Real Estate Blog - mortgage payments

How Much is a Down Payment on a House?

When you’re in the market for a new home, one of the most important questions you’ll need to answer is how much you can afford to put down as a down payment. In Canada, the amount of a down payment can vary greatly depending on the type of home you’re buying, the size of the mortgage you take out, and other factors. Knowing how much is required for the down payment on a house can help determine if you’re financially prepared for the purchase.

How Much You Need for a Down Payment on a Home?

• Down payment vs. deposit
• Calculating your minimum down payment
• Saving for a down payment

Saving for a down payment has become challenging for many Canadians. Rising housing prices are putting some homebuyers in a tough…

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The Benefits of Investing in Real Estate

Real estate is one of the most profitable investments you can make. With a steady stream of income and long-term capital appreciation, investing in real estate can be an excellent way to diversify your portfolio and build wealth. In this article, we'll explore some of the key benefits of investing in real estate and why now may be the perfect time to get started.

Investing in real estate can be daunting, but with careful preparation and research, it can yield a significant income. Real estate is an asset class that has shown tremendous potential for generating significant returns. Before investing, it's important to figure out your goal and determine how much risk you're able to take. Researching the local market conditions is also essential in…

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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…

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What Happens If I Can’t Pay My Mortgage?

While you might have felt perfectly capable of making mortgage payments when you bought your house, sometimes financial situations arise that affect your ability to make regular mortgage payments. This can have a huge negative impact on your credit score and can put your home in danger of being repossessed if you don’t take immediate action. Luckily there are options that can give you time to turn your finances around. Here’s what you should do if you can’t pay your mortgage.

What Happens If I Can’t Pay My Mortgage

Determine the Reason You Can’t Pay

In most cases, people do not fall behind on mortgage payments on purpose. Rather, there is an underlying reason that you can’t afford to make your mortgage payments. Once…

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What Are the Monthly Expenses of Carrying a Home?

When prospective homebuyers are exploring the Canadian real estate market and searching for a residential property, many typically only concentrate on the sale price, monthly mortgage payments and interest rates. But this doesn’t tell the whole story. To get a more-accurate picture, and create a realistic budget, homebuyers should find out what are the monthly expenses of carrying a home.

In recent weeks, many reports have surfaced suggesting that some buyers regret their decision to buy at the height of the market, which peaked during the pandemic. While the primary concern is that housing prices have started to come down and borrowing costs have begun climbing, potentially eating away at equity, families are also worried…

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10 Most Affordable Places to Buy in Canada (2022)

Despite recent cooling in Canadian real estate markets due to rising interest rates, the fact remains that housing prices are still hovering at a high, relatively speaking. Add to this the record-high inflation rate, which reached 8.1 per cent in June, up from 7.7 per cent in May, and there’s no arguing that housing affordability in Canada has taken a big hit. While this is particularly true in major markets such as Toronto and Vancouver, as well as their suburbs, there’s still affordable housing to be found in Canada – and Canadians are willing to relocate to find it.

RE/MAX Canada’s 2022 Housing Affordability Report analyzed 24 major housing markets across the country (for Quebec market insights, please visit RE/MAX…

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Avoid Doing These 4 Things if You are Closing on a Home

You may breathe a sigh of relief once your offer to purchase a home has been accepted, but you’re not quite done yet. Between the time you come to terms with the sellers and the moment you finally put your key in the front door, you’ll be navigating the closing process—along with its associated costs.

There are multiple steps involved in the transfer of a home. While closing times can vary, it can take up to three months between an accepted offer and signing day, notes David Stevens, a REALTOR® with Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty in Victoria, British Columbia. 

This includes time for processing the deposit, conducting a title search, getting a home inspection organized, finalizing the purchase agreement, the lender’s property appraisal, and…

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