"This may be the last hurrah for a while for home prices," chief economist says
Seasonally adjusted count of new starts comes in at 254,966 units in July, compared with 283,498 in June
Housing markets have settled down in recent months with prices moderating
High prices and interest rates pose challenges to the home-building and mortgage sectors
The rise is due to a surge in post-secondary students signing leases, population growth and homebuyers holding off on purchases
Homebuilding still expected to be a drag on residential investment in coming quarters
But Desjardins analysis also warns of housing tradeoffs
Here's a by-the-numbers look at payment amounts
Prices were highest in Vancouver, Burnaby
Regulator says proposals should encourage banks to reduce the number of mortgages that would go into negative amortization