4 Common Personal Finance Tips That Will Actually Fail You

General Robyn McLean 15 Jul

Some great advice that will serve you well from our friends at Planswell. When you ask someone where they get most of their financial advice, you’ll likely receive answers that mostly include family and friends. Unfortunately, relying on your social circles to provide financial advice leaves lots of room for (accidental) misinformation. That’s why we’ve […]

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Bank of Canada Maintains Overnight Rate and Raises 2019 Forecast

General Robyn McLean 11 Jul

Knowing where interest rates are headed is an important part of your home buying journey. Great insight from DLC’s Dr. Sherry Cooper on the recent Fed announcement.    The Bank of Canada held the target overnight rate at 1.75% for the sixth consecutive decision and showed little willingness to ease monetary policy, as stronger domestic growth […]

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Early Data for June  Housing Mixed

General Robyn McLean 8 Jul

Some insight on the market in both Toronto & Vancouver. If you want to understand our current real estate market, it’s worth a read. Local real estate boards report that GTA home sales jumped again in June, while home sales fell to a 19-year low in the GVA. This continues a well-established pattern. GTA sales […]

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Self-employed? Here’s How to Qualify for a Mortgage

General Robyn McLean 4 Jul

  When you’re self-employed, qualifying for a mortgage can be difficult. Here’s some great tips from our friends at rate hub. Self-employment certainly comes with its benefits; you get to be your own boss, you get to make your own hours, and you get to build a company that’s all on your own, enjoying the […]

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Affordability improves, a little…

General Robyn McLean 3 Jul

Affordability has been such a key topic in Vancouver for the past five plus years… have the regulatory changes helped us? Some insight from our friends at FNAT. Housing affordability got a little better in Canada in the first quarter of this year, but not so much that anyone would really notice. The latest report […]

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The affordability fight

General Robyn McLean 19 Jun

What we’re really up against…great insight by our friends at FNAT. A new report out of the University of British Columbia says millennials – who make up the bulk of the highly coveted first-time buyer cohort – are still wildly priced out of the housing market. The report, titled “Straddling the Gap”, says 25 to […]

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May Shows Signs of Improvement In BC and Alberta

General Robyn McLean 19 Jun

Some hopeful insight by DLC’s Dr. Sherry Cooper. Hopefully there’s more to come!  Statistics released late last week by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) show that national home sales increased in May. Together with monthly gains in the previous two months, activity in May reached its highest level since early last year when the […]

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Canadian Capital Market Update

General Robyn McLean 10 Jun

I love this guy…always an excellent straight-in-the eyes viewpoint on the Canadian Mortgage Market. Worth a read…especially if you’re in the biz! Jun 10, 2019 Capital Markets update Jason Ellis, Chief Operating Officer It’s been many moons since my last post and I have definitely fallen out of the habit.  Today’s note is the result […]

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Driving ’til you qualify might not go the economic distance

General Robyn McLean 3 Jun

An interesting & very valid perspective from our friends at FNAT! Jun 3, 2019 First National Financial LP The statistics tell us that the national average price of a home is falling in Canada.  Despite that, housing affordability is still a significant challenge for buyers, especially in the country’s bigger markets. Affordability to remain a […]

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How Deep is Metro Vancouver’s Housing Market Correction?

General Robyn McLean 29 May

An Interesting look at Vancouver’s real estate market by our friends at Zoocasa… The Metro Vancouver housing market has gone through some dramatic changes over the last six months, as buyer demand has been hit by tougher federal mortgage qualification rules as well as province-specific taxes targeting foreign and speculative real estate investment. As a […]

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