Also, the stock market historical average of annual return is 6-7%, whereas it's lower for real estate. As with anything, diversification is the most important point.
Also, the stock market historical average of annual return is 6-7%, whereas it's lower for real estate. As with anything, diversification is the most important point.
One observation I have is that even if it's just single digit as a %, it can exert very significant pressure on the market. A bubble is a mob effect. It begins with some properties purchased at prices the local market can't support, regional opportunists jump in seeing the opportunity for flipping, then fear of missing out, especially for first time buyers, results in a stampede as people see the ladder going up and leverage themselves to get the last rung before it goes out of reach. But there was never any real scarcity in the first place.
Point being, a small amount of foreign investment can have a leveraged influence on local markets.
I do think the "foreign" word there gets too much attention though. The more important question to ask is - should property as an investment be something we economically encourage. How much economic activity does a $5M 3 bedroom house actually generate? I don't pretend to know the answer but I think this focus on the "foreign" bogeyman is blocking us from having more important conversations about the role of real-estate in economic policy.
Eg. Chinese family has one member whose been granted citizenship. They all come together to pool money, transfer it to the Canadian relative, purchase together, profit(for now).
All thats recorded is a Canadian purchased a home, "how" they purchased is not yet a government issue.
The government/banks/real estate industry has known about this for years...