Salmonella linked to cukes?
Blob back in BC
Family stuck in Africa
All BC News
Sharks being tracked online
Payette memorial today 
23 Maxmillions winners
More Canada News
Saudi explanation decried 
Lotto jackpot hits $1.6B
New Brexit vote demanded
More World News
Telus launches kids fund
Swoop's big oops
Calgary opens drone park
Jordin Tootoo retires
Red Sox off to World Series
Prince raises Invictus flag
Pam Anderson on crutches
Keith Urban surprises fan
Katy salutes gay fans
The Mortgage Gal
Feds will help buy home
By Chuck Duerden If you are looking to enter the housing market — and if you meet the definition of a first-time buyer plus other conditions — the...
RRSPs for a downpayment
You can use your RRSP for all or part of your down payment, but the rules have changed in recent years. If you think you know them, double check here. What is...
How risky do you feel?
There has been a lot of talk regarding fixed and variable rate mortgages and which one is best for you. Prior to the new regulations introduced by FICOM on Oct....
Hike your credit score
How to Increase Your Credit Score Good credit translates into lower interest rates for the borrower. Here are just a few quick tips that can help put you in a...
CMHC premiums rising
CMHC is raising the cost of mortgage insurance effective March 17. This increase will mean an extra $5 per month on average.
 Here are the new...
Home-owner plan criteria
I have received a number of inquiries about the new B.C. Home Owner Mortgage and Equity Partnership, so thought I would write a follow up to clarify what is...
Down-payment blues
B.C. Home Owner Mortgage and Equity Partnership Program Premier Christy Clark announced on Dec. 15 a new down-payment assistance program to help B.C. residents...
What's your 5-year rate?
The first question I usually get when a potential client calls me is, what is your mortgage rate for five years? It makes me wonder if that is the only thing...
Need a bigger mortgage?
How to qualify for more under the new mortgage rules With the change of mortgage rules requiring borrowers to qualify at the prescribed or posted interest rate...
Help with kid's first home
Sometimes, our children come to us for money to go out with friends, buy clothes, computer stuff or games and and the more they ask, the more we realize that we...
Brokers save you money
5 reasons to use a mortgage broker There are a lot of good reasons to work with a mortgage broker when you’re buying or refinancing a home. To help you...
Home dreams in jeopardy
The federal government has announced new rules to try and cool the heated real-estate markets in Vancouver and Toronto. The change limits the foreign money...
Mortgage methods
How can you pay off your mortgage more quickly? Most homeowners would love nothing more than not to have to put that monthly mortgage cheque in their account....
Housing tax worries market
Economists, realtors, sellers and buyers are all wondering how the Canadian housing market will be affected by the Vancouver property transfer tax for foreign...
Managing your credit
In the financial world, your credit profile is your reputation. You don’t manage your credit applications and payments in a vacuum. Your credit behaviour...
The stress of house buying
There are many stresses associated with home buying — both financial and emotional. It doesn't help that the process comes with its own foreign...
Don't sell, reno
Anyone who has lived in the same house for a long time inevitably gets the reno itch. While gutting a home is expensive, home renovations are still an...
Down-payment blues
How much of your savings should go toward your down payment? There is no definite right answer and sometimes it depends on where the investments or savings are....
Musical mortgages
Stop! Before you transfer your mortgage….. Too switch or not to switch, that is the half-a-million-dollar question. Mortgage lenders that is. Many...
Buying in a hot market
As the summer approaches, it seems the Canadian real estate market has caught spring fever and things are not changing. First-time homebuyers face many...
