by George Gikas | Jun 26, 2020 | Blog, Economy, Homeownership
For most parents, watching their children head off to college or university causes a wide range of emotions. Hopes and happiness are mixed with worries and sadness and the adjustment can be very difficult. Emotions aside, there is also the weight of the...
by George Gikas | Jun 19, 2020 | Blog, Economy, Homeownership, Mortgage
Before you head out home shopping, it’s important to first determine how much you can comfortably afford to spend. Not only will getting your mortgage agent to arrange a pre-approval help you understand what lenders look for when granting you a home loan, but it will...
by George Gikas | Jun 12, 2020 | Blog, Economy, Homeownership, Mortgage
While interest rates shouldn’t be your sole focus when securing a mortgage, they do represent an important part of the financing equation. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Bank of Canada (BoC) has announced several unscheduled benchmark rate reductions....
by George Gikas | May 22, 2020 | Blog, Finance, Homeownership
There are a number of reasons why refinancing your mortgage before your current term is up makes good financial sense. The most popular ones include taking advantage of lower rates or using your home equity to consolidate debt, fund renovations, ease cashflow or even...
by George Gikas | May 15, 2020 | Blog, Homeownership, Mortgage
Am I ready now? How will I even know when I’m ready? Buying your first home is exciting and scary all at the same time. Much like other major milestones, such as getting married and starting a family, there’s really no such thing as being completely ready. But when...
by George Gikas | May 8, 2020 | Blog, Homeownership, Mortgage
A debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is a comparison of your monthly debt payments versus your monthly income. Lenders use this formula to determine how well you manage your monthly debt and your likeliness of repaying a loan. Debt obligations refer to such things as credit...
