Mortgage Blog
Understanding Credit Reports
September 21, 2007 by First Foundation
Most adult Canadians have a credit report if they have had a credit card or any other type of loan. Despite this fact, not many people know what is in their credit report or what their credit score is.
What is a credit report and what does it include?
A credit report is just that – a report/history of your credit. It shows any loans or credit cards that you’ve had in the past six years, and also provides details like whether you regularly pay on time, how much you owe, and what your credit limit is. It also ...
Read more »Commercial Mortgages
September 21, 2007 by First Foundation
While First Foundation has traditionally focused on arranging residential mortgages for Canadians, we can arrange commercial mortgages for small business owners as well.
Depending on your situation, First Foundation can arrange financing for up to 85% of the commercial property value. Small commercial mortgages can be fixed rate or variable rate, as well as open or closed terms.
If you are purchasing or thinking of purchasing an apartment building, storefront, retail property, industrial property, an office space, or another type of commercial property, and are interested in discovering what First Foundation can do for you, please contact us, or click ...
Read more »The American Sub-prime Mortgage Market...and Canada
September 20, 2007 by Shayla Damery
Sub-prime mortgages are mortgages for those people who don't normally qualify for the lowest interest rates or the best mortgage products based on their tarnished or poor credit histories. They can, however, still qualify for a mortgage, but will end up paying higher interest rates and/or fees.
Recently, there has been a bit of a meltdown in the United States in the sub-prime mortgage market (or the alternative mortgage market, as we know it in Canada). Sub-prime borrowers have started defaulting on their mortgages en masse in recent months due to rising interest rates, extensive use of adjustable ...
Read more »Mortgage Life Insurance and Personal Life Insurance
September 17, 2007 by First Foundation
Life Insurance - Who Needs It?
Death isn't something that we normally like to think about, but when it comes to protecting your family from a mountain of debt, it's a subject that should definitely be discussed. If you were to pass away, would your spouse be prepared - and financially capable - to shoulder a mortgage all on his or her own? Life insurance, whether it be mortgage life insurance or term insurance, can remove the "what if?", and provide you peace of mind if something were to ever happen to you.
Essentially, there are two major types of life ...
Read more »More Buyer-Friendly Market for Edmonton House Hunters
September 11, 2007 by First Foundation
The Edmonton housing market seems to be shifting slightly from the previous “seller's market” to a more buyer friendly market. On September 5th, the Edmonton Real Estate Board released their August market activity statistics, which indicated that as of August 31st, 4,331 residential units were listed – 1,674 more units than were listed in August of 2006.
Not only is there more inventory available for house hunters, but property prices have also dropped slightly. Average prices for condominiums have declined by 1%, duplexes and rowhouses dropped 2.8% and average residential prices have declined 2.84%. While this ...
Read more »Financing Home Renovations
September 7, 2007 by First Foundation
More and more homeowners across Canada are renovating their homes. The most common reasons for renovations are to increase home value, to update older homes and to prepare to sell the home. The average amount that a homeowner spends on renovations is approximately $11,000, according to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CHMC). You can read more about renovation expenditures and trends at the CMHC website.
Now, most homeowners don't have $11,000 - or more - sitting in the bank specifically reserved for home renovations. The majority of homeowners that have owned their home for more than a year ...
Read more »Bank of Canada - Rates Unchanged
September 6, 2007 by First Foundation
Good news for home owners in variable or adjustable rate mortgages. The Bank of Canada announced yesterday that its overnight rate will remain unchanged for the time being. Canadian Banks have responded accordingly by leaving their Prime lending rates alone at 6.25%.
The article can be read at the CBC Website. The entire press release can be read below by clicking "read more".
If you're interested in a variable or adjustable rate mortgage you can read more about them here, or apply for one today!
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5 September 2007 | CONTACT: Jeremy Harrison 613 782-8782 |
Bank of ...
Read more »August Mortgage Statistics
August 1, 2007 by Gordon McCallum
Today the most recent real estate and mortgage statistics, as prepared by the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals was released. This issue highlights trends in interest rates, bond yields, housing starts and prices for major centres across Canada. The full report is below.
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Bank of Canada Raises Rates
July 10, 2007 by First Foundation
As expected, the Bank of Canada raised it's overnight interest rate this morning by .25%. This affects mortgage holders that have Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOCs) or Variable or Adjustable Rate Mortgages. Those rates will also go up by a corresponding .25%. The typical bank Prime rates have gone from 6% to 6.25%.
As we mentioned in a previous article, this may have an impact on your payments, but thankfully, not a large one....
Follow the "Read More" link for more information
This table gives you an idea of what a .25% increase will mean to you ...
Read more »Consumers Win with First National's Self Insured Mortgage
June 18, 2007 by Gordon McCallum
Increasing competition in the Canadian Mortgage Market has again resulted in an opportunity for Canadian home buyers to save money. Just recently, First National Financial (*one of First Foundation's favourite lenders) announced that they will offer a self-insured mortgage through its broker network.
What does that mean to the typical home buyer? Well, on a typical mortgage of about $250,000, it could save...
...you over a thousand dollars!
This product is ideal for home buyers who have a 5% down payment. Rather than paying a 2.75% insurance premium to CMHC or Genworth Financial, you now only need ...
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