Are Payday Loans Criminal?
Many of us know about payday loans, or have at least seen one of the many storefronts offering them – there are over 1300 in Canada, after all. And while many of us know of, or have heard of, these storefronts that charge extremely exorbitant fees and interest rates, are payday loans criminal?
Read moreThis Week’s Financial Round-Up
In case you missed any of it, here’s our roundup of this week’s blog posts
Read moreClosing Costs, Part 2: The Cost of Closing
In Part I of our closing cost mini-series, Recurring and Non-Recurring Costs, we looked at the two main types of closing costs – recurring, and non-recurring. We also talked about how important it is to seriously consider closing costs when talking to your mortgage broker or when looking at homes. They’re important of course, because it can add up to a lot of money, and you need to know that before you sign any papers. But just how much money does it all add up to? That’s what we’ll look at here, in Part 2 of the mini-series. Here we’ll break down all the different costs you could face, as well as their approximate dollar amount.
Read moreVancouver Hardest Place in Canada to Raise Young Families
It’s no secret that housing prices in Vancouver are ridiculously high when compared to the rest of the country – and with many places in the world, with the average Vancouver home cost around $750,000. This makes things like mortgage payments more challenging than ever, but what about all the other things? Food, clothing, daycare, utilities, and everything else that goes with life? It’s challenging. And if things don’t change in Vancouver, and the rest of B.C. very soon, the province could go from being one of the best places in the country to live, to one of the most dire.
Read moreNHA MBS Levels are Dropping – What does that mean?
To really understand what it means when NHA MBS levels fall, you first need to know what the NHA is, and what its MBS are. And even though it might all sound like too much, it’s really very simple, and a concept that most of us are already familiar with. The NHA is the National Housing Act, an act implemented in 1983 and that is now regulated by the CMHC – the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The NHA’s MBS are mortgage-backed securities. In other words, these are the mortgages insured by the CMHC. And these insured mortgages have recently made news as the number of them dwindles. But what does that really mean?
Read moreThe One Time You Need a Credit Card
Generally, credit cards bring a kind of debt that you don’t want. They come with high interest rates and are considered ‘bad debt,’ since you’re not actually investing in anything for your future when using them. However, there is one time you need a credit card, and that’s if you run a home business.
Read moreClosing Costs, Part 1: Recurring and Non-Recurring Costs
The one term you’ll hear a lot when buying a home is “closing costs.” At first, it may appear that everyone’s getting all worked about them, but you. How bad can closing costs be after all? And why are your real estate agent and your mortgage broker talking about things like having the seller pay them? Closing costs can add up to a lot of money, and this is why every expert will advise you to take them seriously when thinking about your future mortgage. In this first part of our closing cost mini-series, we’ll take a look at the two different types: recurring and non-recurring.
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