Scaring others a family tradition for Calgary household

For most of the year, Calgarians go to great lengths to boost their homes' curb appeal. After all, removing unwanted trash and old rubbish to make a home welcoming is part of what makes a neighbourhood great.

Yet around this time of the year, these same people will do their best to make their homes as unwelcoming as possible – when those old garbage bags, stained sheets and broken furniture become valued commodities.

Welcome to Halloween in Calgary.

Save long-term pain by reading the fine print

Consumers taking advantage of low mortgage rates from banks and brokers may not realize  what they are truly getting – or in some cases what they're not getting.

Last week, Mortgage360 received three inquiries from homeowners whose respective mortgages went wrong with other brokers or banks. In all three cases, the homeowners had attempted to refinance their previous low-rate five-year fixed mortgages into new, lower-rate variable mortgages.

A survey by Manulife Financial found almost one in five homeowners expect they'll be accessing home equity to supplement their retirement income.

The Manulife Bank Debt survey, which questioned more than 2,300 Canadians, finding nearly one in five respondents see their home as part of their retirement income equation.

As Canada's major banks make moves to increase mortgage rates, real estate experts are saying pre-approvals are the way to go for consumers.

On Aug. 20, the Bank of Montreal announced it was increasing the interest on most new mortgages by 20 basis points, a move soon echoed by TD, RBC and other banks.