Canadians worried about mortgage rate hikes

As concerns over the state of the Canadian real estate market abound, a new survey says nearly half of Canadians are unsure about their ability to afford their homes if rates rise by as little as two percentage points.

The survey commissioned by the Bank of Montreal study finds 43 per cent believe an interest hike would either hamper their ability to pay or leave them on unsure footing.

Regionally, residents of Alberta were the least concerned, with 73 per cent saying that rising rates would not affect their ability to afford their homes, while residents of British Columbia were the most concerned. Just 48 per cent B.C. residents are comfortable in their ability to handle higher rates.

The survey results come as banks and economists warn about the rising debt levels of Canadian households.

It also comes as some of Canada's biggest banks have started raising variable mortgage rates, even though the Bank of Canada's overnight interest rate remains unchanged.

Earlier this week, both RBC and TD raised the posted rates on five-year mortgages.

That could signal the end of the era of cheap borrowing that has encouraged many Canadians to take on houses they may not have been able to otherwise afford.

BMO anticipates that the Bank of Canada will begin increasing interest rates from the current one per cent next year.

Condos VUE a hot spot for condo real estate

Nestled in the middle of the triangle formed by downtown, the East End and the West Island, the area around Namur métro station is quickly becoming a hot spot for condo real estate.

The Condos VUE project is located at the corner of Jean Talon St. and Mountain Sight Ave.

The multi-phase development will consist of seven concrete buildings and take seven to eight years to build. Once it's completed it will house 900 units. Every building will be ten stories high and two of them will feature a commercial element incorporated into the first two floors.

Quebec foreclosure rates dropping

The Gazette's panel of experts answer your questions on real estate. To ask a question, please email alampert@montrealgazette.com.

The number of properties that went into foreclosure, or were seized by mortgage lenders because of non-payment of debt, fell by 15 per cent in Quebec last year to 2,356.

That compared with 2,782 properties seized in 2009. The findings were reported recently by economist Paul Cardinal of the Quebec Federation of Real Estate Boards.

Toronto startups make the home-buying process easier

Buying a house in Toronto is something I haven't cared to learn about until now. Sure, it's great to be educated about the home-buying process, but for me it was always depressing to learn about the sky-high condo prices downtown, where I want to eventually buy a property. So instead of researching mortgage rates and figuring out the difference between pre-construction and resale properties, I've been renting in ignorant bliss, slowly saving up for the elusive down payment.

This spring when I realized that by George, I might actually have enough to buy a place this decade, I set out to learn as much as I could about the home-buying process. While researching, I discovered a couple Toronto-based startups that are making buying a home a simple process for potential buyers, both pre- and post-purchase.