Karen Boies

Mortgage Planner

  • Housing market calmer in August…

    Both July and August we’ve seen slight decreases in the benchmark price,” Phil Moore, president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, said. The board released monthly figures for August on Wednesday. “In the detached market, it’s about three per cent lower than a year ago. In the condo market, it’s still 10 per cent higher but

  • Easy money hack will save nearly $1,500 in 2018

    One posted on the website Apartment Therapy has gained attention online. The yearlong challenge involves putting aside $1 on Sunday, $2 on Monday, $3 on Tuesday, and so on — then starting fresh at $1 each Sunday. After 52 weeks, there will be savings of $1,456. The website notes that those taking part in the challenge can

  • Mortgage defaults in Metro Vancouver plunge, despite high home prices

    The federal government’s mortgage stress test was expanded in January in a bid to protect homeowners from becoming overextended, particularly in Vancouver, which has the highest average home prices in Canada. Yet the latest data on mortgage defaults shows that Vancouver homeowners have the lowest delinquency rate in the country at 0.08 per cent, one