Anybody planning on selling high and buying low? Financial Post says its the perfect time to buy some property down south if you’re a Canadian.
“It’s hard to pick the bottom” says Brian Wruk, a partner in Transition Financial, a cross-border planning firm with offices Arizona. He’s telling clients not to rush to buy, but to have their Canadian dollars converted to U.S. dollars now — at today’s sweet rates — if they’re even thinking of buying.
“You need to get that currency risk out of the picture — get Canadian dollars into U.S. dollars now, so you’re ready to move.”
In Phoenix, Mr. Andersen estimates that about 70% of the mortgages are underwater, which means the amount outstanding on the loan is actually greater than the current value of the house. Competition for these units is fierce and almost everything is bought ‘‘as is’’ and most likely with cash. There are about 40,000 listings in the area, up from a more typical 10,000 units, but still banks generally won’t negotiate the price so most deals are done at list price or higher.
While Western Canadians often buy in Arizona and California, Eastern and Central Canadians favour Florida. And the housing situation is the same there.
“With prices like this it’s crazy not to buy,” says Diana Carter, an Ontario retiree who just had an offer accepted on a single-family house in Florida. Ms. Carter had spent four intense months looking at properties. “We looked at places for US$23,000 or US$24,000 but decided on something so much nicer for US$43,555.”
