mortgages: Time to buy as Mortgage Rates start to go up again! - 06/04/09 08:42 AM
Interest rates centrally have been set to stay where they are for about another year... but that's not the rate we consumers pay. And the banks aren't beholden to the central rate either, which is why this week we see rates creeping back up again for mortgages. Anyone wh is thinking about buying and requires a mortgage to do so would be well advised not to drag their feet too much because the rates for us normal folk can start going up as market activity increases, or just becaues the banks decide for business reasons they want to.
If you are … (1 comments)

mortgages: Non-traditional mortgages... are they worth the hype? - 10/11/06 02:27 PM
There's a lot of talk lately about non-traditional, customized, private, long-amortization and what-have-you mortgages and what that might mean for the Canadian Real Esate market and Economy given what is presently occuring in the United States. So, is there anything to worry about? Do these new ways of financing homes provide wider opportunities for people who wouldn't otherwise be able to won property... and is that ultimately beneficial for them? Who knows?
Well, for one, not me. The real problem with many of these newer and rickier mortgaging options is in relation to the consumer who they are given to. A 30 … (0 comments)

mortgages: To dip or not to dip... that is the question. Isn't it?!? - 09/11/06 04:54 AM
If you are a first time buyer, you may be getting advice to dip into your RRSPs in order to help you with a down-payment. But those are your retirement savings! And besides, you have to pay them back anyway - how does doing this make any sense!?!
Well, it does, but it takes some mental gymnastics to see how sometimes. First off, you are still borrowing the money because you do have to pay it back... to yourself. But you are borrowing it at 0% interest and no bank, credit union or other mortgage source will be offering you anything near … (1 comments)