October 2013 Housing Starts in Hamilton CMA

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov. 8, 2013) - Housing starts in Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) were trending up at 2,487 units in October compared to 2,433 units in September, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The trend is a six month moving average of
the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR)(1) of housing starts.

"The trend in Hamilton CMA total housing starts increased in October 2013, following three months consecutive declines. This month's trend reversal reflects a shift in preference towards less expensive ownership housing, particularly in Burlington where the price gap with Toronto has narrowed considerably. The strong performance in the multiple-family segment completely offset the sharp decline in single-detached starts," said Abdul Kargbo, CMHC's Senior Market Analyst for Hamilton and Brantford CMAs.

CMHC uses the trend measure as a complement to the monthly SAAR of housing starts to account for considerable swings in monthly estimates and obtain a more complete picture of the state of the housing market. In some situations, analysing only SAAR data can be misleading in some markets, as they are largely driven by the multiples segment of the markets which can be quite variable from one month to the next. The multiples segment includes apartments, rows and semi-detached homes.

The standalone monthly SAAR was 1,998 units in October, down from 2,528 units in September.

As Canada's national housing agency, CMHC draws on more than 65 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of quality, environmentally sustainable and affordable housing solutions. CMHC also provides reliable, impartial and up-to-date housing market reports, analysis and knowledge to support and assist consumers and the housing industry in making informed decisions


(1)  All starts figures in this release, other than actual starts and the trend estimate, are seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) - that is, monthly figures adjusted to remove normal seasonal variation and multiplied by 12 to reflect annual levels. By removing seasonal ups and downs, seasonal adjustment allows for a comparison from one season to the next and from one month to the next. Reporting monthly figures atannual rates indicates the annual level of starts that would be obtained if the monthly pace was maintained for 12 months. This facilitates comparison of the current pace of activity to annual forecasts as well as to historical annual levels.