The Bank of Canada is widely expected to cut its headline interest rate by an additional 2 or 2.5 percentage points in the coming year, but fixed rates for five-year and three-year mortgages will. That’s because banks and mortgage providers often set their long-term mortgage rates based on the performance of bond markets, writes Salmaan Farooqui. In general, weaker bond yields tend to align with lower rates, while stronger ones correspond with higher rates.
While investors eschew the condo segment altogether and downsizers tread cautiously, an emerging cohort of buyers has entered the arena: well-established homeowners who are eyeing the current weakness as an opportunity to purchase units for their adult children.
Mid-sized engineering firm C.F. Crozier & Associates Inc. is in its fourth year of offering employees, writes Younglai. It has so far provided the benefit to 36 staff members, with the requirement that they remain with the firm for at least three years after receiving the money. But Crozier president Nick Mocan says the loyalty and goodwill the program builds with employees means many aren’t looking to move after that third year anyways.
In the words of the Kingsburg home’s owner, Hill House is “primarily a landscape-viewing device” for the natural landscapes surrounding it. There are two buildings on the property: a main residence and, across the courtyard, a more rustic guest house. In the main house, the open-concept main living area combines the kitchen with dining and lounging. The interior features maple cabinetry and soapstone countertops, and beyond the living and dining areas stands the primary bedroom and bathroom.