October 2013 Housing Starts in Kingston


OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov. 8, 2013) - Housing starts in the Kingston Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) were trending at 1,234 units in October compared to 1,251 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 seasonally adjusted number of starts in the Kingston CMA retreated from the outsized activity in the previous month, which saw two apartment buildings started. Single-detached starts moved lower this month and year-to-date were 28 per cent lower when compared to the same period previously. Kingston`s new home market has increasingly been moving towards higher density construction this year. This shift is helping to bring starts in line with the dwelling types that are in demand in the resale and rental market," said Andrew Scott, Market Analyst for Kingston.

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 353 units in October down from 3,709 in September.

Preliminary Housing Starts data is also available in English and French at the following link: Preliminary Housing Starts Tables

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.

Follow CMHC on Twitter @CMHC_ca.

(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 at annual 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.

Additional data is available upon request.

(Ce document existe également en français)

A table and a graph are available at the following address: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/910128a.pdf

Contact Information:

Information on this release:
Andrew Scott, Market Analyst
613-748-5129
alscott@cmhc.ca

Kingston (French):
Sandra Perez-Torres, Senior Market Analyst
613-552-0798
sperezto@cmhc.ca

National Media Contact:
Beth Bailey, Consultant, Communications and Marketing
416-218-3355
bbailey@cmhc.ca