Impact of the BOC Jan 2015 Canadian Interest Rate Cut

This past January was the first time in over a year that the Bank of Canada has cut the Canadian interest rate. The Canadian interest rate cut announced was .25%, reducing the rate from 1% down to 0.75%.

According to a recent article published by CREA, the Bank of Canada’s decision to reduce Canadian interest rates was thanks to the recent sharp drop in oil. The article quotes the Bank of Canada as saying that the recent drop in oil “will be negative for [economic] growth and underlying inflation in Canada.”

So what does all of this mean for the real estate market? Economists are constantly speculating about the future of the real estate market.

In the past few months alone, Deutsche Bank and the IMF both published reports stating that the value of Canadian homes are overinflated and that the Canadian housing market is headed for a slowdown. These opinions were based around a number of factors, including the amount of debt that Canadian families are carrying.

All of this speculation makes it a constant challenge for real estate sales professionals to keep on track of what homes are worth, and what could be in the cards for a particular neighbourhood or the market as a whole in the future.

Agree/Disagree? Real estate follows supply and demand and while some economists are calling for a cool-down in the real estate market, it also would seem logical that lower interest rates will lead to more people wanting to buy and so more demand in the real estate market.

Shortly after the Bank of Canada announced the Jan 2015 Canadian interest rate cut, the Star reported that the big banks had cut their prime lending rates: http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/01/27/rbc-cuts-prime-lending-rate.html. Nothing is more enticing to someone thinking about buying a home than lower interest rates.

Realistically speaking, since the Bank of Canada has not changed Canada’s lending rate in more than a year, no one knows how long it will last – if it will go down again, remain the same, or be increased in the near future. Adding to that, if the most recent rate cut was a result of the low oil prices, if oil prices begin to climb again, so may Canada’s lending rate.

On the front line, the most recent Canadian interest rate cut represents an opportunity to you. Canadians have real incentive right now if they were planning on buying a home or moving to another home – to buy now instead of waiting. 

If you would like to keep on top of the Bank of Canada’s scheduled Interest Rate Announcements, you can do so here http://www.bankofcanada.ca/core-functions/monetary-policy/key-interest-rate/.

Wondering how to assess the value of properties or the accuracy of a listing value? Try ViMO, a mobile app for real estate that you can access to view listings and also pull sales comps when on the go. Visit www.myvimo.ca.