Mortgage News - Thursday, January 31 2008
Mortgage News
Variable-rate mortgages shine as prime falls - Globe & Mail
Interest rate cuts like the one announced yesterday by the U.S. Federal Reserve are providing some badly needed leverage to people renewing or taking out new mortgages. The Fed pared half a percentage point off its benchmark interest rate yesterday, an echo of a larger cut made last week. The Bank of Canada has been trimming rates as well, and the trend is expected to continue as a result of slowing economic growth. The upshot here for people refinancing or arranging new mortgages: Go with a variable rate. It’s your best chance of out-manoeuvring the big banks as they try to squeeze extra profits from borrowers to compensate for difficulties elsewhere.
Canadian dollar drops below parity on growth news and profit taking - Canadian Press
OTTAWA - The Canadian dollar fell dramatically Thursday morning, falling more than a cent against the American greenback on evidence that Canada’s economy began to slide in November and more subprime woes in the United States are on the horizon. After rising strongly in the past week, the loonie plunged 1.32 cents to 99.36 cents US as Statistics Canada reported that the Canadian economy barely edged forward in November, rising 0.1 per cent, and production of goods fell 0.2 per cent, from October. Output from the depressed Canadian manufacturing sector decreased 0.3 per cent in November, reaching its second-lowest level since the beginning of 2007.
New head of Bank of Canada faces many old challenges - The Vancouver Sun
“The economy shook off the slowdown in the U.S. to burst into the final quarter of the year with a much greater-than-expected expansion, according to the Statistics Canada report. The report, however, doesn’t change the fact that growth here will slow in the new year as the sharper-than-expected U.S. slowdown undermines Canadian exports.” Sound familiar? That was from a story by Canwest News Service seven years ago, just before David Dodge, who retired Thursday, took over as governor of the Bank of Canada.
Canadian economic growth slows - Globe and Mail
The Canadian economy slowed in November as a record high dollar took a toll on factories and forestry firms. The country’s gross domestic product expanded 0.1 per cent in the month, Statistics Canada said Thursday, in line with economists’ expectations and cooler than the 0.2-per-cent growth tallied in October. The report confirmed the Canadian economy eased in the second half of the year as currency-related woes and weakening U.S. demand stung exporters. Most economists see further weakness in the coming months. “Given our forecast for weaker growth in the first half of 2008, this supports the case for further rate cuts from the Bank of Canada as the economy moves into a situation of excess supply,” said Jacqui Douglas, economics strategist at TD Securities, in a note.
Real Estate News
Toronto’s “tremendous achievement” Is this a strange characterization of higher taxes? - Real Estate Intelligence
Toronto homeowners will face a 3.75 per cent property tax increase this year, as well as the city’s new land transfer tax which comes into effect today. The Toronto land transfer tax, which comes into effect today, is expected to raise $175 million for city coffers. There will also be a non-residential property tax increase of 1.25 per cent. According to the city, the property tax increase will result in an additional $80.70 in taxes on a residence worth $365,000, which is thought to be the average Toronto house price.
When is the Right Time to Buy? - Edmonton Real Estate Blog
There is a lot of debate in Edmonton right now, about whether it is the right time to buy or not. The timing of a home purchase depends on many factors including your personal finances, goals and desires, as well as external factors such as affordability, the economy, financing availability and more. I can’t answer when the best time to buy for every individual is, but I’d like to put something in perspective…
Real Estate in Victoria BC - Property Transfer Tax And The First Time Home Buyers’ Program - Real Estate Info
Over the years the prices of Real Estate in Victoria has been on the rise and for those who have invested in Real Estate has seen some pretty good returns.
The high price of Real Estate in Victoria makes it pretty tough for the First Time Home-buyers. When you purchase Real Estate in Victoria or all of BC for that matter there are a lot of extra costs involved. Here are some of them:
* Property Transfer Tax
* Appraisal
* Lawyer fees
* Real Estate Commission (rarely as a buyer but it happens)
* Hook up charges for gas, electricity, cable, phone, etc.
More women buying their own homes - Calgary Herald
Seven in 10 Canadian women homeowners bought their properties as a “good investment,” says a new national poll released today.
The poll by TD Canada Trust, conducted in the first two weeks of this year by Ipsos-Reid, was among women aged 20 to 45 who have purchased a home as an individual rather than jointly with a spouse or common law partner. Among this group, the average age when they purchased their first home is 29 years - 82 per cent are single, 80 per cent have no children and 49 per cent have a university degree.






Mortgage fraud is not a new and its been around for quite a bit, but with new mortgages scammers and criminals come up with new mortgage loan frauds. Out of a home equity loan come a home equity loan fraud.
Credit score is one of the most important factors that affect your home loan. Majority of lenders consider credit score as one of the most important indicators about persons willingness to repay a home loan.
In an effort to make expensive $500.000 plus homes more affordable, lenders came up with a number of mortgages, which were called exotic due to the types of houses they can buy and the unusual options they offer. The downsides of exotic mortgages are the risks to both the borrower and the lender. Exotic mortgages have affordable options in the first years of the term, but payments increase with time, putting more pressure on borrower’s wallet.
Canada Mortgages is offering mortgages and loans in the city of Mississauga and Greater Toronto Area. Canada Mortgages is an independent Mississauga mortgage provider, who has the connections and the access to choose from various private, commercial and national mortgage providers. 

