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Whether it's a weekend getaway or a longer holiday, your vacation is a time to explore new places, make new friends, and create amazing memories. But when you get back home, you want it to be the same as you left it. Every year people find their properties damaged by accident or through break-ins taking advantage of an empty house. Following these 5 tips will help make sure you return to your home sweet home with no worries.

The First-Time Home Buyer Incentive is a federal program introduced in the 2019 budget as part of the National Housing Strategy. It is a shared equity mortgage with the Government of Canada, with the goal of reducing your monthly mortgage payment. In the examples provided by CMHC and the scenarios we've run, you can expect your monthly payment to be lowered by $100-$200 versus borrowing the full mortgage amount from a lender. Applications are open as of September 2, 2019.

When we first met Shane and Emily, they were living in military housing but were ready to buy a home in Victoria. They were referred to us through their realtor, and we were able to work with them through a relatively straightforward deal to finance their purchase.

According to data from insurers, almost 99% of Canadians who take one or two-day trips out of province don't purchase travel medical insurance. During the summer, these kinds of quick weekend trips are more frequent. When you're planning your getaway, including travel insurance is one way to make sure you enjoy the fun without worrying about an accident happening.

Mark and Sarah were a fairly typical couple when we met them 5 years ago.  He worked in the trades, while she was in customer service, both with full time hours and a steady household income. They were moving from a condo to a family home, and everything went smoothly through their mortgage process.

Balance Risk, Return, and Rental Properties

When we originally met Stuart and Evelyn, they were looking for help to buy their first home, which included a suite they could rent as a mortgage helper. They had managed to save quite a large down payment, and so only needed a low loan-to-value mortgage to complete their purchase. Stuart and Evelyn were happy when we secured them a 5-year variable mortgage that offered an amazing starting rate. As with all of our variable mortgage clients, we promised to stay in touch if the prime interest rate rose at a faster pace than fixed mortgage rates.

A Rent-To-Own Agreement In Trouble

Several years ago, Drew and Lori entered into a rent-to-own housing arrangement. They had been working on rebuilding their credit after a series of professional setbacks and a family medical emergency racked up their debt.