WHAT’S INCLUDED IN A HOME PURCHASE AGREEMENT While a home purchase agreement may seem simple and straight forward, there are many differences that you can encounter that can be a big surprise to first-time homebuyers. While you expect the date of possession and the full purchase price to be outlined in the agreement, there are […]

March Home Sales Rebound From Dismal February Showing   Statistics released Monday by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) show that national home sales edged higher in March following the sharp decline in storm-struck February. Overall, however, housing activity remains considerably below historical norms. Home sales rose 0.9% nationally while the benchmark price rose 0.8%. […]

5 REASONS WHY REALTORS WANT YOU TO HAVE A PRE-APPROVAL You’ve decided that you want to buy a home and you call up a realtor to show you a listing and the first question they ask is “ How much are you pre-approved for?” Many realtors will refuse to book home viewings until they can […]

CONDO HOME INSURANCE First thing I would like to say about home insurance- this is not what we specialize in. We are experts when it comes to brokering mortgages, not determining what type of home insurance would be best suited for you. That being said, there are 3 key topics we would like people to […]

INCOME QUALIFIED There are several different ways a borrower can qualify for a mortgage when it comes to their income. One of the most common ways is known as income qualified. All of the following methods of employment income are under the income qualified umbrella: Annual salary income employees Full time employees working guaranteed weekly […]

FEDS OFFER NEW INCENTIVES FOR NEW HOME BUYERS In this year’s budget, the federal government announced a program for first-time homebuyers that would offer between 5% and 10% top up from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. If you’re buying a brand new home, the CMHC will give you 10% of the total cost, and […]

A SHIFTING MARKET… AGAIN The recent data sure has changed the tone of rates in the coming months. The prime rate – what variable rates are based on, while a few short weeks ago was expected to rise three times in the next 18 months now with the data on the slowing of the market […]

SOURCE OF FUNDS Over the past several years, investigators have been working on an ongoing investigation relating to criminal money laundering in Canada. Looking at B.C. alone, billions of dollars have been laundered through B.C. casinos by criminal organizations and parked in high end B.C. real estate over the past decade or more. With government […]

If you are recovering from a bad credit event, such as a consumer proposal or personal bankruptcy, you should make every effort to restore some lustre to that damaged credit history. A good way to get started would be by opening two new credit facilities and using them vigorously. It’s not hard to spot a […]

7 STEPS TO BUYING A HOME It’s important to understand the home buying process, so here’s a 7-step checklist. Step 1: Down Payment The hardest part to buying a home is saving the down payment (a gift from the Bank of Mom & Dad also works). • For purchases under $500,000 minimum down payment is […]