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Falling real estate prices and tax breaks encouraging first time buyers in Canadian market

The latest real estate figures to be published show that Canadian home prices fell 5.8% in March from the same month a year earlier. This was a faster pace of decline than in February, says the Teranet-National Bank National Composite House Price Index.

The index, which measures the rate of change of prices for single family homes in six metropolitan areas, also showed prices were down 8.5% nationally from their peak in August last year.

Western Canadian home prices were hardest hit, with Vancouver leading with a 9.6% decline in March from a year earlier, while Calgary had an 8.4% drop, Toronto a 6.9% slide and Halifax the smallest fall at 0.8%. Montreal and Ottawa bucked the trend in March, rising 2.9% and 1%, respectively. The index also showed that property prices sagged 4.1% year-over-year in February.

While the economy remains a huge concern, lower prices and interest rates are spurring first time buyers into the market place, according to a report by Royal LePage Real Estate Services.

According to a poll by Pollara Research, done for Royal LePage, 86% of Canadians say lower interest rates make them more likely to buy a home and 81% say lower prices are another motivating factor.

But the economy remains a stumbling block, with 76% citing job security and 64% saying a stable economy are important factors in their buying decisions.

'The true impact of job loss is understated because, beyond the 8% unemployment rate, you have a section of the population who are concerned about their jobs, and that is feeding into their choice to buy a home,' said Phil Soper, Royal LePage CEO.

However, first time buyers are returning, helped by homebuyer's tax credit and a home renovation tax credit for 2009.

And so far Canadian developers have avoided a disastrous spring, with new home sales down by just 26% in April compared with last year, less than was expected.

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