Craig Harding's (craigharding) Blog

Two Major Banks Raise Rates! After much noise from the financial sector regarding the pending increase to lending rates over the past few months, two of Canada's leading banks have now followed through on their threats! The Royal Bank of Canada and TD Canada Trust announced Monday that rates for ...

Low inventory levels set stage for heated Spring market in most major Canadian centres, says RE/MAX Active listings down in 81 per cent of markets in January Lack of inventory will be the greatest challenge facing housing markets across the country this Spring,according to a report released by RE...

New rules announced by the federal government today will make it somewhat more difficult to get financing for home purchases and refinancing. The three new rules, which take effect April 19th place more stringent controls on mortgage qualification: requirement that borrowers have the resources t...

By the fall of 2009 it was readily apparent that the Calgary real estate market had turned a corner; from a buyer's market to a balanced market. First time home buyers drove the marketplace with the Bank of Canada continuing to hold borrowing rates at record lows and property valuations declining...

Are we close to a market bottom?   Investors participating in any fluid market try to time that market’s high as well as its bottom. This applies as well to the real estate market; investors want to take advantage of market gyrations to maximize their investment while the average home buyer wants...

First-time buyers driving force in Canada’s residential real estate markets, says RE/MAX   Entry-level purchasers are now the engine driving home-buying activity in almost every major centre in Canada, according to a recent report released by RE/MAX. The 2009 RE/MAX First-Time Buyers Report, high...

We all know by now that Tuesday (January 27th, 2009) was budget day here in Canada. As expected, there are proposed initiatives to stimulate the housing industry.  That's a pretty good idea if you ask me.  According to a study conducted by the Altus Group for the Canadian Real Estate Association,...

Lower home prices and shifting demographics mean first-time buyers could lead a rebound in Canada's real estate market, experts said Wednesday at a real estate conference in Toronto. This wave of the children of baby-boomers begining to look at entering the housing market in addition to the numbe...

Well, this is it! My first BLOG post....ever. I am looking forward to networking with other activerain members and getting involved in regular discussions surrounding our industry and local markets. Special thanks to Robert W. May from Lethbridge, AB for introducing me to this community.   Best r...