Shifting Housing Markets – Buy and Sell in the Same Market

Did you read the Toronto Star article on April 7th about the Oakville real estate market? We certainly made the news. While it’s important to realize that sensational headlines sell papers, the message of shifting markets is accurate and the content is food for thought. They talked about the buyers who purchased new builds from Mattamy […]

Posted in Buying and Selling, Home Finance, Local News, Market Evaluation, New construction

Changing Mortgage Rates and the Housing Market According to RLP

Dominion Lending Centre Mortgage Agent Jeff Dickson sends us a weekly rate minder. It’s clear from his more recent mailings that both the posted rates and the preferred rates are on the rise. His recent report attributes some of the upward pressure on an unexpectedly strong US jobs report. With January job creation exceeding estimates, […]

Posted in Buying and Selling, Home Finance

OSFI Will Be Introducing a New “Stress Test” for Uninsured Mortgages (greater than 20% down payment) Effective January 1, 2018.

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) released new guidelines for the mortgage industry, which include a “stress test” for uninsured mortgages. Home buyers with 20% or greater down payments will need to qualify for their mortgages using the higher of the average 5-year posted rate (currently 4.89%) or 2.00% higher than their actual mortgage […]

Posted in Buying and Selling, Home Finance

Understanding Ontario’s Real Estate Boom – Presentation by Craig Alexander

On Wednesday, September 27th, we had the privilege of attending a presentation given by Craig Alexander, the Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist at the Conference Board of Canada. For a bit more insight into the Conference Board and Mr. Alexander’s background, click here. The subject of the presentation was ‘Understanding Ontario’s Real Estate Boom.’ We […]

Posted in Buying and Selling, Home Finance, Market Evaluation

Changes to Mortgage Rules & the Primary Residence Capital Gains Exemption

Tidbits on changes to mortgage rules and the primary residence capital gains exemption. In October, the federal government announced changes to the guidelines for borrowers of high-ratio mortgages. Let’s first look at the difference between a high ratio insured mortgage and conventional or low ratio non-insured mortgage. An ‘Insured Mortgage’ is one where a home […]

Posted in Home Finance

Implications of the New Mortgage Regulations

In an announcement from TD Economist Diana Petramala, the implications for the Ontario market are less significant due to booming demand and tight inventories. Here’s a synopsis of her comments: With demand weakening, the national sales-to-listings ratio came down more than 3 points to 59.6 in the month, tipping the national market back into balanced territory. […]

Posted in Home Finance