number of Canadians aged 20-44 rose by an average annual rate of more than 1.1%—the fastest pace in more than two decades, but also much stronger than the average OECD rate. Over the past decade, the number of these primeage Canadians has risen 75% faster than those in the US (Chart 2)1. Rent: If You Build It Will They Come? Condos have also been acting as an important counterbalance in the rental market in Canada’s major cities. In recent years, the proportion of condos made available to rent has steadily increased. But rather than a disturbing trend suggesting that private investors are being overly optimistic regarding the safety of housing, it helped offset a very subdued trend in purpose-built apartment buildings. Between 2007-2014, within the GTA, for example, almost all of the growth in available rental units came from condo rentals. And the demographic story does not end here. In addition to new immigrants, Canada is home to no less than 770,000 non-permanent residents (NPRs). In fact, this category accounted for all the growth in the important age group of 25-44 since 2006. And not all of those NPRs are represented in official statistics. Based on information obtained from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) we estimate that the number of non-permanent residents could be under-represented in Statistics Canada’s population projections by as much as 200K—representing unaccounted demand for housing2. Chart 3 Rising Propensity To Rent: A Trend For All Ages 32.0 31.5 Composition: Does the Mix Need a Fix? Toronto % 50 30.5 40 30.0 30 29.5 20 9 2009 2014 10 28.5 28.0 By Age % 60 31.0 29.0 But surely the sheer number of cranes in major cities such as Toronto and Vancouver is a sign that overbuilding is rife in these key areas? Here we have to proceed carefully. 70 0 09 10 11 12 13 14 65+ 102 % 55-64 0.35 45-54 0.40 103 35-44 Index 2000=100 25-34 104 Average Annual Increase, Past Decade 18-25 20-44 Population Source: Financial Monitor, CIBC CIBC World Markets Inc. Economic Insights—June 25, 2015 And that’s been important to satisfy demand. Given rising house prices, the propensity to rent rather than own a home has increased across age bands in the city (Chart 3). And the important influence of new immigrants on population growth in major cities has also helped to ensure that demand was strong in the years following the recession. years. CMHC estimates that just under 20% of the stock of condo units in Toronto and Vancouver are owned by investors, but when it comes to the flow of investment activity, we estimate that roughly 70% of pre-sales and 50% of final sales are to investors. Now, not all investors are the same. The issue of foreign investors is largely misunderstood. The share of those investors in total activity is much smaller than perceived. The more significant portion is coming from a situation in which the money is coming from abroad but the family lives in Canada. Is that foreign or domestic investment? Note that this kind of activity requires much larger down payment and the fact that the family lives in the house suggests a much higher level of commitment than a typical investor. So in terms of risk, this segment of the market is relatively safe. However, demand for rental units in Toronto may now be moderating, and this is coming at a time when the supply of rental units is rising strongly. Even with a higher propensity to rent among age groups, shifting demographics mean that the annual increase in demand for rental units likely peaked in 2012 and is now slowly moderating (Chart 4). Based on demographics, we estimate that demand for rental units in the GTA will average 12,000 a year in 2015 and 2016. And that could fall a little short of upcoming supply. According to different sources we estimate that the supply of rental condo units will top an annual average of 14,000 units in 2015 and 2016 – suggesting excess supply of just over 2,000 units a year. And there are already signs that the rental market is cooling down. The lease-to-listing ratio has fallen to 64.3%, from 70% a year ago. And we see a clear moderation in rent inflation to almost zero on a year-over-year basis. The moderation in rent and increase in vacancy rate could well continue throughout this year and into 2016. What about domestic investors? If in the past many of them bought condo units as speculators that is clearly not the case now. The pace of price increase in the condo market is hardly impressive with most of the increase in average price in cities like Toronto and Vancouver coming from the low-rise segment of the market. So capital appreciation is becoming less of a motivation. Capital preservation and rent income are currently the main motivation for investment activity. And that’s where the vulnerability is. We estimate that roughly half of the stock of rental units in the cities belong to this category. To the extent that higher rates and/or low rent inflation challenge the economics of rent, we might see a wave of sales in the resale market that will directly compete with the upcoming influx of new units. Investors: What Are They Thinking? That moderation in rent inflation and the eventual increase in borrowing cost is probably the most significant challenge that will face the condo market in the coming What might limit the damage here is the fact that the affordability issue will work to increase condo buying by young families and the propensity to rent (hence increase the demand for rental units). The clear understating of the impact of non-permanent residents on rental demand might also work as an offsetting factor. Chart 4 Rental Demand Set to Ease (L), Falling