cdr108
Senior Member
Not after this month is through I'm sure
Double whammy on both fronts - equity and RE markets.
Not after this month is through I'm sure
It is totally and completely wrong to state that those who chose to rent are, by definition, making a poor financial decision. Whether you rent or whether you own, the most responsible thing you can do financially is live within your means, and put aside money each month for the future.
I made a conscious decision to rent rather than to own. When you add up condo fees, property taxes, interest on the mortgage, and utilities, the "money down the drain" factor of owning a condo is essentially the same as my current situation as a renter. Monthly expenses are often less when you rent, therefore the responsible renter will put that money directly into a savings account or RRSP and over a lifetime, they will accumulate an equal amount of wealth as an owner.
If you're not convinced, go and ask the millions of people who are upside down on their mortgage if blindly jumping into the real estate market was the right financial decision.
I agree with most of your statements...however if you have the discipline to save while renting, you should also have the same discipline while you are owning. Also most mortgages in the last several years carry for as much as it would cost to rent. With the fear that has cummulated in the real estate market lately you will see prices in rent rise significantly.
I just don't see how buying a home with record-low mortgage rates, holding on to fixed 5 year term, and riding out the market can be such a bad thing. To each his own, I guess.
I agree with most of your statements...however if you have the discipline to save while renting, you should also have the same discipline while you are owning. Also most mortgages in the last several years carry for as much as it would cost to rent. With the fear that has cummulated in the real estate market lately you will see prices in rent rise significantly. I just don't see how buying a home with record-low mortgage rates, holding on to fixed 5 year term, and riding out the market can be such a bad thing. To each his own, I guess.
Thanks for toning down your viewpoint on renting!
I'm sure that I will own some day, but for now I'm sitting tight. I'll buy when I have at least a 25% down payment, and can afford monthly payments on a 10 year mortgage tops.
Also most mortgages in the last several years carry for as much as it would cost to rent. With the fear that has cummulated in the real estate market lately you will see prices in rent rise significantly.
I just don't see how buying a home with record-low mortgage rates, holding on to fixed 5 year term, and riding out the market can be such a bad thing. To each his own, I guess.
Have to disagree strongly with you there boy.
The cost of home ownership is probably anywhere from 20%-30% higher than the cost of renting comparable accommodations. Period.
The industry (the big, strong, powerful, rich, manipulative industry) loves to advertise how a mortgage can 'carry' for the same as rent. That's akin to saying that a 2008 mercedes benz costs the same as a 2008 honda- before paying for fuel, insurance, maintenance, parking, etc.
On an apples to apples comparison, (I know you love that expression) renting is always cheaper than owing at today's prices. Always.
And for the record, rents in Toronto are not going up. They will decline as occupancies decline due to massive job layoffs from the financial, construction, auto, film, manufacturing, sectors that are going to get massacred in this deep recession.
You're too young to understand kid but it's gonna get ugly.
It's not a bad thing- at all- it's just something that if done today will result in a big financial loss. If you can handle that then go for it!
Well then we agree to disagree...I have investigated rental properties, did my due dilligence and there wasn't much of a difference between renting a property and owning a property at today's rates...t's not like I'm reciting from memory!
The industry can say whatever it wants...if you work out the numbers, and the tools are all readily available on the net, then you can compare what it will cost to rent a property and what it will cost to own a property!
I'm not quite sure I understand your statement that rental fees will decline as occupancies decline? If occupancies decline than rents will increase as the demand for rental properties increases, is that not true? If as you say there are massive layoffs in the many industries that you have mentioned...isn't the demand for rental units going to increase?
Especially since there have been hardly any new rental buildings built in the last several years! I can only think of a few off the top of my head.
This is from a forum on the Toronto Star website. I'm sure prices are coming down a little but not quite 15% across the board. Some interesting numbers reported here... Overall, I think it's an interesting perspective.
On the reported 15% price drop...
"No doubt very upsetting to anyone that has an interest in real estate, but what it illustrates, if anything, is how misleading statistics can be, & how easy it is to manipulate & interpret them to suit one’s need. What the article fails to mention & what the public does not know is that in any given year, monthly statistics can vary greatly, even in very good markets! The stock market meltdown has had a negative impact with the sale of luxury homes. From Oct.1-15/08 there were 37 property sales over $1,000,000. From Oct.1-15/07 there were 114 sales (82 in Toronto). One sold for $18,500,000! Remove these from the equation & the drop (if any) will not even be close to the 15% reported. In the TREB Central Districts, the median Sept./08 price was $356,000, a $1,000 increase from Sept./07, whereas the average price statistic shows a drop from $501,419 to $464,397. The Median in this case is a more reliable statistic to use, but obviously it would not sell as many papers!"
... stats by TREB means nothing!. Talk to a real industry analyst that you are friends with and they'll have a better, honest, reliable, and inside look at the numbers.
This info is unreliable and it's irresponsible and foolish of Chiggs to post it whether true or not unless he has the actual info with reliable source available.
Why, because it doesn't suit your real estate crash theory?
Common sense tells me fewer luxury homes sold the first half of October as these buyers are much more sensitive to stock market volatility then the average home purchaser. To find out if these luxury home buyers have been permanently "knocked out" of the market, we'll probably have to wait six months.
My "common sense" suggests we will have a slow down in Toronto this year and next with prices falling perhaps 10%. However, Toronto fundamentals are still very strong (they haven't collapsed as some posters/renters suggest) and 5-10 years from now, real estate will still be seen as a profitable asset class.
www.yourhome.ca/homes/article/519655One reason for the bigger price declines in the city could also be because more expensive homes tend to drop in value more quickly, said economist Mulraine.
"There is a bigger margin on more expensive homes, so if you lose a few thousand to get the house moving, that's not as big an issue. However, given that you also have a double-digit drop in the GTA proper, then it looks like this is not just restricted to upper-end homes."