The Bank of Canada (BoC) released its latest Monetary Policy Report (MPR) last week, and the outlook is optimistic. With the economy re-opening, vaccinations on the rise, and supply chains finding relief from the bottleneck they’ve experienced, the future looks promising. What impact does the MPR have on you? What are the implications for mortgages? Let’s take a look at some areas of particular interest. Some general points While the economy may be starting to...
Buying a home is an exciting time in your life. It’s a monumental occasion, and you should celebrate and enjoy every moment of the experience. But at the same time, there are a lot of new stresses you’ll discover. From trying to find the right space, to bidding and financing, the whole experience is a roller-coaster ride. Once you gain possession of the property, you’re about to start on a whole new adventure as a...
As a new homeowner, I’m in the process of discovering all that it takes to maintain the up-keep on my house. Every step of the way is a learning experience, from re-mounting old light fixtures to finding out that the leaky tap requires more than just a new washer. Some problems you can anticipate–like knowing that the old air conditioner might not work when you fire it up in the summer. But some problems you...
Canadian cities are often part of discussions involving the most expensive property markets in the world, news that shouldn’t be remotely surprising to anyone in the Great White North. Over the past year, our list of least affordable cities has reshuffled in somewhat unexpected ways and may continue to do so in the future as people gain greater flexibility to work remotely. This has caused an overall shift in the Canadian real estate market. Once...
When Canada first went into lockdown last year, we braced for the worst. As much of the economy shut down, many Canadians suddenly found themselves jobless and in a precarious financial state. Experts warned of the dire effects this would have on households, and their ability to pay off their debt and mortgages. Without steady income to keep up payments, people were likely to face insolvency and foreclosures given what we knew at the time....
“There’s no place like home”, although with the way things are going, perhaps “there’s no place but home” is more accurate. Shelter-in-place, stay-at-home, quarantining, self-isolation – however you want to slice it, we’re all stuck in our homes whether we like it or not. With COVID-19 case counts rising in some regions, that doesn’t appear to be something likely to change anytime soon, either. But there are silver linings even to these dark, dark clouds....
As Canada proceeds to ride out the second wave of the pandemic and unemployment rates continue to fluctuate, many property owners across Canada are revisiting their monthly household budgets to eliminate the potential of unnecessary expenses. Given that many homeowners didn’t budget for a pandemic, and the future remains uncertain, there has never been a better time to cut costs and prepare for what might come next. Below are some simple ideas for homeowners to...
By this point in 2020, the broad beats of this pandemic have been pretty thoroughly played out. While we face continued uncertainty about how much longer we’ll have to live with this virus, the changes it has wrought on our lifestyles and living situations are quite apparent. We now know working and learning remotely are likely going to be prominent parts of the months (perhaps years) to come, even once we’re out of the woods....
There’s a simple answer to that question, with a somewhat counterintuitive explanation. How has COVID-19 affected housing sales? Well: housing sales have hit record highs, with housing prices closely following suit in July and August. From the looks of things, I’d say that far from hindering the housing market, the pandemic has actually boosted it. While that alone is a remarkable testament to the resilience of the Canadian real estate market, the factors contributing to...
As we approach the end of 2020, much of the country is still contending with the pandemic. As some provinces approach zero-cases, others are beginning to see daily COVID-19 cases rising at discouraging rates. This has considerable implications for people’s health, livelihood, and homes. Self-isolation and quarantine requirements have made stable (and accessible) accommodation more important than ever – something that has been addressed in different ways across the provinces. In light of that, the...
