Understanding housing market trends in your area, and nationwide will enable you to make informed decisions when buying and selling.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is a great resource for Canadians looking to learn more about past and future housing trends. For example, they released a survey recently showing that 44% of first-time buyers use a mortgage broker, up from 35%. Canadians are getting smarter!
You can get lost in the amount of research available on the CMHC website, so be careful. Check them out
You can also check out your local real estate governing bodies for access to more local information. Below are links to the larger cities:
Our personal favourite at True North Mortgage is the Bank of Canada’s website, particularly the bond trading prices. 5 year Government of Canada bond yields are very closing linked to lender’s five year fixed rates. If bond yields go up, 5 year fixed mortgage rates soon follow. Check out 5 year bonds yields here: http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/rates/bonds.html
Note: Rules and guidelines are subject to change. Please inquire within.