GOING LONG, 5 YEAR + MORTGAGES Recently, Stephen Poloz, the governor of the Bank of Canada stated that he felt that lenders and by offshoot, mortgage brokers, were not being creative in promoting mortgages for periods of longer than 5 years. He feels that the longer the term the less risk there is and people […]

5 THINGS NOT TO DO BEFORE CLOSING ON YOUR NEW HOME 1. Change your job.  You were qualified for your mortgage financing based on your income, years at the job and the understanding that you were there for a while. Changing jobs should be put off until after possession day. 2 – Changing your name. […]

CORPORATIONS AND MORTGAGES For self employed clients, incorporation is a popular business structure we tend to encounter. Having a corporate structure to your business allows for effective separation between the individual and the business. If you own your business and have it set up as a corporation, that corporation is essentially its own person. They […]

CMHC CHANGES WILL HARM, NOT HELP, THE REAL ESTATE MARKET A new program the federal government has announced to subsidize first-time homebuyers isn’t likely to help the market but more likely to harm it. And not only is it not going to help out the market, but it’s not going to help out new homeowners. […]

WHAT’S YOUR BEST RATE? You know at one time I could give you a quote over the phone and not worry that I would be too far out. Today is a totally different story, here are some of the variables that come into play. 1. What’s your credit score? A 700 FICO score is the […]

HOW TO PICK THE BEST MORTGAGE FOR YOUR SITUATION! Most Canadians are conditioned to think that the lowest interest rate means the best mortgage product. Although sometimes that is true, a mortgage is much more than just an interest rate. You can save yourself a lot of money if you pay attention to the fine […]

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CREDIT SCORE When applying for any sort of loan, one of the most important metrics a lender is going to look at is your credit score. But what really is a credit score, who keeps track of it, and most importantly, how can you improve yours? There are a few simple […]

ACCESSING YOUR HOME’S EQUITY TO INVEST To tap into your home’s equity, it all starts with refinancing your home. If you own a home, the equity you have built up in it is one of the most valuable assets you have available to you. It is also much more accessible than taking out a large […]

BANK OF CANADA REDUCES PROSPECTS OF A RATE HIKE A greater-than-expected slowdown in global economic activity has triggered a slowdown in the pace of interest rate normalization by many central banks. In response to these central bank policy changes and perceived progress in U.S.-China trade talks, global financial conditions and stock market sentiment have improved, […]

MARCH HOME SALES REBOUND FROM DISMAL FEBRUARY SHOWING Statistics released Monday by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) show that national home sales edged higher in March following the sharp decline in storm-struck February. Overall, however, housing activity remains considerably below historical norms. Home sales rose 0.9% nationally while the benchmark price rose 0.8%. While […]