One of the toughest challenges for homebuyers is being able to save money at the rate of property price increases. We know many high-income renters would like to be homeowners, but they’re just unaware of how to make the transition and are unable to save fast enough. There are several options which are great for […]

The Canadian mortgage market used to be very simple. We had the big banks, credit unions, and trust companies. However, almost 20 years ago, the Canadian government made three major changes to the Canadian mortgage industry. First, the government and CMHC put their weight behind Canadian mortgages by guaranteeing an insurance payout to lenders in […]

A HELOC, or, Home Equity Line of Credit, can be one of the greatest gifts you give yourself. Borrowing money against your home as you accumulate equity through a shrinking mortgage or an increasing property value- something almost many people in the Vancouver and Toronto markets can relate to. With all this increasing value and […]

Recently one of the former members of the boy band New Kids on the Block expressed an interest in buying this lighthouse off the coast of Virginia in the U.S. Unique homes can be a lot of fun to own and to live in. However, there are some things you should be aware of before […]

There was an improvement in Canada’s housing affordability measure at the end of 2017. It was the first time in two years that RBC Economics Research’s Housing Trends and Affordability Report has shown a decrease in its aggregate measure, albeit just 0.2 percentage points nationally to 48.3%. As the measure is shown as the share […]

Finding the best realtor for you involves doing some leg work. It can be overwhelming, kind of like choosing which ice cream you want to try! You go to the ice cream store and they have over 50 flavours and after you have contemplated, you opt for vanilla, just because it was easy. Finding the […]

Homebuying intention is at its highest in eight years as the growth in the Canadian economy fuels consumers’ confidence. Despite the mortgage stress tests introduced at the start of 2018, a third of Canadians polled by RBC say they are very or somewhat likely to buy a home in the next two years. Among millennials, […]

Prepayment, Portability and Assumability Prepayments One of the most common questions we get is about mortgage prepayments. The conditions vary from lender to lender but the nice thing about prepayments is that you can pay a little more every year if you want to pay off your mortage faster. A great way to do this […]