A Heartfelt Thank You! We want to express our sincere gratitude to each and every one of you who took the time to cast your votes in this year’s Comox Valley Record Reader’s Choice Awards. Your support means the world to us, and we’re truly honored to be a part of this incredible community. This year, we were winner’s in… Read More »
Rate Update and Analysis – October 2023
On Wednesday October 25th at their regular policy meeting, the Bank of Canada (BoC) again decided to keep their Policy Rate steady at 5 per cent. This means that most banks will hold their consumer Prime Rate steady at 7.20 per cent, and there will be no changes to the payment amounts for Variable rate mortgage holders. This is the… Read More »
Rate Update and Analysis – September 2023
On Wednesday, September 6th at their regular policy meeting, the Bank of Canada (BoC) decided to keep their Policy Rate steady at 5%. This means that most banks will hold their consumer Prime Rate steady at 7.20%, and there will be no changes to the payment amounts for Variable rate mortgage holders. This was expected by most banks and economists,… Read More »
Rate Update – July 2023
For the second time in a row, the Bank of Canada (BoC) announced it is increasing it’s Policy Interest rate by 0.25% (up to 5%). This means that most banks will immediately increase their consumer Prime Rate from 6.95% to 7.20% – the highest the Policy Interest rate has been in 22 years (since April 2001). In its announcement, the… Read More »
Property Taxes and BC Home Owner Grant Claims due July 4
By this time, you should have received your property tax notice in the mail. Payment is due by Tuesday July 4th to your municipality (if you live in Courtenay, Comox, or Cumberland) or to the BC Government if you’re in the regional district. There’s typically a 5% penalty for late payment, so don’t miss the deadline! For property taxes, you… Read More »
Rate Update – June 2023
After announcing a “pause” back in January and 2 consecutive meetings where rates held steady, the Bank of Canada (BoC) today announced it is increasing it’s Policy Interest rate by 0.25% (up to 4.75%). This means that most banks will immediately increase their consumer Prime Rate from 6.7% to 6.95%. In its announcement, the BoC indicated that “excess demand in… Read More »
Rate Update – April 2023
For the second meeting in a row, the Bank of Canada (BoC) announced it is holding the overnight Prime lending rate unchanged for the next 6 weeks. The BoC’s overnight lending rate is currently at 4.5%, which means that most banks are calculating their consumer Prime Rate as 6.70%. In its announcement, the BoC indicated that they continue to assess… Read More »
A Buyer’s Journey
The home-buying process is more complicated now than it ever has been, and unfortunatley that trend doesn’t look to be going away anytime soon. Every year, our industry regulators and the provincial and federal governments seem to add extra rules to mortgage qualification and the process of purchasing or selling property, and even experienced property buyers who have bought and… Read More »
Rate Update – March 2023
Today the Bank of Canada (BoC) announced that it would keep the overnight Prime lending rate unchanged for the next 6 weeks. The BoC’s overnight lending rate is currently at 4.5%. You can find our best mortgage rates here. Variable Rate Analysis It was largely expected for the BoC to leave Prime unchanged at this meeting, after the BoC indicated… Read More »
Bank of Canada raises benchmark rate by 0.25%
Today the Bank of Canada (BoC) raised its key lending rate by 0.25%. This in turn means most banks and consumer lenders will raise their prime rates by the same amount tomorrow. With most lenders, that means their consumer prime rate will increase from 6.45% to 6.70%. This increase directly affects all borrowers with variable or adjustable rate mortgages and… Read More »
