Often when purchasing a home, purchasers will get a pre-approval on a mortgage.  Typically, these pre-approvals last for 60, 90 or even 120 days. What is a pre-approval? A pre-approval involves a mortgage broker collecting all of the documents required to apply for a mortgage, whether with a major bank, or an alternative lender.  The […]

There are a few good reasons to renovate your current home.  The most common is for your own personal enjoyment and that’s a great reason.  But some people want to renovate with a future sale in mind. Even if the primary reason is personal enjoyment, it doesn’t hurt to understand how your renovations will impact […]

Canadians now have new protections when it comes to dealing with their bank thanks to the new Financial Consumer Protection Framework which came into effect June 30th of 2022. Among the more than 60 changes that came into effect are: Banks now must deal with customer complaints within 56 days, reduced from the previous 90 […]

Well, the end of 2023 sounds like a long way away, but it is only 16 months and time flies!  Rules are changing for two types of home equity mortgages: HELOC A Home Equity Line of Credit, or HELOC, is a mortgage product that contains a conventional fixed amount mortgage, and a rotating Line of […]

We hear it on the news daily right now, the Bank of Canada is raising interest rates in an effort to reduce inflation. What does this mean, and what is the relationship between interest rates and inflation? This involves some very complicated and high-level economic theory, but I will try to explain a simplified explanation. […]

We are definitely in a period of rising interest rates, due mostly to the government wanting to curb or control inflation.  What does that mean to average consumers. Credit Card Debt The first thing to think about is your short-term debt – like credit cards.  These have very high interest rates to begin with, so […]

So the long anticipated moving day is here.  It can be an extremely stressful day for all involved.  But if you have pets, it will be stressful for them as well.  Unlike with children, you can not explain to pets what is happening to help reduce their stress. The Old House One way to help […]