Are Canadians House Hoppers?

Sharon Singleton
Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Canadians are house hoppers, with the majority of homeowners finding themselves moving on to another, often bigger, house earlier than they had intended, a survey by TD Canada Trust found.
About 42% of repeat buyers have found themselves looking for another home before they had planned, with just over a third who had no intention of moving finding themselves house hunting again.
That's true for Toronto-based Valery Macri, who is on her third home and expects to move again within the next six months. She had believed her current property would be the final purchase.
"When we started living in our home we found it wasn't as user-friendly as we wanted it to be," said Macri, who has been in her current house for seven years. "The size is fine, as we are a small family, but we need the layout to be more user-friendly, as we entertain a lot."
About three quarters of Canadians who aren't first-time buyers said they plan to move on again in the next two years, TD's Repeat Home Buyers Report found. That's a 10 percentage point jump from last year,
"Our research indicates that Canadians don't stay in one home too long," said Farhaneh Haque, director, mortgage advice, TD Canada Trust. "Before making the decision to move, explore all your options and ensure that your new home will suit your changing needs and lifestyle. It might be more affordable to renovate and make your current home work for you."
This year, a growing number of Canadians cited investment opportunities and market conditions as prompting the desire to move. Eight out of 10 said they will sell their current home, and 78% said they expect to sell above asking price, compared with 66% in 2010.
Macri, who has an eight-year old daughter, said she is confident in the property market's prospects, and with the current volatility in the stock markets is happier to be in bricks and mortar.
National home sales activity held steady in July 2011 compared to the previous month, with just over half of local markets posting month-over-month gains, according to figures from the Canadian Real Estate Association.
Repeat buyers are less likely to compromise on what they want from their home, the survey found.
A third said this time they will not budge on price, with a further third having a clear idea on what kind of layout they want. About 31% also said they will not compromise on features, with 28% saying the number of bedrooms is a key issue. 

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