4 Sep

Rate Hikes Off The Table With Weak Q2 GDP Growth In Canada

Latest News

Posted by: Dean Kimoto

Rate hikes are definitely off the table The Canadian economy weakened surprisingly more in the second quarter than the market and the Bank of Canada expected. Real GDP edged downward by a 0.2% annual rate in Q2. The consensus was looking for a 1.2% rise. The modest decline followed a downwardly revised 2.6% growth pace […]

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1 Sep

Canada’s mortgage stress test: Obsolete or still doing its job?

Latest News

Posted by: Dean Kimoto

Originally introduced to mitigate borrower default risks in the event of rising interest rates, some brokers now argue that Canada’s mortgage stress test is no longer needed with interest rates presumably near their peak. Others, however, say it’s a tool that’s best left in place for the time being. Back in 2016, the federal government […]

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24 Aug

Why work with a broker when I can just go to my bank?

Latest News

Posted by: Dean Kimoto

Maybe I work with your bank already.  Except… I might have a better option.  It’s worth asking!  I just did a quick scan and from what I just saw The Dominion Lending Centres network has access to at least 76 lenders (and some local credit unions we work with I noticed weren’t on this list, […]

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22 Aug

Latest News

Posted by: Dean Kimoto

Just read a great article on Real Estate Invesment Properties vs other options, CLICK HERE to read in full. The quick review: in terms of cashflow, purchasing an investment property right should be compared against other investments.  For the long term, in terms of asset appreciation, well that may be another story! As always, best […]

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21 Aug

Choosing Your Ideal Payment Frequency

General

Posted by: Dean Kimoto

Your payment schedule is the frequency that you make mortgage payments and ranges from monthly to bi-monthly, bi-weekly, accelerated bi-weekly or even weekly payments. Below is a quick overview of what each of these payment frequencies mean: Monthly Payments: A monthly payment is simply a single large payment, paid once per month; this is the default […]

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17 Aug

Higher interest rates put a chill on Canada’s housing markets in July

General

Posted by: Dean Kimoto

Home sales and prices continued to ease in July following the two latest rate hikes from the Bank of Canada. On a seasonally adjusted basis, home sales fell 0.7% from June to July, according to the latest monthly data from the Canadian Real Estate Association. This marks the first monthly contraction in six months. While […]

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14 Aug

Home Renovations – Reality vs. Television

General

Posted by: Dean Kimoto

Home Renovations – Reality vs. Television. Watching home renovation shows is inspiring, often providing us with ideas for our own spaces. However, there is a bit of a downside when it comes to these shows – they can be misleading when it comes to the renovation process. While we may want to recreate something from […]

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8 Aug

Real estate markets defy rate hikes: annual growth in activity persists, but there are signs of a cooling ahead

Latest News

Posted by: Dean Kimoto

Real estate markets in the country’s largest metro areas remained relatively strong in July despite the Bank of Canada’s most recent rate hikes. Data from some of the key real estate boards show continued year-over-year growth in activity and continued upward momentum in prices. In Toronto, sales posted a 7.8% year-over-year gain, while in Vancouver […]

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