Mortgages and Interest Rates in Canada

Before you buy a home you need a mortgage, and the jargon trips everyone up. Here are the basics in plain English: down payment, fixed vs variable, amortization, term, and pre-approval.

Refinancing lets you replace your mortgage with a bigger one and free up cash. Here is how it works, why people do it, and when it actually pays off.

Ottawa's April 2024 measures for first-time buyers: a 30-year amortization on new builds, a bigger RRSP withdrawal, plus spring listings and CMHC's forecast.

Tiff Macklem says rates are not returning to COVID-era lows and cuts will be gradual. Plus household debt near 3 trillion dollars, buyer regret surveys, and how halal mortgages work.

Your renewal rate is negotiable, and a few smart moves can keep it from costing you thousands. Here are four things to check before you sign.

Canada announced two mortgage changes: a higher cap on insured mortgages and a longer amortization for first time buyers. Here is what they mean for you.

Moe Asgarian breaks down Canada's new insured refinance program letting homeowners borrow up to 90% of their home's value to build secondary suites, plus a coming change to the stress test.

With Canada-US tariff threats shaking rates, my advice for early 2025 is clear: for most borrowers, a variable-rate mortgage is the smarter call.

Mortgage renewals are the talk of the season. Here is what happens to your payment when you move from a 2% rate to today's 3.5% to 4%, with real numbers on an $800,000 loan.

A US plan for 50-year mortgages has Canadians asking if the same could happen here. Here is the real cost, why Canada's banks work differently, and what history tells us.

Renewing households are paying roughly 16% to 28% more each month, yet almost nobody is selling because of it. Here is what the numbers show and how to handle your own renewal.

More than a million Canadian mortgages renew in 2026, many of them written under 2%. Moe Asgarian on what the jump looks like and how to plan for it.

As of October 2026, prices in some key Canadian markets sit 20 to 30 percent below the 2022 peak, yet the monthly mortgage payment barely moved. Here is the arithmetic, line by line.

A plain reading of the Bank of Canada's March 2025 report: a seventh consecutive cut to 2.75%, an economy that started the year well, and a tariff shock that monetary policy cannot fully absorb.

On October 28, 2026 the Bank of Canada raised its policy rate 0.25% to 2.5%, its first hike since July 2023. Here is why it moved, what it does to a variable mortgage payment, and what it does not tell us about Toronto prices.

The Bank of Canada raised its rate to 2.5% on October 28, 2026. What it costs a variable mortgage, a HELOC, a renewal, a buyer's approval and a seller's price in the GTA.

On June 4, 2025 the Bank of Canada left the policy rate unchanged. Inflation was starting to bite, the job market was weak, and first quarter growth beat expectations for a reason that was not strength.

As of October 2026 the policy rate has been flat for nearly a year, but the Governor's tone on inflation reads to me like preparation for increases. What that means for fixed and variable mortgages.

In mid-September 2025 Canada's policy rate sat in the middle of the neutral range of about 2.25% to 3.25%. A Toronto broker explains why a quarter point was not going to move prices, and the five factors that actually set the fall 2025 market.

On September 17, 2025 the Bank of Canada ended three straight holds and cut its policy rate by 25 basis points to 2.5%. A look at the weak labour and GDP data behind the decision, and what it changed for the Toronto housing market.

The Bank of Canada cut its policy rate by a quarter point in the autumn of 2025 and warned the economy would get harder. What that meant for Toronto and GTA buyers, sellers, investors and variable rate mortgages.

The Federal Reserve raised the US benchmark rate on September 16, 2026. Here is what that does, and does not, do to a Canadian mortgage.

Budget 2026 put about $280 billion over five years behind infrastructure, defence and housing, with $25 billion of it for housing. At the same time, as of December 2025, falling interest rates had begun to show up in Canada's mortgage arrears numbers.

By late November 2025 insured variable mortgage rates were near 3.5%, below many fixed terms. How to choose, and the three mortgage terms that matter as much as the rate.

The Bank of Canada held its overnight rate at 2.25% in April 2026. A Toronto broker on the squeeze between weak growth and oil-driven inflation, what Tiff Macklem signalled, and what a hold means for your mortgage payment.

As of June 10, 2026, the Bank of Canada left its policy rate at 2.25% for the fifth consecutive decision. Here is why it held, what the May 2026 jobs numbers showed, and what could move the rate next.

In July 2026 the Bank of Canada left its policy rate at 2.25% for a sixth straight meeting. What Tiff Macklem said about growth, 3.2% inflation, oil prices, and what the decision means for mortgage rates in Toronto and the GTA.

The Bank of Canada left the policy rate at 2.25% in September 2026, but the risks around it changed. Here is why fixed mortgage rates can still climb.

The Bank of Canada held its rate at 2.25% to close out 2025. Here is why it happened, what it means for borrowers, and my forecast for 2026.

The Bank of Canada's third straight cut brings the key rate to 4.25%. Here is what it means for your mortgage and the Toronto market.

The Bank of Canada held its rate at 2.75 percent. Here is what a held rate means for your mortgage, why fixed works like insurance, and what renewals could cost.

The Bank of Canada cut its benchmark rate from 5 to 4.75 percent, the first cut in four years. Here is what it means for buyers, sellers, and the fixed versus variable question.