Our committment to thought leadership
We have assembled a collection of thought provoking articles, reports, surveys, industry information, and other interesting content for your enjoyment.
![[Royal LePage] How to Best Boost A Property's Value](https://www.rpsrealsolutions.com/img/blog/2018/07/Screen Shot 2018-06-07 at 11.34.27 AM.png)
by Yvonne von Jena | July 5, 2018
According to a survey by RPS’ sister company, Royal LePage, a kitchen renovation is the clear upgrade of choice with the potential to boost a property’s value by more than 12.5%. Ranking behind this are a finished basement and a new bathroom, which have the potential to increase a property’s value between 2.5% and 12.5%, depending on the investment.
![[RBC] Ownership Costs Rise Due to Higher Mortgage Rates](https://www.rpsrealsolutions.com/img/blog/2018/07/RBC Housing Affordability Report - Jul_2018.png)
by Yvonne von Jena | July 3, 2018
According to RBC’s latest Housing Trends and Affordability report, the little bit of housing affordability relief that Canadian homebuyers enjoyed in late 2017 slipped away in the first quarter of 2018. Further, RBC expects further rate hikes between now and the first quarter of 2019, which has the potential to stress housing affordability significantly going forward.
by Yvonne von Jena | July 3, 2018
Similar to the rest of the country, stricter mortgage regulations that came into effect in January have caused sold volumes to decrease significantly in British Columbia. House prices however, have not experienced as large a decline generally across the province.
by Yvonne von Jena | June 27, 2018
According to the latest RPS - Moody's Analytics House Price Forecast Quarterly Report, the outlook calls for slower appreciation on average over the next two years followed by some recovery.
by Yvonne von Jena | June 19, 2018
The way consumers go about buying and selling real estate is changing in the US. Consider these three businesses, which have launched innovative and possibly disruptive models.
![[CMHC] Ontario House Prices: Low Likelihood of a Serious Price Correction](https://www.rpsrealsolutions.com/img/blog/2018/06/Ontario Housing Market Outlook - CMHC.png)
by Yvonne von Jena | June 15, 2018
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) released its latest Ontario Housing Market Insight report, which looks at home price trends and whether the province is currently in a corrective or price bust phase. Based on CMHC’s fundamental and technical analysis, it says that there is a low likelihood of a serious price correction in Ontario.
by Yvonne von Jena | June 7, 2018
If you're on the hunt for a summer recreational home, be prepared to spend more. According to a new survey by Royal LePage, the average price is expected to rise 5.8% by the end of September.
by Yvonne von Jena | June 5, 2018
According to the latest outlook from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Canada's economy is facing "significant risks" including the risk of a sharp correction in the housing market. The IMF also provides various policy recommendations for mitigating this domestic housing risk, including continued tightening of monetary policy, focus on supply-side policies and loan-to-income limits.
by Yvonne von Jena | May 30, 2018
The Québec Federation of Real Estate Boards (QFREB) has published an interesting study that shows the proportion of residential properties that sold for more than the asking price in Quebec and how it has risen over the past year in each of the province’s six census metropolitan areas (CMAs) – i.e. Montréal, Québec City, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Trois-Revières and Saguenay.
![[CD Howe] Through the Roof: The High Cost of Building New Housing](https://www.rpsrealsolutions.com/img/blog/2018/05/blog pic.png)
by Yvonne von Jena | May 16, 2018
According to a recent report by the CD Howe Institute, the cost of housing in Canada has increased dramatically in recent years. Using data from RPS, the institute calculated that the price of single-detached dwellings more than doubled from January 2005 to the end of 2016. This increase is attributed to recent policies such as taxes on foreign buyers or new federal mortgage rules, which have focused on curtailing housing demand, rather than taking meaningful steps to increase the supply.