The Finance Minister announced some new mortgage rules that will affect the mortgage and real estate industry. I would suggest you contact any clients and Realtors that you are dealing with that may be sitting on the fence about purchasing or re-financing to make their decision now.   Here’s a summary of the decisions made: […]

Flaherty: loonie will stay at par with U.S. thanks to “sound” fiscal situation By Lee-Anne Goodman, The Canadian Press WASHINGTON – The Canadian loonie will hover at parity with the U.S. dollar for some time to come, and deservedly so thanks to Canada’s economic strength, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Wednesday. “This is a new […]

Home-equity loans surge twice as fast as mortgage growth: BoC Paul Vieira, Financial Post · Monday, Jan. 10, 2011 OTTAWA — Home-equity lines of credit surged 170% over the past decade, or twice the rate of mortgage growth, a Bank of Canada deputy governor said Monday as she acknowledged keeping interest rates low “create their […]

Housing market should be resilient in 2011 thanks to low interest rates: LePage Sunny Freeman, The Canadian Press TORONTO – The Canadian real estate market will follow a similar pattern this year as that seen in 2010 as buyers pull sales forward into the early months in anticipation of higher interest rates, according to a […]

News Release: January 5, 2011   STABILITY REIGNS IN LATTER HALF OF 2010 REAL ESTATE MARKET            (Surrey, BC) – Stable property sales and a steady erosion of inventory for the last seven months of 2010 have brought equilibrium to Fraser Valley’s real estate market.   “Our market was a bit of a rollercoaster […]

Christmas is a homebuyer’s market Garry Marr, Financial Post · Friday, Dec. 17, 2010 Don’t over do it this Christmas, if you want to sell your house, that is. Royal LePage Real Estate Services says it’s time to start thinking about a smaller tree this year if you plan to list your home for sale […]

Top 10 Things To Avoid When Selling Your Home Over The Holidays, According To Royal LePage TORONTO, Dec. 16 /CNW/ – Vacation time and slower work schedules create an ideal time for open houses. However, as homes fill up with presents, decorations and visitors, sellers are often faced with the challenge of striking the right […]

For your information, the following news release was issued by the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver and the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board earlier today. COLD WEATHER PREDICTIONS SPUR REALTORS CARE® BLANKET DRIVE TO A NEW RECORD VANCOUVER, BC – Facing down predictions for severe winter weather this […]

  Industry News   Monday was D-Day. Statistics Canada reported on it. Bay Street’s economists pontificated on it. And Mark Carney, in his own way, declared war on it.    “D” stands for debt, and Canada Monday reached a high-water mark: For the first time, household debt hit 148% of disposable income and, for the […]

Canada’s young workers: the group the economic recovery left behind By Julian Beltrame, The Canadian Press OTTAWA – Canada’s falling unemployment rate is hiding an unpleasant truth — tens of thousands are leaving the labour market in frustration, and none more so than young workers. Last week’s labour force survey for November presented a distorted […]