Updated
Updated · Mortgage Professional · Aug 11
Nova Scotia Home Supply Hits 5.5 Months as Bank of Canada Holds Rate at 2.25%
Updated
Updated · Mortgage Professional · Aug 11

Nova Scotia Home Supply Hits 5.5 Months as Bank of Canada Holds Rate at 2.25%

1 articles · Updated · Mortgage Professional · Aug 11

Summary

  • 5.5 months of housing supply in July pushed Nova Scotia closer to a balanced market, up from 5.2 in June and 4.5 a year earlier.
  • More listings and a steady Bank of Canada policy rate gave buyers more leverage on price and conditions, with sellers conceding more as sale-to-list ratios weakened for a second straight month.
  • 4.04% was the lowest insured five-year fixed mortgage rate in Nova Scotia on Aug. 7, while the lowest five-year variable rate was 3.40%, showing financing has not become cheaper despite the rate hold.
  • 8.3 showings per pending sale marked the lowest level in 13 months, suggesting buyers were moving to deals more efficiently even as the market cooled from spring peaks.
  • Nationally, Canadian home sales rose 0.5% in June after a 5.5% gain in May, framing Nova Scotia's shift as part of a broader market stabilization.

Insights

With Nova Scotia's housing supply hitting a 13-month high, why are buyers still struggling to lock in affordable fixed mortgage rates?
Apartment prices in Nova Scotia just plunged 7.8%, so is the shift to a balanced market secretly a trap for eager sellers?
Could a newly launched 2% down payment program be the secret weapon for Nova Scotia homebuyers facing stubbornly high bond yields?