FEDS OFFER NEW INCENTIVES FOR NEW HOME BUYERS In this year’s budget, the federal government announced a program for first-time homebuyers that would offer between 5% and 10% top up from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. If you’re buying a brand new home, the CMHC will give you 10% of the total cost, and […]

HOW A SIDE HUSTLE CAN CHANGE YOUR HOME-BUYING OUTLOOK So you want to buy a house, but you’re short on the downpayment. Have you ever considered getting into some sort of “side hustle.” The term side hustle describes something you do to make extra cash outside your full-time job. Anyone can make a hundred bucks […]

7 STEPS TO BUYING A HOME It’s important to understand the home buying process, so here’s a 7-step checklist. Step 1: Down Payment The hardest part to buying a home is saving the down payment (a gift from the Bank of Mom & Dad also works). • For purchases under $500,000 minimum down payment is […]

SOURCE OF FUNDS Over the past several years, investigators have been working on an ongoing investigation relating to criminal money laundering in Canada. Looking at B.C. alone, billions of dollars have been laundered through B.C. casinos by criminal organizations and parked in high end B.C. real estate over the past decade or more. With government […]

MARCH JOBS REPORT IN CANADA FINALLY MIRRORS WEAK ECONOMY The employment report had long been a lone bright spot in an economy that had sunk across the board, so the March slump is not surprising. According to today’s jobs report from Statistics Canada, employment fell by 7,200 last month, mostly in full-time positions in the […]

INCOME QUALIFIED There are several different ways a borrower can qualify for a mortgage when it comes to their income. One of the most common ways is known as income qualified. All of the following methods of employment income are under the income qualified umbrella: Annual salary income employees Full time employees working guaranteed weekly […]

INTEREST RATE CUT MORE LIKELY THAN HIKE IN 2019 When the Bank of Canada decided this month to keep its benchmark interest rates stable at 1.75%, it signalled the weakening economy makes it unlikely a rate increase is anywhere on the horizon. Inflation is not where it should be, we’re not in a deflation mode […]

A BANK THAT MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR TO YOU Quiz time! Who is the largest non-bank mortgage originator in Canada with over $100 billion dollars in mortgages under administration? Answer – First National Financial Corporation. If you’ve never heard of them before, don’t feel bad. The only way to get a First National mortgage is […]

WE’RE NOT JUST A MORTGAGE COMPANY Well, it finally happened. I was meeting with a financial advisor today and they looked at my business card and asked “Why does it say Dominion Lending Centres and not Dominion Mortgage Company?” I have been waiting 7 years to hear this question. I had an answer all ready […]

WHEN DEATH STRIKES SUDDENLY Recently I was finishing up a mortgage with a young couple who had just had a beautiful baby girl. I brought up the topic of mortgage and life insurance as well as getting a will written up. The response from the husband was that it was such a morbid topic and […]