Housing costs increasing in vancouver

Surging real estate prices in Vancouver are pushing ownership costs into uncharted territory, putting it in the top ranks of the world’s most expensive cities and triggering fears the market is poised for a fall.

Housing costs for the average two-storey home in Vancouver today eat up the equivalent of 80 per cent of a typical family’s annual pretax income, according to new research, putting ownership out of reach for most.

The last time housing accounted for such a high percentage of household income in the city was in 2008, just before prices tumbled in a recessionary swoon. The city’s real estate market has since recovered and gone on to set new records, but the recent climb has market watchers worried that the gains are unsustainable.

Across the country, homeowners are putting a larger portion of their earnings toward their homes, and interest-rate increases are likely to put further pressure on homeowners in the coming months, the Royal Bank of Canada said in its quarterly affordability index. 

Source: TheGlobeandMail.com