CHBA flagship publications: quarterly Housing Market Index (HMI), Renovation Market Index (RMI), annual Home Buyer Preference Survey (Avid Ratings, 18,000+ buyers in 2024), Vividata Renovation Reports

CHBA Housing Market Index (HMI) — quarterly builder sentiment

Claim: Quarterly sentiment indicator from a panel of CHBA builder/developer members. Q1 2026 reading flagged Ontario as the weakest region; 88% of builders concerned for their business; 65% of Ontario builders reported layoffs over the past year.

Source: chba.ca/housing-market-index. Confidence: Verified.

CHBA Renovation Market Index (RMI) — new in late 2025

Inaugural release covering H2 2025, published March 11, 2026. Inaugural reading 48.3 / 100; Future Conditions sub-index 35.2; >70% of renovators concerned about 2026.

For full detail see the existing dedicated entry: CHBA Renovation Market Index inaugural release (Mar 11 2026): H2 2025 RMI = 48.3/100, Future Conditions = 35.2, >70% of renovators concerned about 2026. Same release.

CHBA Home Buyer Preference Survey (HBPS) — annual since 2015

Claim: Powered by Avid Ratings Canada. 2024 edition: 18,000+ buyers surveyed across six provinces; 188,000 cumulative invitations over nine years.

2024 top "must-haves": walk-in closets (primary suite), kitchen islands, high-efficiency windows.

Notable demographic findings:

• 56% of respondents looking for aging-in-place features
• 57% wanted a legal secondary suite
• The most common affordability trade-off buyers would accept: a smaller home

Source: chba.ca/2024/10/23 release. Confidence: Verified.

Vividata partnership — Renovation Reports for local HBAs

Claim: CHBA's membership in Vividata provides licensed access to the Study of the Canadian Consumer (SCC), covering more than 50 local markets that align with HBA boundaries. CHBA uses this to produce custom Renovation Reports for local HBAs through 2025.

Source: Building Excellence article, August 2025. Confidence: Verified.

Caveat: Vividata methodology specifics are not published to non-members; the underlying SCC data isn't openly available. For Candid client work that wants a defensible local-market consumer profile (KW-region, GTA, Ottawa), this is a useful CHBA membership benefit if the client joins the local HBA.

Why this matters for Candid use

For renovator clients especially: the HBPS top must-haves list is the cleanest defensible source for "what Canadian buyers want this year" in marketing copy. Lead with sourced facts from this survey rather than generic "trends" framing.