A new report from CMHC looks at the state of the Canadian mortgage market and highlights some of the challenges that it faces. The inaugural Residential Mortgage Industry Report says that recent mortgage regulations, rising interest rates, and softening home sales were factors in a slowing mortgage market in 2018. It also reveals that the […]

Demand for offices in Toronto and Vancouver has squeezed the vacancy rates of both, making them the joint tightest markets in North America. CBRE Canada says that Vancouver’s office vacancy rate dropped to 2.6% in the second quarter of 2019, from 4.7% only a year ago. Meanwhile, the vacancy rate in Toronto held steady at […]

The Bank of Canada is unlikely to make any changes to interest rates when it meets in a week’s time and that is the right move according to a panel of economists. Twelve of the 14 economists thought a hold at 1.75% would be the correct strategy while 2 believe there should be a rate […]

SURREY, BC – Last month’s property sales in the Fraser Valley were 29.3 per cent below the 10-year sales average for June and were the second lowest total for the month since the year 2000. The number of new listings also decreased in June, coming in at 9.6 per cent below the 10-year average for […]

Home sales remain weaker than usual in the Metro Vancouver with June posting its lowest total since 2000. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says that sales in the month lagged the 10-year average by 34.7% with 2,077 total sales. That’s 14.4% below June 2018 and 21.3% below the total sales in May 2019. […]

Anew federal program designed to help middle class families get on the housing ladder is being introduced while the previously announced Shared Equity Mortgage Provider Fund will launch next month. The federal government has announced that the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive will reduce monthly mortgage payments for first-time buyers without increasing their down payment. The […]

If you are thinking about purchasing a home in the near future, here are some reasons you may consider buying a condo apartment or town home. You should also be aware there are some cons as well. Pros They are relatively inexpensive. As your footprint is small and you share exterior walls with others, the […]

There was a slight rise in home sales in Metro Vancouver last month. May 2019 figures from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver show 2,638 sales were recorded through the MLS, the first time more than 2,000 sales have been recorded this year and a 44.2% jump from April’s total. But sales were still […]

The moderation of Canada’s housing market means reduced revenue for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Its quarterly financial report for the first three months of 2019 reflects the reduced size of the insured mortgage market as home sales continue to lag the highs of recent year following several policy changes introduced in 2018. In […]

In the run up to this week’s rate setting by the Bank of Canada, talk of a coming rate cut is creeping into the forecast. A recent Reuters poll of 40 economists put the chances of a cut, within the next 12 months, at 40%.  However, the same poll but the chances of a cut, […]