CICA Debt Poll

CICA Determined to Become Expert in Personal Finance A study was recently commissioned by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA)  to learn what Canadians do on a day-to-day basis to manage their finances. The study also wanted to  understand how much confidence Canadians have in particular financial activities.  The purpose was to determine how […]

Super Prime Mortgage

Best Mortgage Rates in BC get Better In the past, having “excellent” credit and having “good” credit didn’t make a whole lot of a difference when applying for a mortgage. But times are changing. XCEED Mortgage has launched a new product called the “Super PRIME” mortgage.  It was developed to reward premium clients,  separating them […]

Think before gifting down payment on kids’ home

With high real estate prices and tighter mortgage lending rules, it can be tough for first-time homebuyers to get into the market. Many new homebuyers look to parents for help, and many boomers and soon-to-be retirees are quick to help out by offering the down payment. Is this a good strategy? Many years ago, when […]

Changing Mortgage Regulations Present Challenges to First-time Homebuyers

Changing Mortgage Regulations Present Challenges to First-time Homebuyers On July 1 2012, new mortgage regulations came into affect in Canada. The purpose of these rules was to cool the hot Canadian housing market, as well as stem a housing bubble and high levels of household debt. The biggest change that potential homeowners should be concerned […]

One Year Fixed Rate Mortgage – Low Rate Mortage

Low Mortgage Rates on your Mind? Consider the One-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage In recent years we’ve heard quite a bit of talk from economists, banks and even Mr. Flaherty himself about the direction of mortgage rates; we were told they could only go up. But contrary to what market pundits were saying, mortgage rates fell even further. The […]

Long Amortizations Survive…With 20% Down

Long Amortizations Survive…With 20% Down When the government cut maximumamortizations in 2008 and 2011, most big lenders reduced amortizations on all of their mortgages. They didn’t need to apply the changes touninsured mortgages, but many did anyway. Not this time. When the Department of Finance trimmed the insured amortization limit to 25 years on July 9, most […]

New Mortgage Rules Kick In

Effective today, mortgage shoppers with less than 20% equity are subject to thenew mortgage rules announced recently by the government. These regulations will cut buying power and refinance ability for a minority of Canadians. If these changes shut you out of the market, and if renting is not appealing, you don’t have a ton of options. One […]

15 Years to Go

That’s the average time remaining before the typical mortgage holder will be free and clear, according to a BMO survey released today. In addition, only 12% of Canadians have greater than 25 years left until their mortgage is repaid. (Not surprisingly, a disproportionate number live in B.C. where prices are 38% above the national average.) […]

Ottawa tightening mortgage rules; no more 30-year amortizations

The federal government is moving again to tighten the rules on mortgage lending in Canada amid growing concerns that the housing market is overhere The country’s biggest banks were caught off guard on Wednesday night as the Department of Finance prepared to clamp down on mortgages by reducing the maximum amortization for a government-insured mortgage […]

Banks go on appraisal alert in a volatile housing market

Several Canadian banks have been quietly re-evaluating their appraisal strategies amid increased worries about the accuracy of property values in a market deemed at risk of overheating. Lenders use a variety of techniques, including full appraisals, so-called “drive-by” appraisals based on the exterior of the home, and databases of market prices, to evaluate homes. The […]

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