Mixed Real Estate Conditions and a Potential BOC Rate Cut

 

The Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board released rough real estate stats earlier this week. Reports showed that year-over-year Feb. residential home sales fell over 30%. This represents the worst Feb. sales total since 1985, over 40% below the last decade’s average.

Detached homes lasted roughly 55 days on the market before sale, while townhouses averaged 39 days and apartments and condos at 40. Prices also fell by over 6% year-over-year, while at the same time, inventories are piling up. Total listings rose by over 48% year-over-year to almost 11,600.

In Toronto, prices rose by 1.6% while listings fell 6.2%, sales fell by 2.4%. Canada’s banks are also feeling the heat of an inconsistent real estate market. Credit losses rose by double digits at the big 5. The same credit losses were seen in the Australian banking and real estate markets as well and in other countries dependent on real estate.

Economic stats have dipped into such negative territory so quickly that news is spreading of the possibility that the BOC may cut rates soon. Tembo has consistently made the point that the BOC will stick to an aggressive and consistent rate hike trajectory until economic conditions change. While most experts believe that rates will stay put, the potential for a cut will grow if economic conditions continue to worsen. As we previously reported, the economic recently contracted by a very narrow margin.

On an additional note, the City of Toronto will convene on Thursday, March 7th to pass its 2019 budget. The budget outlines a massive drop in land transfer tax revenues because of stalling real estate conditions. The City has become addicted to the previously perpetually rising land transfer tax which financed large increases in city spending. That era has come to a close.

What Does Ontario’s Proposed Bill 66 Mean For Its Residents?

In early December of last year, the Ford Government introduced a proposed law titled the Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act. The bill is a comprehensive piece of legislation that alters several existing laws and introduces new ones – referred to as an omnibus bill.

Bill 66 is receiving increased attention lately given some of its controversial provisions.

Open For Business Zoning

The Bill introduces a new type of zoning, called OFB ZBL (Open for Business Zoning By-laws). This new zoning type is designed to not have to conform to legal standards set out in a number of major provincial environmental and planning laws, such as the Greenbelt Act, the Great Lakes Protection Act, and the Lake Simcoe Protection Act. The provincial government argues that this provision will provide municipalities with the capacity to quickly approve major industrial and commercial projects to create jobs and tax revenue. 

Critics Fear Environmental Impact And Out Of Control Development If Bill 66 Is Passed

Critics, on the other hand, say that the proposed by-law provisions would create the potential for massive environmental degradation and the transformation of protected green spaces into industrial and commercial areas. Water, soil, and air contamination could increase, and municipalities could embark upon aggressively competitive squabbles with each other to attract revenue generating projects.
Some City bureaucrats around the province claim that Bill 66 will upend traditional provincial planning arrangements and lead to out of control development. Tembo is keeping a close eye on the provincial government’s stated move to spur development and construction. Bill 66 has the capacity to alter land values by introducing industrial projects to areas that are designation for safer development. This could have drastic consequences. 

Toronto Commercial And Industrial Real Estate Is On Fire

The traditional condo, detached, and semi-detached housing market is in relatively good shape in the GTA. This week, Tembo will focus on another component of the market; commercial and industrial properties.

In a few of our past blogs and newsletters, Tembo has outlined that the general trajectory for commercial properties has been positive – with healthy stats; strong demand, high prices and soaring investment. In 2017, commercial property investment hit an all time high. Some of Canada’s biggest pension funds, corporations, firms, and banks invested huge amounts into building, leasing, and buying commercial real estate.

Commercial Real Estate Trajectory Continues

Commercial and industrial real estate availability hit a record low of 3.9% this year, according to the CBRE. Toronto’s availability is the lowest in the country, at 2.2%, even lower than Vancouver’s tight 2.4%. 
Massive socio-economic changes and strong growth are driving the ongoing surge. Warehouses are in high demand, as is real estate that caters to the e-commerce and food sectors. Recently, multinational Amazon announced several large scale warehouse, or Fulfillment Center investments across the country, most notably in Ottawa.
The massive commercial demand has seen the market respond with huge increases in construction activity; a 47% rise from earlier years. In provinces with relatively weak economies and increasing commercial vacancy, such as Alberta, new sectors such as cannabis and e-commerce are replacing traditional ones. Overall, residential real estate will be competing for capital that could be allocated to the commercial sector.
The boom, in all things real estate, continues.