Short of Upcoming Supply R) Demographically Driven Demand for Rental Units - Toronto 16,000 16000 But regardless of the near-term trajectory, it is becoming clear that the condo market has reached a point in which some decisions have to be made. Until now the condo market was the only player in the rental market with very little new competition from purpose built activity. This is now changing. With some condo sites reaching $3 per square foot (a threshold that is largely believed to convert a condo project to a purpose built project) many institutional players are slowly entering the purpose-built apartment space. Given these trends, we might see a notable increase in rental purpose built supply starting in 2017. units 14000 12000 14,000 10000 12,000 8000 6000 10,000 4000 8,000 6,000 Average 2015-2016: Toronto 2000 0 04 06 08 10 12 14 16 Supply Demand Source: Statistics Canada, CMHC, CIBC 10 CIBC World Markets Inc. Economic Insights—June 25, 2015 The extent to which purpose built will compete or compliment condo activity will largely impact the trajectories of those markets in the coming years. That is, to what extent the condo and the purpose built players will target the same market, or one (say condos) will continue to focus on small units while the other (purpose built) may go for larger units—aimed at growing young families and downsizing baby-boomers. on major financial institutions combined with even lower mortgage rates may work to widen those shadowy margins5. Summing Up We purposely did not compare the current situation in Canada to the US market in 2006. That would be setting the bar too low. Comparing Canada to the precrisis US market is not only wrong but also irresponsible. And looking at Canada in absolute terms reveals a multidimensional market and differing directions at the same time. Even a multidimensional market can overshoot, and the reality is that the market has not been tested yet. Higher interest rates will expose some weaknesses that are now well hidden. Credit Risk: Quality as Well as Quantity For the wider market, the real test will come when interest rates start to rise, whenever that may be. But even that day of reckoning may not be as painful as some fear, due to the steps taken by Canadian households in recent years. An estimated 30-40% of households with mortgages now accelerate payments in a way that de-facto shortens their amortization. And they are paying back an estimated $11bn a year more in principal payments than officially estimated. The lack of supply of low rise housing in places such as Toronto and Vancouver suggests that most of the adjustment will be felt in the high-rise segment of the market. Excess supply of condo units in Toronto along with potential increases in resale activity by domestic condo investors in a reaction to higher borrowing cost suggests that this market will slowdown in the coming years. The magnitude and speed of such adjustment will be in large a function of the degree of integration and coordination between condo rental activity and the upcoming increased supply of purpose built projects. Higher interest rates probably will not lead to a wave of defaults as feared by many, but could act as a major drag on overall economic activity via the impact on consumer spending (as more income is devoted to servicing debt) and the potentially significant impact on job creation in real estate-related sectors. Of course, what looks good on average does not always look as good at the margin—where losses actually occur. However, even here there’s little evidence of impending weakness. The share of mortgages with loan-to-value (LTV) larger than 80% has, in fact, fallen since 2009. At 6%, the proportion of households allocating more than 40% of their income to debt financing has remained relatively stable and the average credit score has trended upward over the past five years, with all regions and age groups seeing improvement4. Nevertheless, the system is not perfect. The increased regulatory requirements on major lenders is leading to increased activity in the less/non regulated segment of the market as we see increased transfer of risk from large financial institutions to alternative lenders. This is not a zero sum game—as the risk profile in the industry as a whole is on the rise. The market will adjust, but given the many faces of the market, the adjustment will not be uniform. It will impact different segments at different intensity, and therefore on aggregate be smoother and take longer to fully unload. But how significant is that risk? We utilize three different measures aimed at assessing alternative/non-prime lending in the Canadian mortgage space. Information from Revenue Canada (via Statistics Canada), from CMHC, via its securitization database, and most importantly, from the Teranet mortgage registration database, enables us to classify mortgage originations by type of lenders and actual mortgage rates. The bottom line is that regardless of how you measure it, alternative/ non-prime lending, while rising fast, is still an extremely small portion of total mortgage activity in Canada— probably smaller than perceived by many. That is not to suggest that the system is risk free. Increased regulations Note : 11 1) Foundations of Canadian Housing Better Than Advertised (Economic Insights, Nov 19, 2014) 2) Non-Permanent Residents—A Major Demographic Force (Economic Insights, April 29, 2015) 3) Staying Put (In Focus, September 8, 2014) 4) Resisting Tempation (Economic Insights, Oct 15, 2014) 5) How Shadowy is Mortgage Lending in Canada? (In Focus, February 18, 2015)
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