Real Estate Blog

First Time Buyers: Now might be time to enter the market

Mortgage Minute First Time Buyers: Now might be the time to enter the market. Not so deep thought of the day:  When you clean out a vacuum cleaner, you become a vacuum cleaner! For the first time since 2008 and 2009 media headlines have been saying this may be the best chance for first time buyers, who are fortunate enough to still be working, to get into the housing market. Mortgage rates have plummeted and house prices have slowed there upward trajectory, allowing many an opportunity to get into the housing market. This window of opportuni...

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New Study Finds Money Makes Canadian Women Happy!!

New study finds money makes Canadian women happy!! I didn’t make this up, honest, someone actually spent time studying this!  Now that I have your attention, you may have heard that interest rates have dropped as have gas prices… what will we do with all the extra money we have?  The Bank of Canada dropped the bank rate .50% each of the last 2 weeks and the banks passed the savings along by dropping their prime by the same on the first drop and we are awaiting their decision on the second drop. ...

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How a Divorce Affects a Mortgage

How Divorces Affect Mortgages Chances are you have gone or are going through a divorce or no someone who is or has (sad but it’s a fact today), and along with the emotional challenges, the financial challenges can be overwhelming.  With most couples one person takes care of the mortgage and the other is usually less involved, so when a divorce happens the spouse who has not been as involved may feel like they don’t know where to start when trying to figure out how to move forward with their mortgage needs.  ...

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Support to End Family Violence in our Community

Kelowna Women’s Shelter Support and Education Programs Get Financial Aid from Local Real Estate Agents   Kelowna 28 January, 2020 – Broker Owners, Francis Braam, Steve Gray and Broker Manager Dave Favell of Royal LePage Kelowna presented a cheque to Executive Director, Allison Mclauchlan and Resource Development Coordinator, Ester Pike of the Kelowna Women’s Shelter. In 2019, Royal LePage Kelowna REALTORS® held fundraising events and donated part of their commissions to The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation throughout the year.  The result was more than $5...

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Support to End Family Violence in our Community

Kelowna Women’s Shelter Support and Education Programs Get Financial Aid from Local Real Estate Agents   Kelowna 28 January, 2020 – Broker Owners, Francis Braam, Steve Gray and Broker Manager Dave Favell of Royal LePage Kelowna presented a cheque to Executive Director, Allison Mclauchlan and Resource Development Coordinator, Ester Pike of the Kelowna Women’s Shelter. In 2019, Royal LePage Kelowna REALTORS® held fundraising events and donated part of their commissions to The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation throughout the year.  The result was more than $5...

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Home Ownership and Mortgages

Home Ownership and Mortgages – Good News, Bad News Stats Canada recently reported that home ownership in Canada has increased from 60% of families in 1999 to 63% in 2016. That’s good news for the Canadian economy and most families, but the bad news is the number of families who have paid off their mortgage has decreased from 46% to 43%. During this study period we saw record low interest rates, so in theory we should have had an advantage paying off our mortgages? I don’t think the rates are the issue, it’s our behavior, and chan...

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Recovery in Second Quarter

Canadian real estate market continues recovery in second quarter According to the Royal LePage House Price Survey1, during the second quarter of 2019 low interest rates and healthy employment offset the market drag caused by economic uncertainty that kept monthly unit sales volumes below the ten-year average2. As a result, home prices appreciated modestly at the national level. The Royal LePage National House Price Composite, compiled from proprietary property data in 63 of the nation’s largest real estate markets, showed that the price of a home i...

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Before You Rake Those Leaves

Before you rake those leaves… Bagging leaves can be back-breaking work — what happens if you leave the leaves till spring? Many good things, as it turns out: Free mulch. Fallen leaves prevent weed growth and retain moisture just like wood mulch. They also protect lawns and gardens from scattered salt when the ice hits. Delicate plants thrive under a mat of wet or frozen leaves, and can easily push through in the spring. Shelter for bees and butterflies. Did you know not all Monarch butterflies migrate? A number of our fluttery friends overwinter i...

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Fall is a Great Time for Homebuying

Why Fall is a Great Time for Homebuying When winter weather blows in, our impulse could be to hunker down and hide. However, house hunting in autumn can be to your advantage. Here are four reasons why: Better perspective. When it’s gloomy out, you’ll have a stronger idea how interiors look in low light. Also, leafy trees and shrubs can hide flaws around a home’s exterior or downspouts. Bare branches reveal areas in need of repair. Assess the action. In September, most neighbours have returned from the cottage and summer holidays. What c...

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Big Banks at Risk??

Are Big Banks at Risk? Are Canadian banks really at risk because of the high debt levels many Canadians are carrying? I just read the 3rd quarter bank earnings report (it was either that or watch the French language leaders debate) and was surprised by how little risk the 6 largest banks in Canada are actually taking. I looked at 3 key areas the banks could be at risk, the loan to value of the mortgage portfolio (how much debt vs property value securing the loan), the 90 day default rate, and the percent of the lenders book that was insured (guaranteed b...

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Is Real Estate Still a Good Investment for Canadians?

Is real estate still a good investment for Canadians? First, we definitely shouldn’t be making this decision based on the media headlines, as they definitely do not represent the facts about the housing market. Real estate investment has once again become a hot topic around many water coolers and dinner tables, I believe because of the volatility and uncertainty in the stock market. Chasing returns on the stock market can be very stressful and requires a lot of time and knowledge, and even then the returns have not been great. Today many people are...

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Mortgage Rates 2020

What is in store for mortgage rates in 2020? I have made predictions for years, and I have been doing just a little better than the weather man, though I was almost bang on last year, proving even a blind squirrel finds the occasional nut!! The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) believes there will be no change in mortgage rates in 2020 and a modest increase in the economy rising up from 1.6% in 2019 to 1.8% in 2020. The bank economists are leaning towards a small decrease in mortgage rates of a quarter percent overall in 2020 and a modest...

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