RRSP Contributions for 2020 Tax Year
If you're wondering about contributing to an RRSP for this year's tax return, there is still time! You have until March 1 2021 for those funds to count toward your 2020 tax return. Here is a handy calculator to help you figure out what your return might look like...
New Changes to CMHC’s Underwriting Criteria
There are more changes from CMHC affecting mortgage qualifying coming July 1, 2020. The modifications to the underwriting criteria make it more difficult to qualify for a mortgage for those who have less than 20% for a down payment. The changes include increasing the...
Thinking of Deferring Your Mortgage Payment?
Covid-19 has impacted our economy and financial markets significantly. The government has implemented a mortgage deferral program to help those in need of financial support during this time. A person can now defer his or her mortgage payment for up to 6 months, at the...
How to Qualify for a Higher Mortgage Amount
When the mortgage rules changed for insured mortgages (those with less than 20% down) in October of 2016, the most constant question I had was, “How do I qualify for more?”. Borrowing power for those [...]
How are the New Changes Affecting your Mortgage in Regina
The new rule changes for mortgages set out by the federal government beginning January, 2018 will effect anyone with an “uninsured mortgage”. This means any mortgage in which a person is not paying mortgage default [...]
Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score
Pay off any outstanding collections. These are debts that haven’t been paid that were sent to a third-party collection agency for them to collect payment on behalf of the creditor. Many companies (not just credit [...]
Are Lenders Obligated to Renew Mortgages?
It's a common held belief that if you've made your mortgage payments on time throughout the entirety of your mortgage term, that your lender is somehow obligated to renew your mortgage. This is simply not the case. [...]
Creating Stability in the Canadian Housing Market
This morning, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced new housing measures, changes meant to alleviate risk in Canada's current housing market. The measures include: Standardizing lending criteria for high- and low-ratio mortgages, including a mortgage stress [...]
Avoid This Mistake When Shopping for a House
No doubt about it, buying a home is an emotional experience. It's a game of balancing needs and wants, while trying to be honest with yourself about those very needs and wants. It's hard to [...]
Further Tightening of the Mortgage Belt
Before reading this you should be warned that the following content is pretty dry... like eating 8 saltine crackers without drinking water dry. If you need to go and get something to drink before proceeding, no worries, [...]