The Week in Economic and Real Estate News Last week brought little in the way of new housing market data but there was no shortage of economic news which was important for the Canadian real estate and mortgage markets. After the Bank of Canada’s surprise rate cut on January 21st, Canadian banks lowered their Prime […]

It’s always asked if one should consider a refiance or wait for their current term to mature.  Here’s a few tips to help you decide: *If your current mortgage rate is more than .50% higher than todays current rates *If you have equity in your home and high interest debt that you are no where […]

Get Pre-Qualified FIRST!  – Before you even start looking at homes, ensure you are pre-qualified by a mortgage broker.  This way you get advice, knowledge and experience from someone that has access to more than just one bank. Get your Finances in order – At this point you will want to pay down as much […]

If you have questions about your BC Assessments, check out the FAQ here.  http://www.bcassessment.ca/Documents/Assessment%20Roll%20Information.aspx

CMHC released its House Price Analysis and Assessment report to the public for the first time last week. The report concludes that Canada’s housing markets “remain broadly consistent” with underlying economic and demographic fundamentals but that home prices in some areas are “slightly higher” than those factors would suggest.  RBC published its latest quarterly Housing […]

Looking to find out if you can refinance early and take advantage of todays rates before they begin to rise in 2015?  Now is a great time as you will also receive $300 in Visa Gift Cards to use or share over the holidays.  Click the link to find out how! Click Here to Take […]

The Week in Economic and Real Estate News   The Canadian Real Estate Association published national resale data for October early last week. Both sales volumes and average prices were about 7% higher than a year ago. The MLS Home Price Index rose by 5.5%. CAAMP’s Fall survey report and analysis was published last week. […]

This is an old article I had on file from earlier this year that provides a good summary of how the Bank of Canada’s rate affects mortgage rates.  This article was from January so the reference and comments to market and rates may be different from where we stand today.  Not far off though in […]

With the summer season now in full swing, last week was slow in terms of real estate and mortgage news but Canada’s major real estate boards will report on June results later this week. Most observers are expecting a continuation of May’s strong sales figures.   Re/Max published its Recreational Property Report last week which […]

By and large, the 5-year fixed mortgage rate follows the pattern of 5-year Canada Bond Yields, plus a spread. Bond yields are driven by economic factors such as unemployment, export and inflation. When Canada Bond Yields rise, sourcing capital to fund mortgages becomes more costly for mortgage lenders and their profit is reduced unless they […]