Online harms bill on hold
BC boosts milk production
Baby lives after stroller hit
Plastic treaty talks underway
UN workers charged 
Trudeau in Saskatoon 
U.S. reporter remains jailed
$620 million for Ukraine 
5 die crossing channel
PepsiCo beats Q1 forecasts
Equifax testing rental data 
Tourism operators struggle 
Leafs even series
Cristall gets pro look
Warriors even series in OT
Seinfeld: movie biz is 'over'
A Knight's Tale sequel axed
Rudolph: I'm no nepo baby
The Mortgage Gal
Figuring out the right minimum mortgage down payment
Recently I worked with a couple who were selling their home in northern B.C. and moving to the Okanagan. It had been many years since they applied for a...
Wildfire impact and pre-build issues when it comes to mortgages
When I sat down to write this column, there were two themes from the last few weeks that jumped out at me. The two themes have come up in my conversations...
The importance of a mortgage pre-approval
The subject of mortgage pre-approvals has been beaten to death, but I am going to circle back to this from a different perspective. Over the last few months...
Buying property with your head, not your heart
For the last few months, I have felt a bit of a return to normal in the mortgage world. Fixed rates have been trending down and we’ve seen some great rate...
Bridging the gap between selling and buying
As always, before I sit down to write my column, I tend to notice a theme of what’s happened over the last few weeks. Recently, this has been the...
Read your mortgage renewal offer carefully and get help from a mortgage professional
Twice over the last week, I’ve had conversations with clients regarding their mortgage renewal offers that have really concerned me. If you are new to the...
Housing market appears to be rebalancing itself
Homes are starting to move. Fixed rates are trending down. It feels like things are picking up. My work is feeling a little different than it did over the last...
Refinancing may be the solution to dealing with debt
I feel many of us have the tendency to bury our heads in the sand while dealing with (or more specifically not dealing with) our finances. I also feel the last...
Avoid becoming a victim of a "Tinder swindler"
Mortgages and Tinder. What do the two have to do with each other? This week I learned a new term – "Tinder Swindler." This comes from a Netflix...
Deciding the best way to go when renewing your mortgage
If your mortgage is coming up for renewal soon it’s a great idea to do some research before you sign on the dotted line and stick with your traditional...
Finding a way to finance home renovations
In my last column, I wrote about looking at refinancing your home to consolidate debts or pull money for renovations to your home. It struck a nerve with...
Using equity in your home to deal with debt
Just over a year ago, I shared my thoughts about whether it might make more sense to stay in your current home and renovate as opposed to jumping into the...
Why do mortgage pre-approval numbers keep changing?
Why do mortgage pre-approval numbers keep changing? From a broker’s perspective, trying to nail down an upper price point for clients is a little like...
New B.C. law allows home buyers to back out of sales
What exactly is the Home Buyer Rescission Period (HBRP)? For months now, we’ve been hearing about a proposed cooling off period for home purchases. This...
Year-end mortgage rate drops could prove helpful
Most years, we see fixed mortgage rates start to drop towards the end of the calendar year as lenders try to boost their business to end the year strong. This...
Mortgaging into the sunset
I feel like I am getting more calls these days from older clients who are finding that the increased cost of living is really affecting their month to month...
It's worth it to work with a trusted mortgage broker
Last week I ran into a situation with clients who didn’t understand what they were signing. The fallout has been expensive for them. The clients are...
Interest rate increases – Are we done yet?
While many in the mortgage world anticipated rates to increase this year, I don’t think anyone expected them to increase so much and so quickly. What...
Fixed or variable mortgages in a time of interest hikes
Last weekend I attended the mortgage professionals conference in Vancouver. My goal was to take in as many professional development sessions as possible because...
Is a cash-back mortgage right for you?
With rates rising and house prices dropping slowly, I’m finding some clients are having a tougher time qualifying right now. I feel like I have been...
