Article content Real estate prices are shooting up across the country. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or Poll: Real estate prices a problem for more than half of Canadians Back to video As COVID hit, predictions were that real estate would fall by 18%. Instead, house prices across the country rose by 25%, starting a boom that has not subsided for the last year. The national average home price reached a record $678,091 in February; prices are expected to rise more than 16% again this year. The ability to work from home has changed people’s ideas about the three main rules of real estate — location, location, location — and now property prices in suburban areas, small towns, and cottage country are rising fast.