In winter, reduce the heat lost from your home or workplace by getting rid of drafts around windows, doors, baseboards and outside wall openings. Windows can account for a large part of heat loss in a building. Upgrade them if they are too old. Window insulators can help keep your home warm in winter and […]

Mortgage [ˈmôrɡij] NOUN With a residential mortgage, a home buyer pledges his or her house to the bank. The bank has a claim on the house should the home buyer default on paying the mortgage. In the case of a foreclosure, the bank may evict the home’s occupants and sell the house, using the income […]

If you’re credit challenged but want to get into the housing market, it can be a tough road to hoe. But improving your credit to a point where a lender will give you chance, is very doable. First, I won’t bore you with the detailed minutia of credit scores. Basically, what you need to know […]

If you’re in a mortgage that’s coming up for renewal in the coming months and you’re considering just staying with your current lender, you wouldn’t be alone. According to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Residential Mortgage Industry Report released in the summer, in 2018, the number of mortgage renewals with the same lender […]

Buying a home is more difficult now than ever—and this is not news to anyone! No matter where you live, the recent stress testing measures, increase in housing prices in major cities, and continued increase of the cost of living all combine to make home ownership a daunting task. But we do want to offer […]

Buying a home might just be the biggest purchase of your life—it’s important to do your homework before jumping in! We have outlined the 5 mistakes first time homebuyers commonly make, and how you can avoid them and look like a Home Buying Champ. 1. Shopping Outside Your Budget It’s always an excellent idea to […]

We are currently in a very unique situation when it comes to 5-year fixed and 5-year variable interest rates. For the first time in almost a decade, the lowest 5-year fixed interest rate is more than 0.30% lower than the lowest available variable interest rate for new mortgages. For some, their current variable rate is […]

They say about half of all marriages end in divorce—whatever the figure, complications arise when it comes to dividing assets like homes, and determining who keeps making mortgage payments. “It’s a commercial transaction irrelevant to marital status,” said Nathalie Boutet of Boutet Family Law & Mediation. “If one person moves out and the other stays […]

Your furnace or boiler is a large energy user. Consider: – If health permits, keeping your thermostat at 20°C or below – Lowering your thermostat at night and when no one’s home – Checking the furnace filter once a month during the heating season (change or clean when dirty) – Having a professional tune-up of […]

Buying a home can feel like a journey. Whether it’s your first place or 10th, there are so many steps to go through and things you need to know. While you could try to secure financing on your own, at some point you’re going to need the help of a professional. And that’s where a […]