Blog Posts

 
Everything You Need to Know About Construction Mortgages in Canada

When it comes to shopping for your dream home, it could take months searching all over the town for a house that is just the right one for you, only to come up empty-handed and disappointed. Why? Maybe the housing costs aren’t affordable, some houses look great from the outside while the inside of it is not what you want like poor interior lights, a leaky roof, bad electric works and so on.

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RRSP Loans Can Get You Thousands of Dollars For Your Home Purchase: Home Buyers Plan

Are you thinking about buying a home within the next year, but can’t seem to save the down payment and closing costs fast enough? Here is a trick to get you there much faster by using the Home Buyers Plan which smartly leverages RRSP loans and gets you a tax refund in the thousands.

In the case study below, a young couple made $21,000 appear overnight by smartly using RRSP loans and then applying for a mortgage.

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Canadian Foreign and Local Housing Taxes You Can't Afford to Ignore

If you are a foreign investor or homeowner you’ll want to be acutely aware that Canada has many housing taxes that have been introduced throughout the recent years. While most provinces will have similar approaches, **below is how Ontario and British Columbia** set the various taxes that apply when you just buy a home and on a yearly basis for both locals and foreigners.

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What New First-Time Homebuyer Programs Save You Thousands?

As of September 2019, The federal government intended to make homeownership more affordable for young people by introducing the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive (FTHBI) - but is it worth it?

As someone who might be self-employed or if you are friends with an entrepreneur, you’ll likely appreciate a similar scenario when I was on CBC’s Dragons’ Den. Like the government, the Dragons’ wanted to inject capital in my venture to allow us to afford to be an entrepreneur for longer, and with faster growth. But it came at a cost.

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Fixed Rates Shoot Up .3% Overnight While Variable Rates Rumoured To Decrease by .25%

All the murmurs of fixed rates rising finally came to fruition as rates jumped as high as 3% overnight. This means that someone seeking a $500,000 mortgage needs to pay almost $1000 more a year than they did yesterday - procrastinating is getting expensive. Get pre-approved to have your rate reserved and consider a variable rate that is rumoured to go down in the coming months.

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Armani Casa Interview with Nora Szeleczky

As you start to consider buying your personal home or investment property, it’s important to consider how world-class design can impact the space. In an exclusive interview with the Director of Armani Casa, Nora Szeleczky, we uncover how the global Italian fashion giant approaches home decor so you can live boldly or home stage your place at a new level.

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Fixed Rate vs. Variable Rate: What One Should I Choose?

75% of Canadians choose fixed-rate vs variable-rate mortgages because they want the "peace of mind" of paying the same every month and the rate not changing on them...but do they have the full picture? And what is best for you?

Most home buyers are unaware of the advantages when choosing a variable rate and have some misconceptions based on its name. Based on the past decade and a half, variable rates have been slightly lower than fixed rates, aside from 2007 and 2019. This may sound like a no brainer for a lower rate, but before you start leaning to one side instead of the other, let’s take a step back and understand what a fixed and variable rate means and the pros and cons of each. To conclude I’ll provide case studies on how to leverage a fixed and/or variable rate so you can determine which one is right for you.

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How Collateral Mortgages Help You Access Cash Without Breakage Penalties

A collateral mortgage is a type of mortgage product that is “re-advanceable,” which means the lender can loan you more funds as the value of your home increases without the need to refinance your home loan. In this case, your lender would register your property with a collateral charge, often for a higher amount compared to the loan amount required.

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