The Truth?

Schizophrenic article in the Montreal Gazette. First three paragraphs show real estate pimping at its best. Then a "balanced" paragraph from a financial planner. Then the rest of the article is boring boring numbers that conclude, well, buying a condo to become a landlord really isn't a great idea. I guess the Gazette doesn't expect their advertisers to actually read that far? The barrage of actual numbers might actually put them to sleep. They are good numbers, and good general advice.

But these front three paragraphs? Who slapped those on there? Check out this beauty:

Some home truths

Alas, the good times are about to end. Gauthier says prices will actually go down in 2011, albeit by less than 1%. By 2012, the loss could be 1% to 2%. Even real-estate companies are not overly optimistic. For example, Re/Max says Canadians can expect an average 3% price increase in 2011. Such uncertainty doesn't necessarily mean abandoning the housing market in the coming years. Indeed, it may even be time to take some of that bloated equity in your principal residence and bet on an investment property, such as a condominium, cottage or perhaps even something in the moribund real-estate market down south.

Wait, what crazy person said the market would only decline 1% on the entire year? Surely it was some random real estate agent who had just woken up, or a mortgage broker having a bad day, or maybe the homeless gentlemen the article's author passes on the street every day.

. . . says Pascal Gauthier, a senior economist at Toronto-Dominion Bank.

Oh, Canada . . . you are so screwed.