The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is a corporation that most are semi-familiar with, but do not know what CMHC actually does. CMHC is Canada’s authority on housing. They contribute to the stability of the housing market and the financial system. They also provide support for Canadians in housing need and offer objective housing […]

The following is a summary of the choices available for clients when looking at the four different types of lending groups. Which one is best will all depend on who you are as a borrower, what your current situation is now, and what your situation will look like in the future. Big Banks Currently, mortgage […]

SURREY, BC – Fraser Valley housing market activity in January continued on the momentum seen throughout 2017 with year-over-year increases seen for both sales and pricing. The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 1,210 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in January, an increase of 24 per cent compared to […]

The recent increases in interest rates appears not to have dampened the intentions of most Canadian home buyers. Just 1 in 4 surveyed for CMHC’s 2018 Prospective Home Buyer Survey said that an interest rate would make them very likely to delay purchasing a new home. However, the tight inventory in some markets is likely […]

Banks and Credit unions are often grouped together into one category under “financial institutions”. While they may have several similarities in terms of financial service offerings, in the world of mortgages the banks and credit unions have little in common. As mortgage professionals, we work with both of them and are well versed in the […]

Are you in a Variable Rate Mortgage? Me too. If you’re in a fixed rate mortgage, this news does not impact you. Mind you ‘impact’ is too strong a word to use for the subtle shift that occurred Jan 17, 2018. Short Version The math is as follows: A payment increase of ~$13.10 per $100,000.00 […]

Ask pretty much anybody about mortgages and the first, sometimes only thing they want to talk about is the interest rate. In my business as a Mortgage Professional, my job is to educate clients that while interest rate is definitely a cornerstone of your mortgage decision, it is not the only factor to consider when […]

With 47 per cent of homeowners scheduled to renew their mortgages this year, 2018 is a year of change for lots of Canadians. Here are the top 8 things you can do to get the best renewal: 1. Pull out your mortgage renewal now, and start early. When you are proactive instead of reactive you […]

There have been a lot of discussions around the new mortgage rules and I have had a few clients ask about what that means for them. Since stress testing on mortgages began last year, the biggest change this January will be for people who are putting more than a 20% down payment on their new […]

Not surprisingly, borrowers often default to their own Banker. And why not? It’s an established and comfortable relationship. Perhaps it’s viewed as the path of least resistance. But is it the right lender for the borrower’s current specific needs? Perhaps not. More sophisticated borrowers may be of a size or scale that they have their […]