For the past several years both fixed and variable rates have done nothing but fall. With such historically low fixed interest rates (and the spread between fixed and variable being close) I have, until recently, been recommending to my clients that they select the fixed rate option. This changed with the Bank of Canada reducing [...]
A number of years ago lenders were offering 2.99% for a five year fixed rate mortgage and we thought “ Wow what a low interest rate!” Rates couldn’t possibly get lower. Well, they did with many lenders now offering 2.64%. These are the lowest rates in history and while I believe they will remain low [...]
We have all heard the doom and gloom reports from the media about how the drop in the price of oil and the possible negative impact of the NDP government will affect the Calgary real estate market. Is this in fact the case? The answer depends on what price range of home you are looking [...]
When you have been in any industry long enough, you hear all sorts of comments about the industry. Some are factual and then there are the urban myths. I thought I would highlight a few of the more common ones. Mortgage lending is typically misunderstood as it is so myths don’t help. Myth 1) Mortgage [...]
Back in late 2008 I also wrote an article with the same name. With the recent economic news in Alberta I felt the time was now to write a similar article. In the first few months of 2015, if you picked up a newspaper or listened to the radio, it was all doom and gloom. [...]
As many of you are aware, the Bank of Canada reviews the Canadian economy on a regular basis to help control inflation or deflation. Depending on how the economy is doing compared to the Bank’s expectations, the Bank will do one of three things. They can raise the Prime lending rate, leave it where it [...]
Helping Kids with Real Estate - October 2013 Does the Lender Matter? - November 2013 Rental Financing - The Bad, Ugly, and the Good - January 2013 Costly Games Bank Play - March 2013 Do you fret about your Mortgage? - May 2013 Rules and more Rules - July 2013 Credit Blunders - September 2013
Financing for Self Employed – there are Options!
Are you considering becoming self-employed? You are not alone as Intuit Canada recently found out in their 2018 survey entitled "Vision 2020: Empowered and self-employed in Canada." Based on their survey, they predict that 45% of Canada's workforce will be self-employed by 2020! In a similar article from 2018, CBC found that people working for [...]