By Calum Ross Year over year, perhaps the most contested issue in the mortgage market is the age-old decision of choosing between a fixed and variable rate mortgage. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of personal financial research dollars has been poured into making the case and giving the final decisive pearl of wisdom to consumers. Here is some wisdom that will work in any...[ read more ]
By Susan M Boyce It’s the New Year, a time when it’s tradition to plan, dream and predict. This year, as industry watchers and insiders throughout the Lower Mainland spend some time gazing into the proverbial crystal ball, an underlying theme of gentle but solid stability and growth for our local real estate market is emerging — more of the same but a little bit...[ read more ]
Four out of 10 Canadians planning to enter the housing market over the next two years will be first-time homebuyers, according to the 20th annual RBC Home Ownership Poll. The poll found that the majority of Canadians are taking a wait-and-see approach to home purchases, with 15 per cent likely to buy in the next two years, down from 27 per cent in 2012. “The more...[ read more ]
By Kevin Lutz, RBC Regional Sales Manager, Residential Mortgages In no particular order, what will be important to you in the coming year are the new mortgage guidelines, the transition from HST back to GST/PST on April 1, housing price trends and interest rates. NEW MORTGAGE GUIDELINES COULD AFFECT YOU There is no doubt that the new B-20 mortgage guidelines introduced by...[ read more ]
