While the vast majority of homeowners opt for the familiar 5-year fixed term, a tiny percentage of Canadians prefer the stability that comes with locking in a 10-year rate. In an unpredictable world where interest rates fluctuate, a 10-year fixed mortgage can offer peace of mind with long-term, stable payments…. Read More
Category: News
Bank of Canada reduces policy rate by 50 basis points to 3¾%
www.bankofcanada.ca The Bank of Canada today reduced its target for the overnight rate to 3¾%, with the Bank Rate at 4% and the deposit rate at 3¾%. The Bank is continuing its policy of balance sheet normalization. The Bank continues to expect the global economy to expand at a rate […]
New actions announced to encourage building of secondary suites, more homes in Canada
CTV News ~ October 9th, 2024 The federal government introduced a number of measures related to housing on Tuesday, which include measures for homeowners wanting to add a secondary suite, taxing vacant land and building homes in place of underused federal properties. The first action is changes to how lenders […]
Homeowners will no longer need to do stress test when switching mortgage providers
CBC news ~ September 26th, 2024 The national banking regulator says it will no longer require borrowers with uninsured mortgages to undergo a stress test when switching providers. The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions says it will end the policy for lenders to apply the minimum qualifying rate […]
Mortgage and real estate industry hit the jackpot this week with trio of announcements
Financial Post ~ September 20th, 2024 They say good news comes in threes. I don’t know if that’s true or if it’s from the same school of science as astrology, but it happened this week with mortgages. First, Ottawa announced a bombshell loosening of mortgage insurance rules. Second, inflation stunned […]
Bank of Canada reduces policy rate by 25 basis points to 4¼%
The Bank of Canada today reduced its target for the overnight rate to 4¼%, with the Bank Rate at 4½% and the deposit rate at 4¼%. The Bank is continuing its policy of balance sheet normalization. The global economy expanded by about 2½% in the second quarter, consistent with projections […]
Market volatility could drive some mortgage rates lower. Here’s why
Global News ~ August 7th, 2024 Canadians gearing up for a run at the fall housing market and existing homeowners with a mortgage renewal looming might see interest rates heading down in the weeks ahead thanks to recent market volatility, experts tell Global News. Stock markets around the world largely […]
First-time homebuyers can now apply for a 30-year mortgage.
CBC News ~ August 1st, 2024 The 30-year amortized mortgages announced in the 2024 federal budget are kicking in on Thursday. First-time homebuyers who are purchasing newly built homes can now qualify for a 30-year mortgage, giving them five additional years to pay off an insured mortgage. For other mortgages […]
Bank of Canada cuts key interest rate again, more cuts ‘reasonable’ if inflation keeps easing
Central bank cut rate for 2nd consecutive time, to 4.5 per cent CBC ~ July 24th, 2024 The Bank of Canada cut its key interest rate to 4.5 per cent on Wednesday, with governor Tiff Macklem saying during a news conference that it would be reasonable to expect further rate […]
Bank of Canada’s June rate cut was like bringing a butter knife to a gunfight
Financial Post ~ July 4th, 2024 Canadian real estate and overleveraged borrowers need a bigger saviour. A measly 25-basis-point drop in average mortgage rates only translates into a little more than two per cent improvement in payment affordability (home buying power). Hence, the psychological boost from the bank’s initial cut […]