COVID-19 Archives - Kitchener Mortgages, Waterloo Mortgages, Cambridge Mortgages

Home prices in Toronto rise to record levels and here’s what experts say will happen next 🏡📈

September 20, 2021

The frenzied pace of home buying Toronto experienced in 2020 has waned but prices continue to increase. As anyone searching for a home knows, it is difficult to find a decent home under $1 million unless you want to live in a shack or run-down bungalow. And it is not just in Toronto. Across Canada, home sales dipped -0.5 percent from July and -14 percent compared to 2020’s scorching summer market but it’s still the second-best August in history for real estate transactions, according to a new report from Zoocasa. “Canadian housing markets appear to be stabilizing somewhere in between pre-and peak-pandemic levels – which is to say, still extremely unbalanced,” said Canadian Real Estate Association senior economist Shaun Cathcart. Across the GTA benchmark home prices are up 17.3 percent year over year to $1,059,300, the report states. The main factor behind the price increase is the lack of homes on the market. “Greater Toronto buyers continued …
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Top Risks and Trends in Canada’s Mortgage Market🏡

September 15, 2021

Ben Rabidoux, a real estate analyst and founder of Edge Realty Analytics, recently participated in a webinar hosted by Mortgage Professionals Canada where he outlined some of the key trends that could impact mortgage rates. From rising inflation and falling consumer confidence to changing real estate preferences, Canada’s mortgage market could be impacted on multiple fronts. Over the course of the pandemic, there’s been a flight of homebuyers out of the cities looking for single-detached homes with more space and privacy. As a result, places like Bancroft, North Bay, have seen annual home-price appreciations of more than 64% and 48%, respectively. To read for of the discussion, click here

Market Interest Rates are Rising Almost Everywhere

February 24, 2021

Longer-Term Yields are Rising Despite Central Bank Inaction While central banks hold overnight rates at record lows, anchoring short-term interest rates and the prime rate, mid-to-long-term government yields have been rising since early this month. As the chart below shows, the 5-year Government of Canada bond, upon which mortgage rates are generally tethered, are currently at 0.69%, up 27 basis points since January 29th. This is the highest 5-year yield since late-March 2020. Canadian bond yields have increased more than in the US, perhaps due to the surge in commodity prices, most notably oil, which has climbed 16.9% in just the past month, taking the year-to-date gain to 27%.Growing government debt arising from fiscal measures to cushion the blow of the pandemic and stimulate the economy has set the stage for higher government bond yields in much of the developed world. Inflation concerns are mounting. In a rare move, yesterday Statistics Canada revised …
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Warren Buffett Thinks You Should Refinance Your Mortgage Now

February 16, 2021

Tracy came across this article last week and shared it with the team. This is certainly a trend we are seeing people take advantage of right now, and it makes perfect sense. Original Source: The Motley Fool Warren Buffett doesn’t give stock tips, but he’s given plenty of “general” financial advice over the years. Recommending that people avoid credit cards, save money, and invest in index funds, the “Oracle of Omaha” has shared plenty of money ideas with the world. Today, he has a clear recommendation: borrow while interest rates are low. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re seeing unprecedentedly low interest rates across the Western world. That includes the U.S. as well as Canada. To help the economy along during lockdowns, central banks have lowered interest rates to sub-1% levels. As a result, bank interest rates to consumers have declined as well. Warren Buffett hasn’t been big on public appearances lately. …
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Bank of Canada Still Expects No Rate Increases Until 2023

January 21, 2021

Published by Dr. Sherry Cooper, Chief Economist, Dominion Lending Centres For the original article, CLICK HERE. The Bank of Canada released its January Monetary Policy Report (MPR), showing they expect to keep overnight interest rates at its “effective lower bound” of 0.25% until 2023 (see chart below). To reinforce this commitment and keep interest rates low across the yield curve, the Bank will continue its Quantitative Easing (QE) program–buying $4 billion of Government of Canada bonds every week until the recovery is well underway. The central bank indicated it could pare purchases once the recovery regains its footing. According to the Bank’s press release, “The Governing Council will hold the policy interest rate at the effective lower bound until economic slack is absorbed so that the 2 percent inflation target is sustainably achieved. In our projection, this does not happen until into 2023.” Officials are apparently optimistic about the economy’s prospects …
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Canadian Real Estate Association December 2020 National Statistics

