Ron Butler Profile picture
Sep 13, 2020 8 tweets 2 min read Read on X
Canadian RE Bears: Just Wrong?

To paraphrase Kermit: its not easy being a RE Bear

Particularly in some big Canadian cities

Prediction is a crap business at the best of times

Economists build careers on being wrong alot or at least not right alot

The RE Bear thesis:

2/
Residential property prices in key cities: Vancouver, Toronto and their surrounding areas are over inflated and will fall dramatically

Its not hard to find general agreement home prices are too high, most folks outside the RE industry and quite a few insiders will say it

3/
"Prices are crazy!" "Who would pay that?" "Wow, that little dump got that much!"

That's common

People inside the RE industry will say: "World Class!" "No Supply!" "Immigration blah, blah"

And there are elements of truth in those comments

Canada is a great country

4/
Immigration paused but not stopped, there are some Supply issues

But prices are ridiculous

History is useful: after a hard RE crash in 1990 home prices started going up in 1996 and with a couple of blips have gone up for 24 years

If you were 24 in 1996 you are 48 now

5/
For that 48 year old's entire adult life "real estate only goes up" is factual

The 2008 Crisis did drop RE values but for less than 12 months then back up

In March 2017 RE values peaked after a run up and dropped but 18 months later had largely recovered

6/
If you HAD to sell during the dips it hurt but that was a very limited number of people

Which brings us to a worldwide pandemic and economic disaster

And RE prices in the GTA are up about 20% from 2019

So....... its tough to be an RE Bear

You're wrong almost always

7/
Ridiculously wrong

And some of us wrong for very LONG, I have been wrong about sustained RE price reversal for 12 years, that's a crap record even for an economist

I got out of the prediction business

Still believe prices are ridiculous

Still worried about RE values

8/
Because a bunch of people may get hurt

Because the next generation is in a debt trap

Because life in general would be better for so many people if RE prices were lower

And the next 12 months will be very interesting

But no predictions

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More from @ronmortgageguy

Apr 28
Prime Minister Carney Operates A Government For The Elites: It's Becoming Obvious Now

It's just out there now, it's become clearer

The 80% of Canadians who ARE NOT in the top income or top wealth brackets are being left behind

This is a Government for top tier Canadians

2/
People can say: Oh No, look at the Essentials Benefit to help lower income people hurt by inflation. Look at the reduced taxes for lower income people

None of that really helps Working Poor or Middle Class Families because Inflation still runs HOT & is about to get hotter

3/
And Wages in Canada have been suppressed for a decade

No one argues about Wage Stagnation anymore it's just accepted fact

There 2 things Middle Class Canadians need:

- Lower Taxes
- Higher Paying Jobs

And despite some bandaid policies those 2 things ain't happening

4/
Read 6 tweets
Apr 17
Peak Fuckery: Parents Who Took Out HELOCS & Mortgages To Provide Down Payments For Kids To Buy Homes In 2021 Now In Power Of Sale

Sounds crazy right? And it's not thousands of parents but it is happening right now in Ontario to some Seniors

It's tragedy & it's not fixable

2/
Think back to 2021: Real Estate was going crazy

Many RE Agents actually suggested if people didn't buy homes at sky high prices that they would be shut out of ever owning a home

Many Realtors suggested 10% or higher price increases FOREVER

Because Immigration, Blah Blah

3/
During this time of peak FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) some parents of adult children believed the hype

After all, the parents own homes had increased in value astronomically in 20 years

They wanted their kids to have the same benefits

A few parents didn't have cash to give

4/
Read 6 tweets
Apr 10
Canadian Rents Have Gone Down 18 STRAIGHT MONTHS & More New Construction Rental Supply Is Coming Than Ever Before In History

Yeah, Mom & Pop Landlords who bought units in the last 6 years knew things were bad

But in some Canadian cities we're headed for Landlord HELL

2/
Not even kidding

If you bought a Pre-Con Condo in 2020 - 2022 in Toronto or Vancouver you were already in big trouble on Price

You paid way too much

But if you managed to close you were faced with big Negative Cash Flow

Which is bad: but it's going to get WORSE

3/
It's a Perfect Storm of Landlord destruction in some big Canadian Metro Areas

- Every Year Expenses RISE: Condo / Strata Maintenance Fees & Property Tax increase every year

- With CMHC support there has NEVER been as many new Multi-family Purpose Built Rentals coming

4/
Read 6 tweets
Apr 9
Conservatives Members Of Parliament Crossing The Floor To Become Liberals: Those MPs Were BOUGHT

I don't think we can end Floor Crossings because it's just too hard, it's almost a Constitutional change

But look at WHY people elected to represent one party switch parties

2/
It's because they're BRIBED to do it

Not bribed with money, bribed with Perks, bribed with quiet promises of future higher paying positions in Parliament, bribed with assurance of Party Support in the next election, bribed with Polling numbers that favor the Liberals

3/
And the reason these very small time bribes work is twofold

1) Loyalty to a Party is dying in Canadian politics
2) Some Back Bench MPs are pretty small, shitty people, total opportunitists

Real Party loyalty started dying in the 90's

Too many people became transactional

4/
Read 6 tweets
Mar 31
How Bad Is It That Canada's Economy Is Completely Dependent On Tax Policy?

Canada has gone down such a wrong road

Yesterday an announcement changing a Tax Policy was done to save the Residential Construction Industry

From a Tax Policy that killed the Construction Industry

2/
Which is fucking nuts!

We taxed the Housing Industry literally to DEATH: taxes, fees & levies were 30% of the price of a new home compared with 2% 30 years ago

Then the Government announces a TEMPORARY waiver of the taxes

1 Year for HST
3 Years for 50% off Development Fees

3/
And the Residential Construction Industry comes out of a Coma

But lets stop & realize just how incredibly BAD the whole thing really is

Tax Policy now rules Industry

In Manitoba Taxes were removed from Fast Food sold in Grocery Stores but remains on Restaurant Food

4/
Read 5 tweets
Mar 9
Oil Breaks Through $100 A Barrel & Mortgage Rates Go Up As 5 - Yr Canada Bond Yields Jump 9% In A Week

What to do if you are in the middle of purchasing a home or have a Mortgage Renewal in the next 3 months?

LOCK IN A RATE NOW!

There are a few low rates still around today

2/
But likely gone tomorrow or the next day

I have covered this story before

Oil price up = Inflation up = Canada Bond Yields up = Mortgage Rates up

But what about Variable, which has nothing to do with Bond Yields?

Variable is a Bank of Canada decision

What will BoC do?

3/
Nothing for now: NO CHANGE at the next BoC Announcement on March 18th

But what about the future?

It's 100% up to how long the War in the Middle East lasts

If it's over next week all good at BoC

If the War is still raging in June: Look Out

Rate Hikes be coming

4/
Read 6 tweets

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