There is no doubt that 2020 was one for the books. It will be remembered as a year like no other. COVID-19 has caused significant national economic disruption, to say the least. While we’ve seen government intervention, record unemployment, mortgage payment deferrals, record low-interest rates, we’ve also seen continued growth in the housing market. So […]
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If you bought a house, or had a mortgage renew roughly five years ago, there’s a chance the struggling economy and the relatively low interest rate environment (at the time) influenced you to “play it safe” and lock in a mortgage term for the next ten years. Because, at the time, it seemed like interest […]
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You’re on “the grid” Every few weeks, we open our mailboxes (or our email inboxes) with bated breath. Inevitably, we find another heap of utility bills, waiting to separate us from our hard earned dollars. This is not unusual; this is simply part of life for most Canadians. But, what if it didn’t have to […]
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If you’ve tuned into the news today, you’ve probably heard that there are new mortgage rules coming into effect on January 1st. 2018. Over the next week you’ll most likely hear a lot of commentary on whether these rules are good, bad, necessary, or unnecessary. And no doubt someone somewhere will come to the conclusion […]
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Here is the latest economic update from Verico’s economist Michael Campbell. I think that anyone working in the real estate industry can be forgiven for waking up in a cold sweat muttering what Ronald Regan called the 9 scariest words in the English language: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” All three […]
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Recently, the Bank of Canada released its semi-annual Financial Systems Review (PDF document), which identifies some of the major risks that the Bank foresees on the economic horizon. Unsurprisingly, the Bank pinpoints increased levels of Canadian household debt and rapidly increasing prices in Toronto and Vancouver as vulnerabilities to the financial system. The good news is […]
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Well, after many years of unprecedented low interest rates in Canada, it appears the Canadian government by way of rule changes, and the American government by way of Trump, are impacting mortgage rates. Simply put, the Canadian government has recently made it more expensive for banks to lend money, while predictions of the policies that could […]
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Although the recent changes to mortgage qualification introduced by the government were intended to create stability in the Canadian housing market, the unintended consequences might have been to make the waters a little muddier. For the first time, it looks like Canadians weighing their mortgage options will have to be aware that not only do different lenders offer […]
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This morning, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced new housing measures, changes meant to alleviate risk in Canada’s current housing market. The measures include: Standardizing lending criteria for high- and low-ratio mortgages, including a mortgage stress test Closing tax loopholes for capital gains exemptions on principal residence sales Consulting with industry stakeholders to ensure risk is […]
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Before reading this you should be warned that the following content is pretty dry… like eating 8 saltine crackers without drinking water dry. If you need to go and get something to drink before proceeding, no worries, we will wait here. Take your time. The quick and dirty version, as of November 1st 2016, OSFI is going […]
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