Last night I had the pleasure of presenting Southside Mothers' Day Out with a cheque for $1000.00 as a result of the Charitable Giving Through Real Estate program. Many thanks to Shea, Therese, and the Board for having me speak and present at their general meeting. Looking forward to making more of these with you guys.   :-)

This morning, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced changes to mortgage insurance rules intended to ensure the stability of Canada's housing market. These measures include: • Amortization period capped at 30 years • Reduction of government backing for home equity lines of credit • Maximum refinancing reduced to 85% from 90% LTV (Loan To Value)      There was a reasonably detailed account of these changes published in the Globe & Mail. Click HERE to read the article. ... Full Article...

Today is day one of the government’s new mortgage rules. Here’s a quick rundown of the key points… QUALIFICATION RATE The biggest rule change affects borrowers who put down less than 20% and want a variable or 1- to 4-year fixed term. Yesterday, you might have qualified for a high-ratio $250,000 variable-rate mortgage with a 3.84% qualifying rate (give or take). Today, lenders will demand you qualify with a 5.85% rate (soon to be 6.10% on Wednesday). That means your income ne ... Full Article...

The following is a copy of an update I received from one of my mortgage brokers. Steve CMHC NEW RULES Effective April 19, all high-ratioinsured mortgages that have a variable rate or a fixed term under five years will be qualified using the greater of:the chartered bank 5-year posted rate (5.39% today), or the contract rate. There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding this change. The new qualifying rate has been a big question mark ever since the Finance Department announced its ... Full Article...

This is a portion of the Edmonton Journal article about the upgrades to this cool feature. "The nine Alberta sites added Tuesday are Airdrie, Drumheller, Grande Prairie, High River, Lethbridge, Lloydminster, Medicine Hat, Red Deer and Spruce Grove. Tuesday’s launch contains all remaining Street View imagery captured in Canada in 2009 — including the Trans-Canada Highway, so that people can plan or visualize road trips across the country, says the release. Google updates Street View ... Full Article...

If you are a user of Facebook please check out my new fan page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Edmonton-AB/Steve-Sedgwick-Sedgwick-Realty-Ltd-Royal-LePage-Noralta-Edmonton/233093259052?v=app_6261817190#/pages/Edmonton-AB/Steve-Sedgwick-Sedgwick-Realty-Ltd-Royal-LePage-Noralta-Edmonton/233093259052?v=wall   

Go pick up a Blizzard® from any Dairy Queen on Thurday, August 13th and support DQ® Miracle Treat Day! Help raise money for children's hospitals across North America! • Proceeds from all Blizzards® Treats sold at participating Northern Alberta Dairy Queen restaurants will be donated to Stollery Children's Hospital. • This year marks the 7th Annual Canadian Miracle Treat Day and the 4th North American Miracle Treat Day; Dairy Queen is celebrating its 25th anniversary of being involve ... Full Article...

The following is an article written by Alia McMullen for the Financial Post. Canada’s housing market has become so much more grounded since the ugly property bust of the last recession that this time around it is one of the most resilient sectors of the economic downturn. The lessons learned from the housing bust of the early 1990s helped prevent Canada from being tempted down the subprime path that devastated the United States and, combined with record low interest rates and government ... Full Article...

Our new Charitable Giving Program is a GO! Today we launched a unique and amazing new community enrichmment initiative called the Charitable Giving Through Real Estate Program. We are seeking to provide an unprecedented form of funding to non-profit organizations within the greater Edmonton region. Our focus is initially on groups catering to the needs of family, children, and animals but we are open to working with any group that we can support their cause.  The simplicity of the program is wh ... Full Article...