Before banks or lending institutions can consider loaning money for a property, they need to know the current market value of that property. The job of an appraiser is to check the general condition of your home and determine a comparable market value based on other homes in your area. This is required for any […]

Not all insurance products are created equal. It is important to understand all the different insurance products to ensure you have proper coverage. Below are the main insurance product options you will encounter with homeownership, and what they mean: Default Insurance: This insurance is mandatory for homes where the buyer puts less than 20% down. […]

Once again, the Canadian economy is running hotter than expected by the Bank of Canada. The economy continues to exhibit excess demand conditions. In particular, labour markets are very tight, the unemployment rate is near a record low, and wages are rising by more than 5%. Consumer spending is still strong, and the housing market […]

When it comes to saving money, there are a lot of little things you can do that add up to make a big difference! Here are 10 of my favourite money-saving tips to help get you started today: Automatic Savings are one of the most effective ways to save because you can’t spend what you […]

The First Home Savings Account (FHSA) is specifically designed to help first-time homebuyers save for their down payment without having to pay taxes on the interest earned on their savings. This means that the interest earned on the savings in the account is not taxed, nor are withdrawals from the account. Plus, since your contributions […]

Good News Is Bad News For The Bank Of Canada The Canadian economy continues to show marked resilience to high-interest rates. Statistics Canada released data this morning showing real GDP rose at an above-consensus 3.1% annual rate in the first quarter of this year. The estimate for April growth was also firm, a harbinger of continued strength […]

There’s been an unexpected hiccup in the Bank of Canada’s ongoing battle against inflation. Year-over-year, price pressures escalated to 4.4% in April, an uptick from the previous month’s 4.3% and significantly exceeding the average economist’s prediction of 4.1%. This marks the first rise in overall inflation from the last June. Ironically, higher interest rates are intended to […]

The Canadian Real Estate Association says home sales in April surged 11.3% month-over-month. The Spring rebound was on the heels of smaller back-to-back gains in the prior two months. Now that the Bank of Canada paused interest rate hikes and home prices in most regions have softened, homebuyers are scrambling for the minimal available housing […]

The Canadian labour market has done it again, blowing past expectations for the fifth straight month. In April, a whopping 41,400 new jobs were added, more than double what economists predicted. Since February, monthly employment growth has averaged 33,000, following cumulative increases of 219,000 in December 2022 and January 2023. The employment rate—the share of the population aged 15 and older—held steady at 62.4% for […]

It has been just over a year since the Bank of Canada started hiking interest rates. While the economy has remained surprisingly resilient, the housing market has weakened sharply. The Bank has remained on the sidelines for the past two Governing Council announcement dates, and home sales have edged upward in very tight markets. There […]