Along with lowering monthly utility bills, green home features can also cut costs for homeowners by reducing their mortgage insurance premium.

Depending on the home's degree of energy efficiency, up to a quarter of a borrower's premium can be covered by a rebate through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) Green Home program.

A rising number of homebuyers in Canada are turning to alternative lenders for a mortgage, says the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

Mortgage investment corporations (MICs) held between $13 and $14 billion of outstanding mortgages in Canada in 2018, capturing one per cent of the market share, according to a CMHC report.

The federal government is hailing its First-Time Buyer Incentive program as a golden opportunity for thousands of potential homebuyers across the country who are hoping to purchase their first property.

For over 30 years, Excel Homes has been crafting homes with extraordinary style and attention to detail, winning numerous awards for its innovative designs.

But company COO Dean Campbell says that what really sets this homebuilder apart is its commitment to sustainability and the Built Green program.

Mortgage loan insurance has become a popular way for people to buy a home when they can't come up with a 20 per cent down payment.

"I would say that 95 per cent of all first-time homebuyers require the insurance," said Calgary REALTOR® Crystal Tost. "It's expensive in Calgary. How do you save 20 per cent to get around insurance when you're paying rents and car payments, and probably have credit cards? It's definitely a good program for people that want to get into a home."

Net migration figures point to housing market bounce back

It's been a challenging year for Calgary's resale housing market, which is still feeling the effects of two recession years in 2015 and 2016.

While the economy has rebounded, it has been at a slow pace, and this has been evident in the real estate industry. As of the end of June, year-to-date MLS® System sales in the resale market totalled 8,553 units, down 17.1 per cent in the city compared with the same period a year ago.

CMHC report includes interesting findings on prospective homebuyers

Many companies and organizations release survey results to the public regularly. Because there are so many reports to sort through and they are often self-serving, they often get ignored by the media.

However, every so often, interesting or significant findings fly under the radar, especially in the real estate industry.
A notable example of this was the recent 2018 Prospective Home Buyers Survey by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp (CMHC).

2017 brought positive news for the new-home market, but there's still room to improve

Will 2018 bring good news or bad news for Calgary's new-home market? As with many aspects of the real estate market, it depends on your focus.

"Looking at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. data, we saw an improvement in starts in both the single- and multi-family sectors in 2017," said CREB® chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie.