Choosing a mortgage sounds like a simple math problem: find the lowest rate, sign the paper, and move on. But in reality, chasing the lowest "sticker price" is a short-term play that can lead to a very expensive long-term headache. I often talk to homeowners who tell me they don’t care about the term length [...]
Fixed mortgage rates can closely resemble a roller coaster at times. Ups and downs, quick turns, and sometimes even surprises. After a sharp climb in late 2025 driven by rising Government of Canada bond yields, we are finally seeing some welcome downward pressure. Why are Fixed Mortgage Rates Falling? Fixed mortgage rates are not [...]
Whether you’re walking into a major bank or sitting down with a mortgage broker, it’s important to remember one thing: mortgage professionals are not all created equal. Much like any other industry, there are superstars who live for their clients' success, and there are those who are just in it for themselves. Sometimes it’s easy [...]
In their first scheduled rate announcement of 2026, the Bank of Canada announced this morning that they will be maintaining their rate once again. With market odds of a rate cut sitting at only 10% heading into the announcement, the pause comes as no big surprise. Here’s an excerpt from this morning’s announcement: “Governing Council [...]
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.4% year over year in December, up from 2.2% the previous month. Economists were expecting inflation to remain unchanged at 2.2%, according to Bloomberg. While inflation did come in higher than expected, the headline number is somewhat misleading. Here’s why. On December 14, 2024, a federal tax holiday implemented [...]
With the holiday tinsel packed away and the first week of 2026 already behind us, reality is setting in as we return to our regular work schedules. 2025 was another interesting year in the mortgage market: The Bank of Canada cut its policy rate by an additional 1.00%. Fixed mortgage rates were far more volatile, [...]
Many Canadians who locked in ultra-low fixed rates in 2020–2021 are now facing significantly higher mortgage payments at renewal. One effective way to manage this “payment shock” is to focus on lower payments rather than the lowest rate, often by extending amortization through a refinance. This strategy improves cash flow while keeping long-term flexibility intact. [...]
Heading into the December 10th Bank of Canada rate announcement, market odds of a rate cut were sitting at just 5%. So it wasn’t exactly a shock when the Bank chose to hold steady. What was surprising? Hearing that some of our clients were advised by their banks to wait until after the announcement before locking in a fixed rate. As I shared at the [...]
With the next Bank of Canada announcement set for December 10, many are hoping for one more cut. Since this rate cutting cycle began on June 5, 2024, the Bank has trimmed rates nine times… 2.75% in total, including 1.00% in 2025. A tenth move would make it a clean 3.00%. But will it happen? [...]
One of the questions we hear most often about variable-rate mortgages is whether they can be converted into a fixed rate mid-term without penalty. The simple answer is yes. I’ve yet to come across a lender that prohibits it or charges a fee to do it. And whenever economic uncertainty ramps up, this question becomes [...]
