Super Brokers News
Mortgage insurance rule changes…how will they affect you?
By: Tamar LeisIn October and November this year the Government of Canada made changes to mortgage insurance requirements. Mortgage insurance is provided by three companies in Canada. The biggest provider of mortgage insurance is CMHC a crown corporation. This insurance is paid for by the borrower and protects the lender in case of default. It reduces the …
How the recent rate cuts may impact mortgage regulations
By: mkerznerWith the latest Bank of Canada (BoC) rate cut to 0.50% comes a reminder that many would like us to believe our housing market is tenuous. Once again there is a lot of discussion about just how overheated our market is and the dire circumstances many current home buyers are likely to find themselves at …
Over Half of Canadian Retirees Are in Debt, but That Doesn’t Have to Include You
By: Elias KellendonkA recent poll done by CIBC and Harris/Decima has found that 59% of Canadian retirees are still in debt. Worse yet, the poll finds that 55% of people that carry debt into retirement have seen their debt levels either increase or remain unchanged over the past year. As you can imagine, it only becomes more …
Flaherty Tightens Canadian Mortgage Rules.
By: Elias KellendonkCome July 9th, the CMHC will no longer insure mortgages with amortizations longer than 25 years, and will further limit the amount a homeowner can refinance their mortgage to 80%, down from 85%.
How to Compost
By: Elias KellendonkMake your Backyard Greener Composting is an easy, inexpensive way to ensure your planting soil is getting the nutrients it needs. Compost and leave and grass mulches improve soil texture, prevent erosion, better hold moisture and encourage healthy plant growth. A healthy yard often means a healthy home – less opportunities for water to seep …
Calgarians Rank City Housing C+, Neighbourhoods B-
By: Elias KellendonkRecent Survey Finds Vast Majority of Calgarians are Happy – and Satisfied with Financial Well Being The Calgary Foundation released its 2011 Vital Signs this week, an ‘annual community checkup that measures the vitality of the community, identifies significant trends, and assigns grades in 12 areas critical to quality of life.’ According to the 2011 …
Four Year Fixed Rates Down 40 Basis Points
By: Elias KellendonkAs of Monday the best mortgage rate available on a four-year term came down 0.40% to dip under prime rate and station at 2.99%. This was the first mortgage rate change to be seen at CanEquity since the second week of September, wherein the best variable rate available rose 0.20%, while the two-year fixed rate, …
Home Energy Audits: Government Rebates to Fix up your Home
By: Elias KellendonkIt’s a win-win situation: renovate your home, improve energy efficiency, lower your monthly bills and get up to $5,000 back in an ecoENERGY grant to pay for a portion of it. That’s exactly what the Government of Canada is offering through the ecoENERGY Home Retrofit Program, which was extended June, 6 2011. In order to …
Wall Street: From New Amsterdam to this Quarter’s Close
By: Elias KellendonkFor more than 400 years Manhattan has been the site of big trades, big gains and big losses. The island was originally purchased in 1626 from the Lenape Native Americans for a sum of 60 Dutch guilders, the equivalent of roughly $24, by the Walloon director-general Peter Minuit. At this time the city was hailed …
Investing for Young People Part 3: Differentiating Mutual Funds
By: Elias KellendonkPerhaps jumping into the stock market has turned out to be more of a chore than you and your child anticipated. If savings bonds and GICs are not offering the rates of return you and your child would like to see their savings yielding, mutual funds are a promising alternative. At current Canadians have well …
