9/26/2024 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Canada’s banking regulator is easing the burden on homeowners trying to switch their lender when renewing their mortgage by dropping the need to reapply the stress ... More

Homeowners won't face mortgage stress test if renewing with new lender: OSFI

  5/30/2024 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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A recent study on Statistics Canada data shines light on trend

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Where are the most mortgage-free homeowners in Canada?

  10/18/2023 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Police forces and legal experts in Ontario are pushing for the provincial government to make legislative changes that would reduce elaborate fraud scams targeting ... More

Ontario legal experts pushing to close loophole that allows scammers to mortgage homes without victims' knowledge

  10/12/2023 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Canada’s banking regulator says the sustained increases in interest rates over the past 18 months have challenged some borrowers’ ability to pay and led to a ... More

OSFI seeing a deterioration in credit quality, says borrowers to face challenges at renewal

  10/2/2023 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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With interest rates increasingly expected to stay higher for longer, many of the homeowners who locked in low rates years ago are likely bracing themselves for financial pain ... More

Homeowners brace for mortgage payment shock amid higher-for-longer rate outlook

  3/27/2020 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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It's very likely that COVID-19 will shatter Ontario's municipalities' budgets, and without provincial or federal help they will have no option but to increase the ... More

Cities worry COVID-19 could shatter their budgets

  6/5/2019 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Canadian homeowners continue to cut back on home renovation spending in 2019: CIBC Poll

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Homeowners' spending on renovations falls to 6-year low

  7/27/2018 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Canadians spent nearly $78bln on renovations last year, but a slower sales cycle could impact that figure.

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Home renovations surge

  6/1/2018 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Spending drops as much as 25 per cent in some provinces as more homeowners focus on wear and tear.

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Canadian homeowners trim spending on home renovations in 2018

  8/6/2017 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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A rental suite is a great way to help homeowners meet their mortgage payments at a time when home prices are creeping ever upward in some parts of Canada.

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If you haven't disclosed your home's rental suite, you may be breaking the law

  10/8/2016 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Earlier this week, Finance Minister Bill Morneau introduced tax changes that were aimed primarily at foreign investors in Canadian real estate to ensure they abide by our ... More

How principal-residence tax changes will affect every Canadian homeowner

  10/4/2016 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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For most people, buying a first house or condo is exciting and a big leap into adulthood. But it doesn’t take long for the cold hard reality of mortgage payments, taxes ... More

Common real estate scams and how to avoid them

  9/15/2016 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Canadian household debt ratios hit a record high over the spring, according to new figures released Thursday by Statistics Canada.

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Canadian key household debt ratio hits record high

  9/15/2016 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Good news and bad news for homeowners; low interest rates are set to be around for a while but the Canadian economy is likely to remain sluggish.

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Get used to low interest rates, slow growth

  9/13/2016 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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A room’s size is sometimes a matter of perception, and the paint color on the walls has a lot to with that perception. Some colors can actually make a room appear ... More

Paint Colors That Make a Room Look Bigger

  8/25/2016 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Canadians are borrowing more as low interest rates help drive a thirst for credit. Non-mortgage loans increased in the second quarter of 2016 according to RBC, especially auto ... More

Lender warns over rising household debt

  6/24/2016 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Canadian homeowners are projected to spend an average of $13,017 per household on renovations and home improvements this year, according to the latest poll by CIBC.

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Each Canadian household to spend around $13,000 on renovations in 2016: CIBC

  6/15/2016 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Canadians owe $1.65 for each dollar of disposable income according to Statistics Canada with an increase in debt levels driven by mortgage borrowing.

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Household debt eases but mortgages remain strong

  5/25/2016 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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The ambitious climate change initiative proposed by Environment Minister Glen Murray and exposed by the Globe and Mail is bound to come with a hefty bill, critics caution.

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How much will it cost if Ontario makes you kiss your gas furnace goodbye?

  5/3/2016 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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The Liberal government said its plans to make it easier for landlords to evict problem tenants will lead to more affordable housing, but tenants' rights groups blasted the ... More

Ontario mulls changes to rental rules, prompting concern from tenants groups

  3/15/2016 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Canadian’s household debt continued its upward trajectory in the fourth quarter of 2015. The latest data from Statistics Canada shows that average debt rose by 1.5 per ... More

Mortgage debt behind rise in household debt

  11/20/2015 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Colourful leaves and cooler temperatures are a sign that winter is on its way. Harsh winter winds, freezing temperatures, rooftop snow and ice build-up can cause damage to your ... More

Winterize your home to prevent water damage

  11/12/2015 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Electricity prices in Ontario rose in November, pushing the average household hydro bill up by 3.4 per cent. There are some things you can do to keep your bill ... More

8 ways to reduce your hydro bill

  10/29/2015 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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The federal government isn't the only one spending on construction projects of late, as Scotiabank said Wednesday that Canadians will spend a record $53 billion this year ... More

Scotiabank construction report says Canadians to spend record $53B on renos in 2015

  8/13/2015 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Canadian households are carrying more debt on average than they were last year but it is generally as the result of “good” spending. A report from mortgage lender ... More

Canadian household debt increases but for good things

  8/8/2015 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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In the heart of Toronto’s overheated housing market, where the average detached home now sells for more than $1 million, Harper vowed to make life better not for those ... More

Harper promises to introduce permanent home renovation tax credit if he is re-elected

  7/24/2015 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Homebuyers looking for a mortgage are finding conditions are getting tougher if they are self-employed, at a time when there is an increasing number of self-employed Canadians. ... More

Borrowing is tougher for self-employed

  7/16/2015 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Canada’s ageing housing stock together with influence from TV shows has led to more spending on renovations. Figures from the Altus Group show that Canadian households ... More

We're spending more on renovations: Altus Group

  6/16/2015 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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A survey by Manulife Bank of Canada says nearly half of Canadian homeowners are taking steps to whittle down their mortgage debt, but many would be in trouble if their monthly ... More

A third of Canadians would struggle if mortgage rate grew by only 1%, survey finds

  5/21/2015 | Posted in Home Owners by Anabela Serra
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Canadian consumers may be carrying record levels of debt but they are doing so responsibly. The Fraser Institute’s Phillip Cross, a former chief economist at Statistics ... More

Fraser Institute says Canadian debt is under control
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