2016 was a dramatic year for real estate. The rules of engagement changed. Buyer behaviour changed aggressively. The government changed the actual rules of the game.
The first half of 2016 was out of control. If a house in New West had a roof and a front door, you were almost assured a million dollars. It only took until June for the consumers to reign themselves in. The market peaked and showed all the signs of cooling.
In July, the Provincial government announced the Foreign Buyer Tax. It was an aggressive move that created fear in an already cooling market. The result, almost no sales in August, and a feeling-out period through Autumn (we don’t say Fall, it’s bad for business). The Federal Government threw their own wrench and tightened lending rules. The impact on borrowers is limited to a small group, but it certainly created fear that it would bring down prices. A double whammy and a recipe for a significant drop in prices.
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