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Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by refurb on Thursday October 26, 2017 @06:53PM (#15563949)
It's the same in Canada. Everyone blamed the Chinese for the increase in housing prices. When they actually got the data, non-resident purchases of residential real estate in metro Vancouver barely broke 10%. It's much lower than that in the suburbs of Vancouver and Toronto.

It's the 90% of Canadians with access to cheap debt and fueled by "real estate never goes down! It's now or never" that pushed prices so high.

Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by Spooky23 on Thursday October 26, 2017 @07:28PM (#15564178)
That 10% is new demand. It’s a big deal.

That new demand is on top of already high demand. It’s probably magnified as foreign investors want premium property and drive the top of the market up.

Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by refurb on Thursday October 26, 2017 @07:46PM (#15564293)
What's the steady state foreign purchase percentage? 5%?

Note that the 10% was in the hottest Vancouver neighborhoods. It was much lower in the suburbs and those prices were still ridiculous.

I'm not arguing foreign purchases had zero impact on prices. I'm just arguing compared to domestic purchases, they are pretty small.

Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by raquo on Thursday October 26, 2017 @08:27PM (#15564540)
First, your numbers are incorrect: https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/bcs-foreign-buy...

10-14% of buyers SELF REPORTED as foreign, across METRO VANCOUVER, not some fancy neighbourhoods. That's the base minimum possible percentage of foreign buyers.

Then the 15% tax was introduced and dropped foreign purchases down to to 3-4%. Do you really think the ~8% stopped buying? No, they just used one of the trivially available loopholes like sending in their astronaut family or buying through a trust company. And many buyers were doing that even before the tax was introduced.

Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by refurb on Friday October 27, 2017 @12:18AM (#15565681)
So if they are using loopholes to continue to buy, why are housing prices dropping? Maybe because foreign buyers don't have that much of an impact on the market?
Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by raquo on Friday October 27, 2017 @12:53AM (#15565802)
http://www.chpc.biz/uploads/9/7/9/5/9795010/chart-canada_10_...

I would love a portal to that universe in which Vancouver housing prices are dropping.

There was a short drop due to uncertainty around the tax and the elections / new government, but it is over, and it was tiny compared to insane price increases that immediately preceded it.

I don't know why you keep saying things that aren't true and yet can be checked online in under a minute.

Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by refurb on Friday October 27, 2017 @09:50AM (#15568206)
You agree that prices dropped and yet claim I said something incorrect? Sounds like we agree.
Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by raquo on Friday October 27, 2017 @12:05PM (#15569694)
Oh please, no one can genuinely fail reading comprehension that hard.

I've shown very clearly that a temp drop in prices does not support your narrative. And that the prices are now back to an all time high.

You can stop pretending that you opinion is based on facts now, not fooling anyone.

Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by hackits on Thursday October 26, 2017 @07:26PM (#15564154)
Then why did your real-estate prices go down when they disallowed foreign investor's?
Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by refurb on Thursday October 26, 2017 @07:44PM (#15564281)
Coincidental. Vancouver was poised for a massive correction after prices increased 30% in the past 12 months.

My understanding is that condo sales and prices are still strong. So I'd ask if foreign purchases were the cause, why are condo sales still going up?

Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by myth_drannon on Friday October 27, 2017 @09:07AM (#15567895)
And after they were kicked out from Toronto they moved to Montreal. Prices/Sales in Mtl had increased by highest percentage on record (and that after 5 years being flat)
Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by gnopgnip on Thursday October 26, 2017 @08:33PM (#15564566)
Toronto homes in certain neighborhoods lost nearly 25% compared their peak value in April. There were no restrictions on foreign investors.
Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses by kitcar on Thursday October 26, 2017 @08:39PM (#15564587)
To clarify for those not versed in Canadian tax policy, April is when the foreign investor tax was announced in Toronto: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/20/toronto-foreig...