Starting January 1st 2018 mortgage applicants are expected to pass a stress test a important factor that can also change market dynamics. Banks will qualify the borrowers based on whether they could still afford their monthly payments if interest rate were 2 per cent higher.
This move will let fewer people to qualify for loans. This could in turn bring home prices even lower as sellers will find fewer buyers to pay premium prices.
To qualify for their loans buyers might have to lower their pice range by 15% or more. Another option would be considering different neighbourhoods as in Hamilton average price of homes on Hamilton Mountain (district 18) was $506,529 while East Hamilton (District 23) was $304,067.
Forecast predict that in spring 2018 we will observe year-over-year house prices to drop but we must remember that this decline is not sudden but a process that started in April 2017.
The average home price in Hamilton in 2018 is expected to be somewhere between $535,000 and $585,000.