Chasing the HST rebate on a new-build home? Before you switch from resale to new construction, this episode walks Canadian homebuyers through the real risks. Mortgage broker Stephen Green covers the new-build HST rebate confusion nobody can answer yet, a short-term-rental HST trap that can cost second-home buyers thousands, and a mortgage renewal warning every homeowner should hear before their maturity date.

Then it's a full Canadian mortgage market update: why variable rates are popular again (and why they are NOT set-and-forget), where fixed rates and bond yields are heading, the balanced market in Kitchener-Waterloo and London, falling rents for investors, and OSFI's surprise cut to the domestic stability buffer.

In this episode:
- First-time buyers pivoting from resale to new builds — and the speculation risk
- The HST rebate on new construction: rebate vs. refund, and why nobody knows the rules yet
- Buying a short-term rental as a second home — and the CRA HST trap
- A renewal lender that won't offer an open term (and why you should always ask)
- What to double-check when closing the week of June 29
- Variable vs. fixed rates in 2026 — and why you must monitor a variable
- Kitchener-Waterloo & London: a balanced market with 3.5–4 months of inventory
- Why rents are falling and what it means for investors
- OSFI drops the domestic stability buffer to 3% — what it signals

Chapters:
0:00 Intro (take two)
1:30 First-time buyers & the new-build pivot
4:30 The HST rebate nobody fully understands yet
7:00 Short-term rentals & the CRA HST trap
10:30 Renewal warning: the "open term" lender problem
14:30 Closing the week of June 29
16:30 Variable rates: monitor, don't set-and-forget
20:00 Fixed rates & bond yields
22:00 Kitchener-Waterloo & London market update
23:30 Rents are down: investor reality check
26:00 OSFI & the domestic stability buffer
28:30 Wrap-up + Happy Canada Day

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Book a free mortgage review with Stephen: https://refertogreen.ca/h2z
Website: https://www.thefinancialcollective.ca/
Call/text: 519-500-1789
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New episodes every other Tuesday.

Stephen Green, Mortgage Broker — The Financial Collective. FSRA #13496.
Serving Kitchener, Waterloo, London, Cambridge & all of Southwestern Ontario.