Real Estate News & Articles

Home Buyers' Plan for First-Time Buyers: Withdraw Up to $35,000 Tax-Free From Your RRSPs

2020-05-28

How the Home Buyers' Plan (HBP) Works other Home Buyers' Plan The First Time Home Buyers’ Plan allows qualified first-time buyers to withdraw up to $35,000 tax-free from their RRSPs, to purchase or build a home. If a couple is buying …

Home Buyers' Plan for First-Time Buyers: Withdraw Up to $35,000 Tax-Free From Your RRSPs

2020-05-28

How the Home Buyers' Plan (HBP) Works other Home Buyers' Plan The First Time Home Buyers’ Plan allows qualified first-time buyers to withdraw up to $35,000 tax-free from their RRSPs, to purchase or build a home. If a couple is buying …

OREA sets new ground rules for realtors as Ontario's economy restarts

2020-05-27

Realtors continue to help clients feel safe Ephraim Vecina Mortgage Broker News The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) has published its latest guidelines on home purchase transactions in the era of COVID-19. “The health and safet…

Re/Max challenges CMHC home price projections

2020-05-27

Canadian real estate prices will remain stable Ephraim Vecina Canadian Real Estate Wealth Housing industry players are opposing Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s dire forecast of an 18% decline in home prices over the next 12 …

Nanos - Consumer confidence in housing market still low

2020-05-27

Nanos Canadian Confidence Index Ephraim Vecina Canadian Real Estate Wealth While Canadian consumer confidence is steadily recovering, the same cannot be said about the public’s views towards the housing market, according to the latest…

Heritage home spurs bidding war amid pandemic real estate slump

2020-05-27

Bidding war erupts for heritage home during the pandemic John Mackie The Province Real estate listings, and sales, have plunged during the COVID-19 crisis. But some properties are still selling. Realtor David Richardson recently listed a ha…

Housing dip brutal but brief: Realtors

2020-05-27

CMHC doomsday housing forcast Frank O'Brien Western Investor Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) released a doomsday-style housing forecast May 27 that envisioned a nightmare collapse of the housing market with national sales dropping …

Separating during the pandemic - What homeowners need to know about selling

2020-05-26

Should homeowners sell when there is a separation during the pandemic? Nathalie Boutet REM COVID-19 has impacted all sectors of the economy, including real estate. The uncertainty is particularly challenging for homeowners who are at a cros…

Expect rapid post-pandemic recovery - BoC's Poloz

2020-05-25

Quick recover expected post pademic Ephraim Vecina Mortgage Broker News Despite multiple headwinds and the continuous ravages of COVID-19, Canadian market activity and purchasing power will be able to recover quickly after the outbreak ease…

Stress test 2.0? What a 10% minimum down payment requirement would mean for Canadian buyers

2020-05-25

A 10 percent minimum down payment would have a chilling effect on business Ephraim Vecina Mortgage Broker News Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation CEO Evan Siddall’s recent address to the Standing Committee on Finance contained …

Who will buy Vancouver housing in a time of COVID-19?

2020-05-23

Metro real estate in for a wake-up call Douglas Todd The Vancouver Sun More condominiums and houses are under construction in Metro Vancouver than ever before. But who is going to buy them — let alone live in them — in an era mu…

Why it's time for companies to change or be changed

2020-05-23

Shifting landscape won't necessarily be devastating, Kevin Carmichael writes Kevin Carmichael The Vancouver Sun It's a bad time to be a maker of expensive clothes - just ask a maker of expensive clothes. "Tailored clothing is probably going…

Some business better off staying closed

2020-05-22

This crisis isn?t over for BC businesses Western Investor Some Metro Vancouver businesses could be better off staying closed than risk re-opening during the second phase of the B.C.’s government's plan to safely and gradually re-open …

Why does CMHC's Evan Siddall think Canada is headed for a 'deferral cliff'?

2020-05-22

One in five mortgages could be in arrears by September Clayton Jarvis Mortgage Broker News In comments delivered to the Standing Committee on Finance on Tuesday, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation CEO Evan Siddall laid out a potentia…

Key trends indicate slower housing market for rest of 2020

2020-05-22

Housing may decrease due to reduced immigration Ephraim Vecina Mortgage Broker News Flagging immigration numbers along with much-reduced purchasing power will pull down market activity for the rest of the year, according to the latest Teran…

Household debt growth outstripping all other debt types

2020-05-22

BoC analysis makes Canadian household debt most vulnerable Ephraim Vecina Mortgage Broker News Over the last few decades, household debt growth accelerated faster than every other debt class, according to real estate information portal Bett…

Bank of Canada to drop qualifying rate

2020-05-22

BoC to reduce the qualifying rate ten basis points Clayton Jarvis Mortgage Broker News The Bank of Canada is set to reduce its qualifying rate ten basis points, from 5.04 to 4.94 percent, sources tell Mortgage Broker News . After the decrea…

What if your staff isn't comfortable working from home?

2020-05-21

Working from home can create new anxieties Clayton Jarvis Mortgage Broker News Working from home isn’t for everybody. But with the country only gradually reopening and COVID-19 still a threat to both public health and the economy, mor…

Allied Properties REIT buys Gastown's Landing

2020-05-21

Water Street landmark office and retail building latest acquisition by Allied in Vancouver Frank O'Brien Western Investor Toronto-based Allied Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) has bought the 115-year-old Landing, a mixed-use c…

CMHC might trim mortgage underwriting arm - Siddall

2020-05-21

Pandemic has CMHC guessing what to do next Ephraim Vecina Mortgage Broker News Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s top official said that the agency might downsize its mortgage underwriting business to stem the accelerating grow…

5 Ways Real Estate Agents Should Change Their Messaging During COVID-19

2020-05-21

It's not business as usual, but here's how real estate agents can adapt Justin Kerby REW The impact of COVID-19 is being felt on all levels. No part of the economy has remained the same as it was in February, and as a result businesses in a…

With many courthouses shut due to COVID-19, federal government looks to extend legal deadlines

2020-05-21

Minister could extend deadlines for court actions in pandemic Ryan Tumilty The Vancouver Sun With many courthouses closed for COVID-19, Canadians are facing ticking deadlines that can force people into divorce deals they don’t want or…

Virtual home staging thrives during pandemic

2020-05-20

Virtual staging has blossomed during the pandemic Diane Slawych REM Every industry has been affected by COVID-19 in one way or another. And while the fallout has mostly been negative, one niche business that has experienced a positive impac…

Delta mega ?agri-hood? finally underway

2020-05-20

Developer donated bulk of the land to the community, paid for all the infrastructure and faced 14 years of delays Frank O'Brien Western Investor Building construction has started on the controversial 530-acre Southlands community in Tsawass…