Breadcrumb Trail Links
Falling loan-to-value ratios make homeowners more resilient, argues RE/MAX in the report
Photo by Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press files
content of the article
Rising interest rates and inflation could test the finances of heavily indebted Canadian families, but a new report from RE/MAX Canada suggests homeowners are actually in a better position to weather market instabilities than they were a decade ago.
advertising 2
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
SIGN UP TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or log in to continue your reading experience.
- Access items from across Canada with one account
- Share your thoughts and join the discussion in the comments
- Enjoy additional articles per month
- Receive email updates from your favorite authors
content of the article
The report, released Jan. 31, found that a key metric known as the loan-to-value ratio (LTV), which measures the size of the mortgage relative to a home’s value, has fallen 57 percent today versus 63 percent in 2012. A lower LTV is less risky because it means the homeowner has more equity in their home and less debt.
Financial Post top stories
By clicking the subscribe button, you agree to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or any newsletter. Postmedia Network Inc | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300
Thanks for registering!
content of the article
“While there are certainly challenges in today’s high-yield environment, risk factors for the overall housing market are greatly reduced when homeowners own a greater proportion of their homes,” said Christopher Alexander, President of RE/MAX Canada. “With half of the loan-to-value ratios in the Canadian markets in the 50 and 60 percent range, homeowners will be better able to withstand the downward pressure on property values, and fewer will find themselves underwater and carrying upside-down loans.”
advertising 3
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
When house prices skyrocketed and interest rates were low in the 2010s, LTV ratios trended downward, according to the report, which analyzed CMHC-Equifax Canada’s median price and new mortgage values ββin 12 major markets to determine LTV ratios. Compare ratios in Q3 2012 and Q3 2022.
During that decade, rates declined in 67 percent (eight) of the markets examined in the report. The largest decreases were observed in London and Moncton with 21 percentage points, Halifax with 15 percentage points and Toronto with 10 percentage points.
The lowest loan-to-value ratios were found in some of the country’s most expensive markets, including Vancouver at 50 percent and Toronto at 53 percent. The highest LTVs were discovered in Regina and Edmonton at 88 percent and 83 percent, respectively.
advertising 4
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
The agency notes that three main factors contributed to the downward pressure on LTV ratios over this period.
“Equity gains, the pandemic facilitating the ability to work remotely in smaller markets, and the transfer of wealth between generations, particularly in the second half of the last decade and early 2020s,” the report said.
Elton Ash, executive vice president at RE/MAX Canada, said government action also played an important role.
“The government’s measures to reduce risk to the country’s property markets, including the much-maligned stress test, have also been instrumental in maintaining the overall health of Canada’s market,” Ash said in the report. “The real estate market in Canada has a reputation for stability compared to other international markets and prudent policies are essential.”
advertising 5
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
A recent report by CMHC-Equifax Canada confirmed that mortgage defaults have also fallen in most of the country’s markets, with the national percentage now down to 0.14 percent — down from 0.38 percent in 2012.
-
Quebec may have cheaper rents, but you’ll earn less and live in a smaller, older town
-
Credit unions, which offer homebuyers a way to bypass stress tests, will grow
-
The pros and cons of a reverse mortgage to pay off your debt
Ontario and British Columbia have the lowest default rates at under 0.08 percent.
Data from the same CMHC-Equifax Canada report found that the number of buyers with credit scores below 660 has also fallen dramatically over the past decade. Nationally, that number fell to 4.7 percent in the third quarter of 2022 β down from 8 percent a decade ago.
advertising 6
This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.
content of the article
“Because interest rates have been so low for so long, many Canadians have paid off a large portion of their principal so that after five years you’ve put a big dent in your mortgage – and I don’t think that’s talked about enough. ‘ Alexander said in an interview.
This has enabled homeowners to deal with the dramatic rise in interest rates they face as their mortgages come up for renewal.
“Chances are that when rates double, you’re paying back a significant chunk and so renew yourself,” he said. “The pain you may feel won’t be as bad as if your interest rate had been higher in the past.”
β’ Email: [email protected]
Share this article on your social network
Remarks
Postmedia strives to maintain a vibrant but civilized forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour to be moderated before they appear on the site. We ask that you keep your comments relevant and respectful. We’ve turned on email notifications – you’ll now receive an email when you get a reply to your comment, there’s an update on a comment thread you follow, or when a user you follow comments follows. For more information and details on how to customize your email settings, see our Community Guidelines.