Housing evolution driving average price appreciation in Canada's major centres

Record investment dollars poured into Canadian housing stock over past decade

Mississauga, ON (November 7, 2011) -- Billions spent in new construction, renovation, and infill over the past decade have contributed to a serious upswing in the calibre of Canada's housing stock, propping up residential average price in the country's major centres, according to a report released today by RE/MAX.

Since 2000, the value of a Canadian home has doubled, rising from $163,951 to $339,030 in 2010. Nowhere has the upswing been better captured than in both the value of residential building permits issued nationally between 2000 and 2010 - at $340 billion - and the estimated $450 billion spent in renovation. The impact of these two forces alone has fuelled the Canadian residential real estate market - as well as the construction industry - for more than 10 years.

As a result, investment in Canada's housing stock is at an all-time high in the 16 Canadian residential real estate markets examined in the RE/MAX Housing Evolution Report. Higher quality housing translated into extraordinary price appreciation across the country - with 62 per cent (10 markets) experiencing increases in excess of 100 per cent since 2000.