Real estate becoming more affordable: RBC

Canadians work hard to ditch their mortgages early: CMHC

October: Best Month Since the Start of the Year for Existing-Home Sales



Île-des-Sœurs, November 8, 2011 – MLS^® sales in the Montréal Metropolitan Area increased by 7 per cent in October 2011 compared to October 2010, according to the Greater Montréal Real Estate Board (GMREB). This was the largest increase in existing-home sales since the start of the year.

“It’s a good time to buy a prop ...

Mortgage credit, refinancing tightens following government action, says CMHC

OTTAWA - The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. says fresh data suggest Canadians are taking on less mortgage debt after the government's recent actions to tighten credit.

The CMHC says in its third-quarter report that its homeowner purchase mortgage insurance fell by about 10 per cent, although by the end of Septe ...

Sellers: Dump your real estate agent efficiently


 

Between listing and sale, some home sellers find that the relationship with their real estate agent sours. As much as they'd like to, homeowners can't just walk away from an agent they no longer want to work with. They usually must negotiate their way out.

Talk it over

Typically, relationships between agents and their clients turn south bec ...

Canada House Prices: What $350,000 Will Buy You In These Canadian Housing Markets

 

Can't afford a house? Consider a move to St. John's Newfoundland, where the price of a Toronto condo will buy you a McMansion.

It's hardly a surprise that Canada's cities have large disparities in the cost of housing, but sometimes it's worth putting an issue into some perspective. As the median price of a ...

Ask an Agent: The undeveloped world of real-estate photography


 

MONTREAL - If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then why do so many real estate brokers illustrate their listings with such crappy and bizarre photos?

It is a mystery, one the Greater Montreal Real Estate Board would like to solve. This year, the board hired an outside company to study photos posted on the computerized MLS syste ...

Home sales are poised for sixth straight gain

Canadian home sales in October may have recorded a sixth consecutive annual gain, led by increases in Toronto and Montreal, regional housing data show.

October sales reported by 11 regional real estate boards show a 10% gain from a year earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Those 11 markets had recorded a 12% annual gain in September, ...

Homebuyer with huge bill not told about old leak

 

A homebuyer from Victoria, B.C., is upset over being hit with $50,000 worth of unexpected repairs to his basement, after the seller and his realtor didn't tell him about previous water leakage problems.

"We don't care — between the seller and the realtor — who was responsible for disclosing or who didn't disclose. The two of them knew there ...

Canada agency sees moderating house starts, prices

 

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian housing starts are expected to stabilize into 2012, while sales of existing homes will rise slightly and price rises will moderate, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp (CMHC) said in its quarterly outlook on Friday.

The forecasts by the federal housing agency build on previous data suggesting Canada's hot housing ...