The question most often asked: ‘Is my mortgage portable?’ The answer most often given: ‘Yes.’ This answer is increasingly wrong. In reality you qualify to move ~80% of the balance… maybe. If you are thinking of: … you would be well served to keep reading. The above question is incomplete. To be fair, you would […]
Why It's Important to Talk to A Mortgage Broker
Info from OSFI for Jan 1, 2018 changes
If you’re among the roughly 1 in 6 conventional borrowers with the highest debt ratios, OSFI’s new mortgage stress test could keep you from: That’s making hundreds of thousands of borrowers somewhat anxious. It’s why we’re seeing a small jump in mortgage and pre-approval applications as people try to lock in a lender commitment before the rules change. Tips and Timelines If […]
What The Latest CMHC Increases Have Done
CMHC increased the default insurance premiums on Canadian borrowers as of March 17, 2017. Effectively, anyone purchasing a home with less than 20% down will fork over up to 1.00%-point more in fees. If you’re down payment is: As an example, if you’re putting down 5% and paying $500,000 for a home (which is below average, believe it or not), […]
Down Payment Government Assistance
On Dec 15, 2016 the BC Government announced the launch of their ‘Homeowner Mortgage and Equity Partnership Program’ to assist first time home buyers who are residents of BC (as well as either citizens or permanent residents of Canada for at least five years). While many are heralding this as a good news story, others […]
Market Averages, Government Intervention and Reality
In the Vancouver market, we often hear about the benchmark price, the average price, and the median home price. Usually that of a specific neighbourhood or municipality. However, what buyers rarely hear is the average price of the bottom 80% of listings of the Greater Vancouver Area. Y’know, the properties that the overwhelming majority of […]