🏡✨ January had some cool news for Canadian homebuyers - it got a bit easier to afford a home in 13 major markets! Thanks to Ratehub.ca, we learned that average incomes needed for home purchases have dropped. Why? Well, home prices took a little chill pill, and mortgage rates softened up, making the whole mortgage stress test less of a headache. 📉💸 In January, the stress test rate dipped to 7.71%, a nice drop from December's 8.16%. This is all based on an average mortgage rate of 5.71%. Especially in Vancouver, folks need around $9,620 less in income to buy a home than before, which is huge! Toronto saw a decrease too, needing $7,800 less. Even Calgary, where prices nudged up a bit, saw the income needed to buy a home drop by $3,350. 🌟 But, don't get too comfy. The housing market's warming up again, with home sales and prices starting to climb. This might mean the affordability break could be short-lived. So, if you're looking to buy, maybe now's a good time to peek at ...