Karen Boies

Mortgage Planner

  • New rules: Not as bad as speculated

    As widely reported yesterday, Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty tightened the rules on qualifying for a mortgage today. It was not as bad as many had feared (increasing the downpayment to 10% etc.) but it will definitely still have an effect on the overall housing market. Here are the rule changes: 1. Regardless of mortgage

  • Tighter mortgage rules coming tomorrow

    According to multiple news reports Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is expected to announce new rules for mortgage financing in Canada in hopes of preventing households from getting into trouble when interest rates rise. The early reports speculate that there will be a “means test” for insured mortgages and possibly reducing the maximum amortization from 35

  • Top tips to maintain your credit rating

    Everyone knows that they should maintain a good credit rating in order to qualify for loans. In some cases it will also help get you a “preferred” lower rate. However, how to achieve and keep a good rating continues to be a mystery to many people. I often hear “My credit rating should be good