Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Housing starts in seven major Canadian cities remained flat in early 2025, with declines in Vancouver, Halifax, and Toronto, where condo starts dropped 60%, hitting a 30-year low. Rental construction rose due to government support, offsetting condo declines. Calgary and Edmonton saw growth from favorable policies and zoning. Challenges include high development charges, slow approvals,…

Toronto home sales rose 8.5% in September with 5,592 homes sold, while average prices declined 4.7% to $1,059,377. The Bank of Canada's interest rate cut to 2.5% helped boost affordability, increasing sales across all property types, especially semi-detached and detached homes. New listings rose 3.9%, and active listings increased 18.9%. Further rate cuts could enhance…

Canada's housing affordability gap narrowed from 80% to 34% between September 2023 and August 2025 due to lower borrowing costs, stronger wages, and cooler home prices. Toronto and Hamilton saw the biggest gains, though prices remain high. Halifax has the widest gap at 74%, while Edmonton's is the smallest at 4%. Mortgage debt service ratios…

The US Federal Reserve's recent rate cut signals a global easing cycle, but property investors must view this as temporary and conduct thorough market research. Key factors include currency risks, taxes, regulations, and financing complexities. Markets like the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and the UAE each offer unique opportunities and challenges, with…

Nationally, average house prices dropped from $837,400 in early 2022 to $687,300 in August 2025, with mortgage rates falling from 6.5% to 5.1%. Affordability improved notably in cities like Hamilton and Toronto, where the affordability gap decreased significantly. However, Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, and Quebec saw worsening affordability, with rising gaps, while Edmonton and Winnipeg maintained…