Winter is traditionally a slow time in the housing market. A lot of buyers and sellers decide to wait until the spring housing market when the weather is nicer and there’s typically a better selection of homes on the market. With most of Canada in a deepfreeze, Canada’s biggest banks are trying to inject some much-needed warmth into the housing market. Four of Canada’s…
Whether you’re a baby boomer looking to downsize or a first-time homebuyer, condos are a popular option, especially in pricey markets like Vancouver. What’s not to love about a condo? Not only are condos usually more affordable than houses, they don’t come with all the headaches and hard work of owning a house. Are you worried about major expenses like repairing a leaky roof…
With residents in Vancouver spending so much on housing, how’s a family supposed to make ends met? It should come as no surprise that many families are struggling to find affordable housing in Vancouver. Although it’s tough, that doesn’t mean you should throw your hands up in the air and give up – let’s take a look at some affordable housing options that still exist…
2013 was a year full of extreme weather. In June, we saw the floods in Alberta that no one could have prepared for. The floods devastated Calgary and surrounding areas, leaving thousands homeless and billions of dollars in damage. Severe weather wasn’t limited to the Prairies – Canada’s largest city, Toronto, received a torrential downpour of its own when it received over a month’s worth…
If you are planning to purchase a house with a mortgage in Vancouver, you should have a basic understanding of the different types of plans available to you. We will discuss each one in detail in future posts. Conventional Mortgages These mortgage plans are also known as Low Ratio Mortgages and require a down payment of 20% or more of the total purchase price or…
An Adjustable Rate Mortgage is a long-term home mortgage that features an adjustable interest rate. Its counterpart, the fixed rate mortgage, has a predetermined mortgage rate that spans the life of the mortgage repayment time. These mortgages are often referred to as Variable Rate Mortgage or as Renegotiable Rate Mortgage. An ARM in Canada will be set up like a regular bank loan but the…
If you feel you are paying too much on your mortgage, you always have the option to refinance your mortgage. The problem many homeowners fall into is when they should refinance. The interest rates go up and down with no signs of stopping. Always remember the mortgage you have for your home is your key to owning your property for the rest of your life.…
When you are working on deciding what kind of home you are going to buy, you need to think about the mortgage you can afford. If you get a mortgage too high, you will not be able to afford to make the payments every month. This is why you should be using a mortgage calculator to figure out exactly what you are going to pay…
Even though the modern borrower obtaining a mortgage loan is a lower risk, there is still an insistence in the mortgage industry for borrower to obtain mortgage insurance if the down payment is less than 20%. The ability to cut this amount is essential for home buyers to save money. This is due in large part to the fact the amount paid is all in…
Buying a home is a really exciting experience for people. Making a mortgage payment for the rest of your life is not as exciting of a prospect for you. This is one of the many reasons why people would like to pay off their mortgage payments as early as possible. Since this is not as easy as just cutting a check, there are methods that…
