SEPTEMBER DATA CONFIRM THAT HOUSING IS IN FULL REBOUND Statistics released today by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) show that national home sales rose for the seventh consecutive month. Activity rose another 0.6% month-over-month in September to 512,000 units (seasonally-adjusted and annualized). This was the highest level in 21 months and 6.6% above the […]

BUILDING A REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO More and more Canadians do not have a defined benefits pension plan. Companies are moving away from this model due to the expense of maintaining enough in the fund to pay out until the employee and survivors die. Those who are self employed also do not have pensions beside the […]

ROBUST CANADIAN JOBS REPORT IN SEPTEMBER The Canadian jobs market continued to surprise on the high-side–on track for one of its best years on record. This provides further confirmation to the Bank of Canada that additional easing in monetary policy is not necessary. The economy added 53,700 jobs in September, well above expectation, taking the […]

MORTGAGES 101 – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MORTGAGES Mortgage [ˈmôrɡij] NOUN With a residential mortgage, a home buyer pledges his or her house to the bank. The bank has a claim on the house should the home buyer default on paying the mortgage. In the case of a foreclosure, the bank may evict […]

CLIENT SUCCESS STORY: CHIP REVERSE MORTGAGES A retired couple on fixed pensions found themselves struggling to make ends meet each month. Both were in good health and wanted to maintain an active lifestyle. They had spent their working years paying off their mortgage and had little saved in their RRSPs. Now both in their 70s, […]

Canadians Need Guidance With Their Mortgages   That’s the takeaway from a national survey released this week by Rates.ca, which found half of Canadians aren’t aware of the mortgage options available to them. Not only that, but Canadians are lacking in some other basic mortgage trivia, with an astounding 9 out of 10 respondents not knowing that […]

5 WAYS YOU COULD USE A CHIP REVERSE MORTGAGE Reverse mortgages are continuing to grow as a retirement solution for Canadians 55+. Homeowners 55+ are unlocking their home equity for tax-free funds that improve their cashflow and pay-off higher interest loans. Consider your own financial needs. Do any of these 5 common scenarios sound familiar? […]

5 MORTGAGE TIPS TO HELP YOU AFFORD A HOME Buying a home is more difficult now than ever—and this is not news to anyone! No matter where you live, the recent stress testing measures, increase in housing prices in major cities, and continued increase of the cost of living all combine to make home ownership […]

REVERSE MORTGAGES IN CANADA DIFFER GREATLY FROM THOSE IN THE U.S. How much do you really know about reverse mortgages? Maybe you know that reverse mortgages can help Canadians 55+ access the equity in their home, tax-free. But there are many people who mistakenly think that Canadian reverse mortgages are just like those offered in […]

5 MISTAKES FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS SHOULD AVOID Buying a home might just be the biggest purchase of your life—it’s important to do your homework before jumping in! We have outlined the 5 mistakes first time homebuyers commonly make, and how you can avoid them and look like a Home Buying Champ. 1. Shopping Outside […]