January 16, 2021

National Statistics Record December caps record year for Canadian home sales Ottawa, ON, January 15, 2021 – Statistics released today by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) show national home sales set another all-time record in December 2020. SUMMARY: National home sales rose 7.2% on a month-over-month (m-o-m) basis in December. Actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity was up 47.2% year-over-year (y-o-y). The number of newly listed properties climbed 3.4% from November to December. The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) rose 1.5% m-o-m and was up 13% y-o-y. The actual (not seasonally adjusted) national average sale price posted a 17.1% y-o-y gain in December. Home sales recorded over Canadian MLS® Systems jumped by 7.2% between November and December to set another new all-time record. (Chart A) Seasonally adjusted activity was running at an annualized pace of 714,516 units in December 2020 – the first time on record that monthly sales at seasonally …
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Could the BoC be considering a micro cut to Canada’s overnight lending rate?

January 14, 2021

The chance of a “micro-cut” to the Bank of Canada’s overnight rate has increased due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Industry experts are anticipating a cut of less than 25 basis points. The lower the overnight rate is, the less expensive it is for consumers to borrow money. The potential decrease in the rate is due to the need for more widespread financial stimulus to the Canadian economy, says Andrew Kelvin, chief Canada strategist at TD Securities. A micro-cut like this has not occurred since the implementation of the overnight rate in February 1996. A cut to the overnight rate could increase spending, as seen in the boost to the Canadian housing market due to historically low borrowing costs. The delayed rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine as well as the decline in jobs are the main factors of a slow Canadian economy in 2021. The Bank of …
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Stay connected this winter with virtual activities in Waterloo Region

January 11, 2021

During these difficult times of being in lockdown, it is more important than ever to look after our wellness. The City of Waterloo is introducing virtual activities for senior residents from cooking lessons to gardening tips! This is an amazing way to maintain a sense of community while connecting with others of similar interests and passions. To learn more about this initiative, check out the full article from Kitchener Today below! ORIGINAL SOURCE: KitchenerToday.com The City of Waterloo is encouraging older residents to stay healthy this winter by offering a virtual series to keep their minds sharp. This follows the city’s fall wellness event, “Staying healthy and well: a virtual series for seniors,” which had 279 residents viewing and participating. This weekly online series covers a range of topics to encourage physical and mental health in the community’s seniors. Starting next Wednesday and running the same time every week between 1:00 …
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Canadian Jobs Market Tanked in December

January 8, 2021

Canadian employment fell 62,600 last month, a bit weaker than expected, following seven months of recovery (see chart below). The rapid rise in COVID cases and the ensuing lockdown measures in many key regions caused the net loss in jobs in the mid-December survey. Especially hard hit were workers at restaurants and hotels who suffered a hefty 56,700 employment loss. The jobless rate rose a tick to 8.6%–well below the peak of 13.7% in April–but still three percentage points above its pre-pandemic level. However, there were some bright spots as several sectors churned out small gains (see second chart below). Among them were finance, insurance and real estate, as well as scientific and tech services. Manufacturing rose 15,400, and public administration reported solid gains. On a positive note, full-time jobs actually rose 36,500, and average wages pushed back up and are now 5.6% higher than one year ago. This outsized gain, …
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New mental health campaign aims to have residents share their silver linings in 2020

January 8, 2021

We are so proud of the work our agents do professionally and personally – we’re a very community-focused and people-first team. Jenn Price, you are doing a wonderful job of sharing and encouraging hope. You KNOW you’ve got our support! ORIGINAL SOURCE: GuelphToday.com Two women are launching an online campaign to help residents focus on the silver linings they’ve experienced in 2020. Share Your Silver Lining…Save A Life is a mental health initiative encouraging residents to post a positive moment that they experienced this year online through #ShareYourSilverLining. The creators of the campaign are Claire Knight and Jenn Price, who hope to provide an outlet which will encourage and inspire people who are struggling with mental health. “This is a platform where we’re encouraging people of all genders and ages to share the positives,” said Knight. Sitting on the board for Suicide Awareness Council, Knight mentions they have seen the effects that …
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Category: COVID-19