Most Canadians were first introduced to their country as school children through their Atlas of Canada. The big, pale pink land mass that was identified as Canada in printed books has now emerged in digital format with free online access -- and every colour under the sun.
It"s been a wonderful, spectacular ride for both real estate agents and investors these past years. Depending on where you"re located, you"ve probably experienced a solid improvement in your real estate market for the past five to ten years, as compared with what it was like for the five or so years before this great run began. But at the same time you may find yourself asking, "How long will this continue for?" Some things happening in the marketplace give pause.
It took six years and major controversies with Capitol Hill, but last Thursday HUD published final regulations mandating uniform disclosures for all new home mortgages -- plus tougher rules requiring "good faith estimates" from lenders that accurately reflect the line items on consumers" settlement sheets at the end of a home purchase or refinancing.