By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET.
The Canada Home Price Benchmark Index for single family houses in fell for the third month in a row, in September by 1.3% from August, after having dropped by 1.1% and by 0.5% in the prior two months, to $815,300 (all prices in Canadian dollars).
The three months in a row of declines came after a wild and woolly sucker rally in the spring, fueled by the spring buying season and fake hopes about rate cuts. But the Bank of Canada instead went on to hike rates further to 5.0%, and at the last meeting added a further tightening bias, while inflation has begun to resurge across the board, topped off with Canada’s worst rent inflation since 1983.
The breathtaking price plunge last year forms the base for this year’s year-over-year comparison; and after the wild and woolly sucker rally this spring, the benchmark price is up 1.6% year-over-year. Since the peak in March 2022, the benchmark price has now dropped by 14.2%, or by $135,300, according to data from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) on Friday.