Don sent in this link to Helmut Pastrick of Central One Credit Union expressing concern about Flaherty’s recent talk of clamping down on the easy mortgage money. Concern over a Canadian housing bubble has Flaherty, Harper and Carney musing about ways to dampen the market: rising interest rates, cutting terms down from 35 years and requiring a larger down payment. It’s this last one that has Pastrick concerned.
A senior B.C. economist is warning the Lower Mainland’s recovering real estate market and construction industry will both take a hit if Ottawa makes it harder for first-time home buyers to get mortgages.
Helmut Pastrick of Central 1 Credit Union was responding to federal finance minister Jim Flaherty, who said the government will “likely” boost the minimum down payment from the current five per cent and cut the maximum mortgage term down from 35 years to ward off a potential housing bubble in Canada.
“It would have quite a negative impact,” Pastrick said. “It would certainly soften the real estate market. There would also be less new construction over time.”
A higher down payment threshold would force many first-time buyers with insufficient cash to delay buying.
As Don points out, is that really a bad thing?
