by Frances Hinojosa | Jun 26, 2020 | Blog, Economy, Homeownership
For most parents, watching their children head off to college or university causes a wide range of emotions. Hopes and happiness are mixed with worries and sadness and the adjustment can be very difficult. Emotions aside, there is also the weight of the...
by Frances Hinojosa | Jun 19, 2020 | Blog, Finance, Homeownership, Mortgage
Before you head out home shopping, it’s important to first determine how much you can comfortably afford to spend. Not only will getting your mortgage agent to arrange a pre-approval help you understand what lenders look for when granting you a home loan, but it will...
by Frances Hinojosa | Jun 12, 2020 | Blog, Economy, Homeownership, Mortgage
While interest rates shouldn’t be your sole focus when securing a mortgage, they do represent an important part of the financing equation. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Bank of Canada (BoC) has announced several unscheduled benchmark rate reductions....
by Frances Hinojosa | Jun 5, 2020 | Announcements, Blog, CMHC, Homeownership, Mortgage
The COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact on all sectors of Canada’s economy, including housing. Job losses, business closures and a drop in immigration are adversely affecting Canada’s housing markets, and CMHC foresees a 9% to 18% decrease in house prices over the...
by Frances Hinojosa | May 22, 2020 | Blog, Economy, Finance
There are a number of reasons why refinancing your mortgage before your current term is up makes good financial sense. The most popular ones include taking advantage of lower rates or using your home equity to consolidate debt, fund renovations, ease cashflow or even...
by Frances Hinojosa | May 15, 2020 | Blog, Homeownership, Mortgage
Am I ready now? How will I even know when I’m ready? Buying your first home is exciting and scary all at the same time. Much like other major milestones, such as getting married and starting a family, there’s really no such thing as being completely ready. But when...
by Frances Hinojosa | May 8, 2020 | Blog, Finance, Homeownership
A debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is a comparison of your monthly debt payments versus your monthly income. Lenders use this formula to determine how well you manage your monthly debt and your likeliness of repaying a loan. Debt obligations refer to such things as credit...
by Frances Hinojosa | May 1, 2020 | Blog, Guest Post, Mortgage
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep us focused on physical distancing, it’s often difficult to perceive anything good from its existence. But, a few silver linings have emerged. As our world is changing, possibly forever, people are finding new and creative...
by Frances Hinojosa | Apr 24, 2020 | Blog, Economy, Finance
The world as we know it has drastically changed. Most of us are staying home – not by choice, but through necessity. The financial and emotional strain associated with COVID-19 is very real – coping with the unnerving situation, trying to stay positive and finding...
by Frances Hinojosa | Apr 17, 2020 | Blog
In addition to coping with the very real and serious threat to our health and wellbeing thanks to COVID-19, we’re now also facing the added stress of protecting ourselves against fraudulent schemes related to the pandemic. Deceptive practices tend to transpire...
