News, Views and Trends!
So, your mortgage is coming up for renewal this year. You’ve probably been in your mortgage for at least three years – but likely closer to five, as this is the most common term.
Does the mortgage stress test affect you? Absolutely! And, here’s how…
Continue reading “What Impact will the Stress Test have when Renewing Your Mortgage?”
The beginning of the year is typically tough financially for most of us. Holiday bill payments, RRSP contributions, property tax bills, etc. And, if you’re self-employed, you probably have to make some sort of business tax or corporate tax payment. If December is the Holiday Season, then January and February feel like a hangover!
Banks and credit card companies love this time of year because this is when we’re most likely to carry a balance, forcing us to pay those crazy interest rates that range from 9% to 24%.
But, wait! Before you get too depressed, there may be a better option. There’s a less expensive way to manage your debt.
Continue reading “Debt Consolidation Tip: Pay less interest!”
I reviewed some recent stats that explain how overall mortgage growth has fallen to its lowest level in the past 17 years!
Overall, mortgages outstanding across Canada total more than $1.5 trillion. And, while this total continues to increase year over year, the rate of growth has decreased. We should pay attention to this!
Typically, when we experience lower mortgage growth or no growth at all, house prices will follow suit and come down.
But, why aren’t the banks up in arms over this given that they make huge profits by lending money? (More on this below.)
Continue reading “Mortgage growth has slowed… so why are BANKS winning & CONSUMERS losing?”
If you’re a regular reader of this site, you’ll know I’ve been very skeptical and critical of the Bank of Canada (BoC) for continuing to increase interest rates. It just hasn’t made sense.
The BoC raised rates FIVE TIMES between July 2017 and October 2018. That’s a 1.25% increase. For anyone with a $300,000 mortgage, your payment increased by $189 per month. Or, to put it another way, for every $100,000 of mortgage, your payment went up by around $63 per month.
Yet, we kept hearing that the BoC wanted to raise rates further. Economists and other experts were saying we should expect more rate increases by the end of 2018! Wow!
Continue reading “Remember when I said rates could go down, not up?!”
Many mortgage brokers and other sales/service professionals keep track of numbers to measure whether we’re on track for growth year-over-year.
So, I did some math. Since becoming a broker in 2004, my team and I have successfully funded more than $920 million in mortgages. That’s a big number, and I’m proud of my accomplishments – but not only because of the monetary value. Of course, everyone has to earn a living, but I also get to help people make their home dreams come true everyday. Now, that is among my proudest accomplishments by far!
Continue reading “My mission is to help keep mortgage consumers informed!”
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