Canadian home prices rose 0.3 per cent in February: Teranet-National Bank index

BUSINESS

Canadian home prices rose 0.3 per cent in February

The Canadian Press Published Wednesday, March 12, 2014 11:13AM EDT

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A real estate agent puts up a 'sold' sign in front of a house in Toronto. (Darren Calabrese / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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TORONTO - Canadian home prices rose 0.3 per cent in February, pushing the Teranet-National Bank national composite price index to a record high for a second month in a row.

Home prices were up in all five markets surveyed in Western Canada and were down in all five metropolitan eastern markets except Montreal.

A record was set for the fourth straight month in Vancouver (up 0.9 per cent), while Calgary's increase of 1.1 per cent helped it set a record for the first time since September 2007. Increases were also recorded in Edmonton (0.6 per cent), Victoria (0.9 per cent) and Winnipeg (0.5 per cent).

Halifax and Quebec City dipped the most at -1.7 per cent. Decreases were noted in Ottawa-Gatineau (-0.8 per cent), Hamilton, Ont. (-0.5 per cent), and Toronto (-0.1 per cent). Montreal was up 0.7 per cent.

Over the last 12 months, the index has increased by five per cent, with prices in Calgary rising 9.6 per cent and Vancouver by 7.7 per cent. Toronto was up 6.1 per cent, followed by Edmonton (5.3 per cent) and Hamilton (five per cent). Winnipeg was below the average at 3.5 per cent and Montreal was up 1.9 per cent.

Prices were down in at least four markets for the first time since October 2009 as Victoria fell 3.4 per cent, Halifax was down 4.7 per cent and Ottawa-Gatineau slipped 0.6 per cent. Prices in Quebec City were down for the first time in 15 years, falling two per cent over the last year.