National Mortgage Related News Archive

• Six options that make housing affordable
  May 12, 2008 — From Sweden to San Francisco, municipalities, individuals and businesses have come up with some innovative ideas.
  Source: Lena Sin, The Province, Canada.com
  
• Canadian economy is resilient: Flaherty
  May 12, 2008 — The economy in Canada is proving to be resilient in the face of adversity, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told a Toronto business audience Monday.
  Source: Tara Perkins, Report on Business
  
• Calgary's craving for condos stands out
  May 08, 2008 — Calgarians are more willing than most Canadian city dwellers to consider owning a condominium purely for investment reasons rather than as a primary residence, says a poll by TD Canada Trust.
  Source: Mario Toneguzzi, Calgary Herald
  
• Canada's housing market cools in April
  May 08, 2008 — The pace of housing construction eased last month, dropping by a greater than expected 12 per cent to a seasonally adjusted rate of 213,900, the federal housing agency reported Thursday.
  Source: Canwest News Service, Canada.com
  
• Market tips in buyers' favour
  May 07, 2008 — For years home sellers have had the upper hand in the London real estate market. But a growing number of listings are staring to tip the balance toward homebuyers, according to figures released by the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR).
  Source: HANK DANISZEWSKI, London Free Press
  
• House prices will rise, sales expected to slide
  May 07, 2008 — The Canadian Real Estate Association is forecasting Alberta MLS residential sales to experience the biggest year over year percentage decline in 2008 compared with the rest of the country.
  Source: Mario Toneguzzi, Calgary Herald
  
• Alberta's building sector slowing
  May 07, 2008 — Alberta's construction miracle sputtered in March as new construction values plunged 33 per cent, dragging national figures to their lowest total in more than a year, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.
  Source: Geoffrey Scotton, Calgary Herald
  
• Dollar daze requires action
  May 07, 2008 — For years, it seems, Canadians lamented the state of what was once the feeble loonie. Long ago, in a time when one could fold our staple unit of currency, the Canadian dollar was the perennial ugly sister to its American counterpart.
  Source: News,, The Prince Albert Daily Herald
  
• Dismal financial sector news...
  May 06, 2008 — Disappointing earnings news from the financial sector sent stock markets lower Tuesday morning as oil prices moved further into record territory.
  Source: Malcolm Morrison, The Canadian Press
  
• Canada's Bonds Rise
  May 06, 2008 — Canadina two year bonds rose for the first time in three days as investors sought the safety of government debt on concern losses tied to U.S. subprime mortgages may increase.
  Source: Haris Anwar, Blomberg
  
• GTA home prices up, but spring sales melt
  May 06, 2008 — Existing home sales in April were down by 7 per cent from the record highs of last year, with 8,762 homes sold, according to the Toronto Real Estate Board in figures released yesterday.
  Source: Tony Wong, The Star
  
• Are interest rates heading higher?
  May 06, 2008 — The rapid rise in the value of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. greenback last fall helped temper inflation by keeping the cost of imports in check. But there are signs the dollar's moderating effect may be coming to an end, according to the Bank of Canada.
  Source: Dana Flavelle, The Star
  
• Upsizing? Do your homework
  May 05, 2008 — If you are buying a more expensive home than you currently own and plan to use a bridge loan to finance the new purchase, it's important to keep in mind a few key points, say experts.
  Source: The Province, Canada.com
  
• Owning two homes -- for a few days
  May 05, 2008 — No longer do you need to cart your belongings out of, and into, two homes in a day. It works like this: You have a mortgage on your existing property, the lender sets up a new mortgage on the property you are buying, and the lender gives you a loan "because of course you don't yet have the equity from the first property to finance the purchase of the second one."
  Source: Bev Cline, The Province
  
• Best gain in last two weeks
  May 04, 2008 — The bulls saw red on Bay Street Friday, as the Toronto Stock Exchange's main measure had its best gain in two weeks, deriving strength from a broad based rally that was particularly strong in commodity sectors.
  Source: Derek Abma, Canada.com
  
• Cottage costly proposition
  May 04, 2008 — Getting away from it all by purchasing a little cottage on a lake could turn out to be an expensive proposition these days, say real estate experts.
  Source: Eric Shackleton, The Chronicle Herald
  
