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

Sep 11
Mortgage Rates Headed Down: What's The Best Move?

Canada Bond Yields have dropped: 5 - Yr Yields more than 6% down in just a week: 3 - Yr Yields down over 8% on the month

And Mortgage Rates have come down: Scotia touched off a Rate War on 3 - yr Fixed 2 weeks ago

2/
With extremely aggressive 3 - Yr Pricing: 3.69% on CMHC Low Down Payment Purchases & 3.99% on every other kind of 3 - Yr Mortgage

Other banks quickly followed suit although a bit reluctantly, this time of year doesn't typically have the aggressive rate wars of Spring Markets

3/
Why are Bond Yields falling? Because the Trading community believes Bank of Canada & US Fed cuts are guaranteed

And there are signs that Inflation is NOT surging today

The general belief that North America & Canada in particular will be in Recession is taking hold

4/
Read 6 tweets
Sep 8
Fixed Mortgage Rate Or Variable Mortgage Rate? The Debate Goes Red Hot Today

As Canada accepts the idea our economy really is tanking & the Bank of Canada must cut rates this year the eternal question of Fixed or Variable is front & centre

What's the answer?

2/
Some of it is situational

If people are positive they will sell there house in a finite time horizon like 12 - 18 months take Variable

Guaranteed to only be a 3 - Month Interest penalty & on a short term basis 100% sure the rate will go down at least 50 BPS

Easy call

3/
If people are positive there will be no change in their home ownership in the next 5 years there is a decision to make

The BoC will cut a minimum of 50 BPS this year & if the economy is bad enough another 50 BPS or 75 BPS in cuts can happen

Yeah, 125 BPS of cuts is possible

3/
Read 7 tweets
Sep 5
Canadian Jobs Report A Disaster: What does It Mean For Bank Of Canada's Rate Decision?

66K Jobs Lost in Canada, over 100K in the last 2 months

Horrible outcome for all those families

Windsor Ontario hit & Alberta feeling the pain as energy prices slide

A country in pain

2/
Bank of Canada Decision on September 17th

Odds of a cut jump to 70%

Canada Bond Yields fell immediately so Traders sure believe in a cut

Will it happen?

Whether it's the 17th or not isn't the key issue

The key is cuts are now locked in

Whether its September or October

3/
Cuts will happen

And there is NEVER one cut so expect 2 cuts in a row

Therefore Variable Rates which are currently 4.45% to 3.95% will end up at 3.95% to 3.45%

Which are pretty good numbers

Should everyone go Variable?

I don't think so

Canada Bond Yields dropped too

4/
Read 5 tweets
Sep 4
Prime Minister Carney Please STOP Build Canada Homes: Cancel It NOW

Because this program is going to be a colossal failure & light Billions of Taxpayer's dollars on fire

You need to cancel it for many reasons but perhaps the most important is: it's just about Rentals

2/
Let's break it down:

- The entire discussion about Build Canada Homes has been about Affordable Housing: these are code words for Rentals & Subsidized Housing.
- We do NOT need a whole new Bureaucracy built to encourage Rentals: CMHC's Rental Program has already worked

3/
We have more Purpose Built Rental starts in the last 7 years than we had in the previous 35 years

The CMHC Program is wildly successful to the point CMHC tells us there's an OVER SUPPLY of rentals by next year

Your own Housing Minister Robertson talks about a Condo Crash

4/
Read 6 tweets
Sep 3
Federal Housing Minister Robertson Discovers Toronto Condo Market In Free Fall: Only 2 Years Too Late

It's always wild when Government realizes something everybody else knew for years

When the Immigration Minister noticed 3 Million New Canadians showed up in 2.5 years

2/
Wow, that may be too many

Or after 6 years of the Carbon Tax as the most hated thing in Canada & creating it's own inflation: Mark Carney shows up one day & says: this Carbon Tax has to go

The most hellacious thing about modern government is mind bending incompetence

3/
Just plain blind & ignorant of
ridiculously wrong things

Yesterday the Finance Minister announced he thought CRA service levels were terrible & need to improve to no later than 100 days

We are all so screwed

Total failure has now become an acceptable norm in Government

4/
Read 6 tweets
Aug 26
What They Call Mortgage Fraud In The USA Is Just A Normal Transaction In Canada

It just got a Federal Reserve Governor fired yesterday

It's called a False Primary Residence Declaration & in the USA it's a crime that can come with jail time

In Canada it's accepted practice

2/
This is whether the house being mortgaged is a primary residence, a secondary residence or a rental

Owner Occupied: Best Mortgage Rate

Secondary Residence (Cottage): Not as good Mortgage Rate

Rental: Significantly higher Mortgage Rate

In the USA you MUST be truthful

3/
If you tell the bank the mortgage is for your Owner Occupied Home but it turns out to be a Rental that's Mortgage Fraud & you can be charged, arrested brought to trial & may go to jail particularly if you & the property are in different States (Federal Law Applies)

4/
Read 6 tweets

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