The Taste of Home – Our House Magazine Restaurateur and TV personality Vikram Vij on the joy of cooking—slowly—at home The culinary landscape in North America is amply populated with chefs and personalities putting their spin on a style of cooking designed to get your attention. With the explosion of the foodie culture in recent […]

Get Ahead of the ‘Rate Train’ A recent article featured on www.mortgagebrokernews.ca brings up some interesting points to consider. With approximately 47% of mortgages in Canada coming up for renewal in 2018 and in a rising rate climate, it would be wise to consider the impact on our personal mortgage. What will these increases mean […]

What is a Property Assessment vs a Home Appraisal? It’s the time of year when many homeowners are getting their property assessments. The real estate market is the single biggest influence on market values. Market forces vary from year to year and from property to property. The market value on an assessment notice may differ […]

How mortgage brokers help you get approved by ‘A’ lenders Every year Canadian families are caught in unexpected bad circumstances only to find out that in most cases the banks and the credit unions are there to lend you money in the good times, not so much during the bad times. This is where thousands […]

Robust Canadian Jobs Report for December Tops Off a Blockbuster Year The highly anticipated December Labour Force Survey, released this morning by Stats Canada, surpassed forecasts breaking multi-year records. Canada’s jobless rate fell to 5.7% in December, its lowest level in more than 40 years, raising the prospects for a Bank of Canada rate hike […]

What is a cash back mortgage? Every once in a while, a bank will advertise a cash back mortgage. It sounds great but there are a few things to consider. When you purchase a home, you may find that you need some extra cash. You may want to renovate, purchase some furniture, or start on […]

CMHC changes will harm, not help, the real estate market A new program the federal government has announced to subsidize first-time homebuyers isn’t likely to help the market but more likely to harm it. And not only is it not going to help out the market, but it’s not going to help out new homeowners. […]

OSFI mortgage changes are coming As many of you may remember, this past October the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) issued a revision to Guideline B-20 . The changes will go into effect on January 1, 2018 but lenders are expecting to roll this rules out to their consumers between December 7th – 15th, and will […]

Mortgages and Paperwork Paperwork-it’s a fact of life. You need it and we as mortgage professionals also need it. Below is a list of must have documentation BEFORE you start going through the mortgage approval process. Personal Information This will be the basic information we require to start your mortgage process. It will include your […]

Additional Financing with a “Blend and Extend” Mortgage Prepayment Privileges You need additional financing. Do you prepay your existing loan? We remind readers that commercial mortgage borrowers do not enjoy the privileges afforded personal borrowers. Section 10 of the Interest Act, allowing borrowers to repay loans after 5 years, with a 3 month interest penalty, […]