Building your own home or buying one from a custom builder will likely require taking out a construction mortgage. Construction mortgage loans are an entirely different ball game than typical residential mortgages. Before you take a swing at building your own home, it’s important to know the rules. What is a construction mortgage? A construction…
For buyers, sellers and those renewing their mortgage at the start of 2026, Canada’s housing market faces a very different interest rate environment compared to a year ago, with economists in general agreement that the Bank of Canada (BoC) will likely stay in a holding pattern. “We don’t see the Bank of Canada moving at…
When the Bank of Canada (BoC) makes interest rate cuts, variable rate mortgage pricing typically moves, too.That’s because the central bank’s benchmark rate influences the interest rates that banks charge on variable rate mortgages, such as the TD Prime Rate, which impacts the interest rates on loans such as variable rate mortgages and home equity…
More Canadians jumped into variable mortgages in 2025 to take advantage of their lower rates, but doing so in 2026 might prove perilous, according to Desjardins. “The recent enthusiasm for variable-rate mortgages may wane in 2026, especially if borrowers start anticipating new rate increases,” Hendrix Vachon, principal economist at Desjardins, said in a report. Canadians have…
Royal LePage’s latest market survey casts 2026 as a reset year rather than a rebound, with national prices barely higher and some of Canada’s priciest markets still under pressure. The brokerage forecasts that the aggregate price of a home in Canada would rise 1% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2026 to $823,016,…
Sixteen months of interest rate cuts should have jolted Canada’s housing market back to life. Instead, the sector has barely moved — and with the Bank of Canada (BoC) holding rates steady today, industry experts say the trade war’s shadow, not interest rates, will dictate where the market goes next. The BoC has lowered its policy…
Whether you’re a first-time buyer stretching to enter the market or an existing homeowner looking to refinance, the structure of your mortgage is critical. While interest rates get the spotlight, the amortization period is the silent engine of your loan, determining your monthly payments and the total cost of borrowing. One of the most common strategic…
A deal to end the punishing US-Canada trade war seems further away than ever after Donald Trump said he was ramping up levies on Canadian imports at the weekend, blasting an anti-tariff commercial recently aired in the US by the Ontario government. Trump’s latest move appears to add a fresh 10% tariff on Canadian imports,…
Applying for a mortgage as a first-time home buyer can feel like a huge and complicated challenge. And while careful research is key to demystifying the process, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction when rumours and horror stories start filtering through! With this in mind, we debunk five of the most common…
Canada’s mortgage and housing markets are set for a slow but steady recovery, but the path forward is clouded by trade uncertainty and the risk of further US tariffs, according to a new CIBC Capital Markets forecast. The bank’s latest analysis projects that while a “soft landing” is likely, the road ahead is fraught with…
