Should you withdraw from your RRSP to buy a house?

Certified financial planner Jeanette Brox says young Canadians still have a good reason to withdraw from their retirement plan to buy a house: current prices. Ms. Brox, who works for Investors Group, says taking money out of an RRSP is the only way some first-time buyers can scrape together enough for a down payment. “I […]

With rate cut, sub-2% mortgimageages are coming to a bank near you

If you’ve ever dreamed of living somewhere else — maybe Rio, Berlin, Trieste — the value in your Canadian home right now could take you further than ever before. With rate cut, sub-2% mortgages are coming to a bank near you By this time next week, Canadians borrowing for a home might be looking at […]

Bad news for borrowers: The economy could improve this year

Indebted people aren’t going to like the return to stronger economic growth. Rising interest rates will offset any benefits they get when the economy accelerates from the sluggish pace of recent years. If you owe a lot, plan now for higher rates to avoid nasty surprises ahead. The decline of oil prices adds some uncertainty […]

Real estate flippers beware, the taxman is watching

With the economy in turbulence, some Canadians have openly started to wonder whether our housing market may be next. Despite that possible scenario, the temptation to buy, renovate and then sell real estate at a profit is still irresistible for many. And, if you don’t know how to get started, a number of U.S. TV […]

B.C. couple worries that unexpected pay cuts could severely jeopardize their retirement plans

Situation: With their jobs downsized and pay cut, a couple worries their retirement will be spare Solution: Count the pension dollars, estimate what savings can generate, compare to future budget   Can a couple who have made their lives in the Armed Forces manage a comfortable retirement given the numerous job cuts, position terminations and […]

Canadian housing bulls are joining real estate doubters as warnings and oil collapse sink in

Canadians who last year brushed off predictions of a real estate slowdown and kept buying houses are increasingly joining the doubters. The nation’s households are the least optimistic since May 2013 that home prices will keep rising, according to weekly polling data compiled by Nanos Research for Bloomberg. The share of survey respondents predicting higher […]

Calgary home prices were the fastest growing in Canada in November

Calgary, Canada’s oil capital and hottest real estate market last year, continued to lead national home price increases in November. Prices for new homes in Calgary gained 0.3 per cent in November, the biggest advance among the nation’s largest real estate markets, Statistics Canada said today in Ottawa. From a year earlier, prices in the […]

Deutsche Bank reveals 7 reasons why ‘Canada is in serious trouble,’ starting with a 63% overvalued housing market

Deutsche Bank’s chief international economist Torsten Sløk has circulated a chart deck looking at global housing markets, and Canada stands out as having quite a few problems. According to the report, homes in Canada are 63 per cent overvalued, greater than the 50 per cent levels in Australia and Norway, Deutsche Bank AG said in […]

Sales of Canadian homes worth over $1M grew substantially last year and will again in 2015

bTORONTO — Sales of homes worth over $1 million increased in four major Canadian real estate markets last year, according to a report released by Sotheby’s International Realty on Wednesday. The Toronto area saw year-over-year sales growth of 38 per cent, while sales of Vancouver’s high-end homes rose by 25 per cent from the previous […]

Oil prices are making housing forecasts a tough call in Alberta

Plunging oil prices have made it almost too difficult to predict what will happen in the Calgary housing market, according to a new real estate forecast. As Vancouver home prices surge out of reach, businesses worry how to retain staff Business groups are raising the alarm about Vancouver’s ability to attract and retain the talent […]

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