While buying a home is the biggest investment the average Canadian will ever make, many first-time home buyers still don’t take the time to perform sufficient financial due diligence before signing their offer to purchase. A recent survey commissioned by TD Canada Trust has found that the two biggest regrets include not saving for a larger down payment and not doing enough … Read More
Loophole May Make Credit Unions the Better Mortgage Option
New mortgage guidelines aimed at Canada’s sizzling real estate market might not be as ironclad as Finance Minister Mark Carney may have hoped. That’s because credit unions, which are provincially regulated, are not under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI). This loophole may provide community credit unions with an important competitive advantage and borrowers … Read More
HELOC Lending Limits On The Way?
Rumour has it that lending limits for home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) could be slashed come the end of this month. These moves, which relate to the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions’ new mortgage underwriting guidelines, will limit federally regulated lenders to limit all new HELOCs to 65 percent loan-to-value, down from the current rate of 80 … Read More
Is a One-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Right For You?
Rates have nowhere to go but up. Or at least, that’s what everyone keeps telling us. Banks, economists, mortgage brokers, even Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is insisting that interest rates will start to climb later this year. And yet, they keep going down. The mortgage establishment continues to drop interest rates, pushing long-term fixed mortgage rates like they’re going out … Read More
Ten Tips for Aspiring Homeowners
Thinking of buying while interest rates are still low? Follow these tips to ensure that your finances are ready for a long-term investment.