WHY BANKS WANT YOU TO SIGN THE RENEWAL AGREEMENT THAT THEY MAIL OUT TO YOU

WHY BANKS WANT YOU TO SIGN THE RENEWAL AGREEMENT THAT THEY MAIL OUT TO YOU Why banks want you to sign the renewal agreement that they mail out to youMost banks boast a higher than 90% renewal rate on their mortgages (some even higher than 95%). Since it costs them a lot more money to […]

CMHC says Toronto housing market at ‘high risk,’ as economists fear Tories ‘throwing fuel on fire’

Overvalued prices in the real estate markets of Toronto, Winnipeg and Regina are now at “high risk,” according to the latest assessment from Canada’s federal housing agency. ‘Ghost vacancies’ haunt downtown Calgary as oil patch layoffs empty office buildings Vacancy rates in Canada’s energy capital have spiked as companies lay off thousands of employees in […]

7 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Building a Home

7 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Building a Home Building your dream home can sound really exciting, but have you thought about everything that goes into building a new home? Here are 7 Questions you should ask yourself before making any concrete plans. 1. What are my expectations with this new home? Are you looking […]

Have You Considered Purchasing a Property with a Secondary Suite?

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED PURCHASING A PROPERTY WITH A SECONDARY SUITE? Have You Considered Purchasing a Property with a Secondary Suite?The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) recently announced that in order to facilitate affordable housing choices for Canadians, it would be making some policy revisions on how they consider income derived from secondary suites. Considering […]

The Value of a Rate Hold

THE VALUE OF A RATE HOLD The Value of a Rate HoldSecuring a rate hold is like having insurance on your mortgage rate – you no longer have to worry about mortgage rates increasing while you find your new home over the next 90-120 days. And if rates drop within that same period, so too […]

When the only ring is on your keys: What common-law couples should know before buying a house together

Charmaine Ferguson and Colin Andrews have been together for three years, since they were 28. Their lives are tied together in almost every significant grown-up way. They love each other, they support each other — Colin even moved from Edmonton to Calgary so Charmaine could accept a teaching job — and they own property together. […]

A guide to the cost of renting in Canada

Nobody loves a renter. We bomb home buyers and owners with helpful advice and tools, but ignore renters. Partly, it’s a money thing. Huge chunks of the economy – lenders, lawyers, retailers and real estate agents – make big bucks from home sales, not renting. In a country with a near 70-per-cent home ownership rate, […]