• Calgary home sales drop
  May 02, 2008 — MLS sales in Calgary continued to drop in April compared with a year ago while new listings climbed and average sale prices stayed steady for single family homes, according to data released Thursday by the Calgary Real Estate Board.
  Source: Mario Toneguzzi, Calgary Herald
  
• Forecasting Toronto's Real Estate Market
  May 02, 2008 — When looking at forecasts for Toronto's real estate market, or any market for that matter, it's important to understand that these predictions are only as good as the information that experts have at the time.
  Source: John Pasalis, Move Smartly
  
• Little change in after inflation income since 1980
  May 02, 2008 — Feel like you're just treading water economically? Well, join the club. Most working Canadians are in the same boat, according to the latest Statistics Canada analysis of the 2006 census.
  Source: Norma Greenaway, Canada.com
  
• Warning about loosening mortgage standards
  May 01, 2008 — Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney is concerned about the loosening standards in the Canadian mortgage system, particularly the growing popularity of mortgages amortized over a 40 year period.
  Source: Julian Beltrame, The Sault Star
  
• Unlock the mysteries of mortgage meltdown
  May 01, 2008 — Some Canadian home buyers are seeing a bright side to America's credit and subprime mortgage crisis: Their cost of borrowing has fallen.
  Source: James Daw, The Star
  
• There can be soft landings on the moon...
  May 01, 2008 — In its latest housing starts forecast package (see accompanying tables), CanaData has revised the 2008 total Canada figure up from 200,000 units to 210,000 units. This may still prove to be conservative.
  Source: Alex Carrick, Daily Commercial News
  
• CENTURY 21 National House Price Survey
  Apr 30, 2008 — CENTURY 21 Canada Spring 2008 National House Price Survey finds house prices hold value for Canadians during uncertain year. Survey finds increases in 167 neighbourhoods, decreases in 21 and booming Saskatchewan posts largest price increases.
  Source: News, Marketwire
  
• Alberta at head of housing slowdown
  Apr 30, 2008 — Alberta led the country with the biggest drop in resale housing activity in the first quarter of this year while at the same time outpacing the other provinces in new MLS listings.
  Source: Mario Toneguzzi, Calgary Herald
  
• Banks bank on 'healthy' Canadian consumer
  Apr 30, 2008 — Canadian consumers are in such good shape they could probably afford to pile on a little more debt, executives of the country's biggest bank suggested yesterday, as U.S. data showed American consumer confidence at its weakest since the lead up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and home prices dropping faster than ever before.
  Source: Tara Perkins and Lori McLeod, The Globe and Mail
  
• Holmes eyes Okotoks area
  Apr 30, 2008 — Mike Holmes, host of the TV show Holmes on Homes, will be making his first foray as a developer with a new, eco friendly neighbourhood on a 145-acre parcel of land on the south side of Highway 7 across from Cornerstone.
  Source: Don Patterson, Western Wheel
  
• Bank of Canada doesn't call the tune on rates
  Apr 28, 2008 — The relationship between the well publicized Bank of Canada rate adjustments and the mortgage rates consumers find when they walk into their local bank branches creates some confusion for borrowers from time to time, and frustration for the central bankers.
  Source: Chris Carter, The Province
  
• Real estate guide 2008: Safe as houses?
  Apr 28, 2008 — Michael Polzler isn't losing sleep over the Canadian real estate market yet. Sure, crashing housing prices in the United States have the executive vice president and regional director of Re/Max Ontario Atlantic Canada worried. But Canada is still pretty safe.
  Source: Andy Holloway, Canadian Business
  
• Habitat prepares to build
  Apr 27, 2008 — Habitat for Humanity Kelowna Vernon Chapter could start building its first house in Vernon in the next year. Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976 and Habitat for Humanity Canada in 185. There are approximately 30,000 volunteers in Canada with more than 1,000 homes built. The Kelowna affiliate was founded in 1993 and has built almost 20 houses.
  Source: News Room, Vernon Moring Star
  
• Real estate guide 2008: Safe as houses?
  Apr 25, 2008 — From the April 28, 2008 issue of Canadian Business magazine. Michael Polzler isn't losing sleep over the Canadian real estate market yet. Sure, crashing housing prices in the United States have the executive vice president and regional director of Re/Max Ontario, Atlantic Canada worried. But Canada is still pretty safe.
  Source: Andy Holloway, Canadian Business