by Ana Costa | Oct 16, 2020 | Blog, Economy, Finance, Homeownership
Property taxes are levied to homeowners as a way to help maintain services in your community that ensure your neighbourhood continues to thrive and remain an attractive place to live and work. Property taxes represent a key source of funding for municipalities...
by Ana Costa | Oct 2, 2020 | Blog, Homeownership, Productivity
The arrival of COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way we live our lives – from the way we work, think, dress, shop and interact with others. As a society, we’re also spending more time in our homes than ever before. The days of leaving the house from 9 to 5,...
by Ana Costa | Sep 18, 2020 | Announcements, Homeownership, Mortgage
One of the most challenging obstacles to homeownership is saving enough money for a down payment. Thankfully, mortgage default insurance provides a break to homebuyers that enables you to put less money down. The minimum down payment required to purchase a...
by Ana Costa | Sep 4, 2020 | Blog, Homeownership
Both a home appraisal and an inspection are important steps within the home buying process, so it’s well worth your effort to distinguish the differences between them and learn how they can both be used to your advantage to uncover detailed information about a...
by Ana Costa | Aug 21, 2020 | Blog, Economy, Finance, Homeownership
The Canadian real estate market was in good shape heading into 2020, but the busy spring season was delayed a bit thanks to COVID-19. The good news is that it has come back white hot, breaking records throughout the summer and showing no signs of slowing down anytime...
by Ana Costa | Aug 7, 2020 | Blog, Economy, Homeownership, Mortgage
Canadian seniors who are feeling the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are showing interest in reverse mortgages as a way to stay in their current homes. With a reverse mortgage, Canadians aged 55+ can borrow funds against home equity. No payments are...
by Ana Costa | Jul 17, 2020 | Blog, Economy, Finance
It’s important not to subscribe to the doom and gloom media reports about the Canadian housing market, especially in the midst of COVID-19 emergency measures. The reality is that, regardless of what you’re reading in the mainstream media, people are still...
by Ana Costa | Jul 3, 2020 | Blog, Economy, Homeownership, Mortgage
When you took out your current mortgage, you were required to make a number of key decisions, such as the type of rate you wanted – fixed or variable – the amortization period, whether it was open or closed as well as what term you wanted. A mortgage term...
by Ana Costa | Jun 19, 2020 | Blog, Homeownership, Mortgage
Before you head out home shopping, it’s important to first determine how much you can comfortably afford to spend. Not only will getting your mortgage agent to arrange a pre-approval help you understand what lenders look for when granting you a home loan, but it will...
by Ana Costa | Jun 5, 2020 | Announcements, Blog, CMHC, Mortgage
The COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact on all sectors of Canada’s economy, including housing. Job losses, business closures and a drop in immigration are adversely affecting Canada’s housing markets, and CMHC foresees a 9% to 18% decrease in house prices over the...
