Recent studies have shown that self employment is on the rise, making up approximately 15% of the workforce in Canada. However, the trend is making it more difficult for the self-employed and other unique prospective mortgage clients to get a mortgage.
Many major lenders have quietly eliminated their stated income programs or are tightening their lending review process for self-employed individuals. ...
Posted by CENTUM Canada
on April 4, 2012
If you go on The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada website, you’ll see a video about Darcy Lee. He’s a 6 year old with Idiopathic lymphedema(with pleural and pancardial infusions), an illness usually resulting from an impaired lymphatic system (part of the immune system that deals with infections). The illness causes swelling in the body, most commonly in the arms and legs. There ...
Posted by CENTUM Canada
on March 9, 2012
If you ever watch HGTV Canada, you’ve most likely seen shows like “Til Debt Do Us Part” or Slice channel’s “Princess” – shows that bring in a professional to help people come to their senses and manage their debt. Everywhere you turn these days, you’ll hear people talking about debt. The economic crisis in the United States and Europe has shone a light ...
Posted by CENTUM Canada
on January 12, 2012
It’s that time of year again. The market slows to a crawl as Canadians prepare for the holiday season, and we all stop to reflect on the year that has passed. What did 2011 mean to CENTUM and to the mortgage industry? When we think about it, one word comes to mind as the best description: Change. The vast majority of Canadians have been sheltered from the economic turmoil seen around the world ...
Posted by CENTUM Canada
on December 19, 2011
Everywhere you turn, people are talking about the economic slowdown and if it’s still a good time to buy that vacation home in the U.S. or someplace else. According to the National Association of Realtors, Canadians were the biggest foreign buyers of American real estate in 2010. That shouldn’t be surprising considering our proximity and the strong Canadian dollar. Real estate companies ...
Posted by CENTUM Canada
on December 8, 2011
As promised in our blog last month, I thought we would do an overview of fixed versus variable rates, as this is a constant water cooler topic. As predicated, lenders have made significant changes to variable rate products. Most of the leading lenders are still offering prime rates at 3.00%, and five-year fixed mortgage rates are hovering in the 3.40% – 3.69% range.
What does this mean to ...
Posted by CENTUM Canada
on November 8, 2011
At this time last year, sitting around the feast laden table, many economic forecasts indicated that mortgage rates would be on the rise in 2011. Here we are on the fleeting end of the year and rates for the most part have remained at a historical 30 year low. Although prime rate remains unchanged, a noticeable trend over the second half of the year seems to be the pricing by the mortgage facilitators ...
Posted by CENTUM Canada
on October 4, 2011
If you've ever bought a home, you've probably been there: you meet with a lender to sign your mortgage documents and he or she offers you mortgage protection insurance. It can be as simple as ticking off a box and signing on the dotted line to accept the premiums and insure you and your family against death, disability or other catastrophic event that might leave you unable to make your ...
Posted by CENTUM Canada
on June 15, 2011
Recent images of devastating floods, tornadoes and fires, along with warnings by Environment Canada of the potential for severe summer weather, might have you wondering what protection there is for your home in the event of a natural disaster.
Did you know that overland flooding is not covered by home insurance? Government assistance can be there to assist communities ...
Posted by CENTUM Canada
on May 30, 2011
A recent poll conducted by Environics Research Group for TD Canada Trust reveals, not surprisingly, that the majority of urban Canadian condo buyers are first-time home buyers.
Environics polled 806 people in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver who have bought a condo in the past 24 months or intend to buy a condo in the next 24 months. Results ...
Posted by CENTUM Canada
on May 10, 2011
