Credit Scores: Why They Matter for Your Mortgage and Beyond

Your credit score is a three-digit number that represents your creditworthiness. It is calculated based on your credit history and financial behavior. A higher credit score indicates that you are more likely to repay your debts on time, while a lower credit score suggests that you may be a higher risk borrower. In Canada, credit scores range from 300 to 900, with a score of 650 or higher considered to be good.

Your credit score is important because it affects your ability to get approved for credit, such as a credit card or loan, and the terms and interest rates that you are offered. It also impacts other areas of your life, such as renting an apartment, getting a job, and even setting up utilities.

When applying for credit, lenders will…

148 Views, 0 Comments

Are Canadian Real Estate Prices Overvalued?

The COVID-19 pandemic supercharged a market that already favoured sellers. With available listings hitting a record 14-year low before the pandemic, it was no wonder that housing prices had soared upward, with the Canadian Real Estate Association forecasting the national average home price would rise a whopping 19.9 per cent on an annual basis to $690,000 in 2021. Low interest rates, economic support and lockdowns that drastically shifted the consumer appetite, contributed to a sharp increase in demand and, consequently, price growth across virtually every Canadian housing market.

But did these changes cause real estate prices to become overvalued? According to Moody’s Analytics, a leading credit rating agency, this was most certainly the case. The…

158 Views, 0 Comments

Canadian Real Estate Prices Expected To Decline 3.3% in 2023 – Why This Could Be Good News for Buyers

It is no secret that the Canadian real estate market has been shifting over the last year. Home prices have tumbled, and sales activity has fallen. The Bank of Canada (BoC) has been raising interest rates since March 2022 to return the annual inflation rate to its two-per-cent target rate. In the process, this tightening campaign has increased mortgage rates and cooled off Canada’s red-hot housing sector.

But with the central bank still expected to pull the trigger on rate hikes for the next few months to ensure inflation has been defeated, what does this mean for the Canadian real estate market, especially with the typically busy spring buying season?

It could be a terrific opportunity for homebuyers, especially with…

159 Views, 0 Comments

Mortgage Trends to Watch for in 2023

It’s looking like we’re going to be seeing similar real estate trends in 2023 compared to last year.

Following a year defined by market highs and lows, experts are forecasting a gradual return to a more balanced market towards the end of 2023. However, with inflation remaining more or less unchanged at the tail-end of 2022, last year’s trend of diminished purchasing power seems likely to persist.

As for what that means for mortgage lending, Shaun Cathcart, Senior Economist at the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), predicts primary-based mortgage payments will continue to rise dramatically until the Bank of Canada (BoC) reaches its terminal rate. 

Variable rate mortgages will hit their ‘trigger rate’

“The ‘terminal rate’ as it’s…

132 Views, 0 Comments

Bank of Canada Raises Target for Overnight Lending Rate

Bank of Canada Raises Target for Overnight Lending Rate Again, Changes Language on Future Rate Hikes

The Bank of Canada hiked its target for the overnight lending rate by 50 basis points to 4.25% while continuing its policy of quantitative tightening but stated that looking ahead it would need to consider whether the policy rate should rise further—a much more neutral stance than previous announcements.

After the announcement, financial markets were pricing in the potential for one more interest rate hike by the third quarter of 2023.

The Bank noted economic growth was stronger than expected in the third quarter of 2022 and continued to operate in excess demand. The Bank expects growth to stall through the end of the year and into the…

177 Views, 0 Comments

Canadian Home Sales See Surprising Rise?

On Tuesday, November 15, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) released its national housing statistics for the month of October. Below, CREA’s Senior Economist Shaun Cathcart provides an update on the current state of housing markets in Canada and explains what the data means for members:

In a surprise to many, home sales recorded over Canadian MLS® Systems edged up 1.3% between September and October 2022.

To close observers, this should not come as a surprise given that month-to-month sales declines have been becoming increasingly smaller since May. For some, the change from negative to positive results is a big deal, if only psychologically.

A 1.3% increase may not seem like much since our natural inclination is to compare it to…

196 Views, 0 Comments

How Do You Pay Off Your Mortgage Faster?

Buying a home is a big investment and a huge commitment, but most homeowners will attest that the pay-off is worth the pains and strains of making those regular mortgage payments. Most people focus on their mortgage interest rate as a way of saving money (or at least, ensuring more of it goes toward your principal), but there are other ways to decrease the amount paid in interest. One way is to pay your mortgage off faster. More on that below, but let’s start with a basic mortgage 101.

What is a mortgage?

In order to buy a home in Canada, you’ll need a down payment of at least five per cent of the home’s purchase price (but it can be more). These funds are typically saved over time and can be boosted with the help of…

211 Views, 0 Comments

5.8M Homes Needed by 2030 To Tackle Affordability Crisis

The Canadian real estate market is experiencing a correction period. While many industry observers are stopping short of calling this downturn a crash, it is clear that the once-sizzling housing sector is being doused by rising interest rates and broader uncertainty surrounding market conditions. So, are we still experiencing an affordability crisis?

In September, the national average home price tumbled 3.9 per cent from the same time a year ago to $637,673, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). Even when Toronto and Vancouver – two of the hottest housing markets in Canada – are eliminated from the equation, the typical residential property in the country sold for more than $500,000. While this is…

144 Views, 0 Comments

A Spotlight on Newfoundland Real Estate

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the Newfoundland and Labrador real estate market has seen the best of times and the most modest of times. In other words, the Atlantic Canada housing market has enjoyed a pandemic boom, but prices have not mirrored what was taking place in British Columbia or Ontario.

Despite climbing interest rates that have ostensibly impacted many major urban centres, small towns and rural communities across the country, Newfoundland and Labrador have held steady. The province and its municipalities have not fallen off a cliff. Instead, despite waning demand, prices have remained intact and affordable.

So, what occurred in the eastern province’s real estate market? Let’s explore the…

269 Views, 0 Comments

Locking In a Variable Rate Mortgage

When mortgage interest rates were on a downward trend in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, a variable mortgage rate made sense. With no signs of tightening on the horizon, the housing market boomed at extraordinary levels never seen before.

Now that interest rates are rising as the central bank attempts to rein in out-of-control price inflation, the discussion is how high mortgage rates will go. It is a crucial conversation, since rising rates will increase your monthly mortgage payments. While it’s challenging to forecast just how high mortgage rates will climb, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) thinks they will start to stabilize in 2024, which is when some market analysts expect the Canadian real estate market to…

157 Views, 0 Comments