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 […]
New Home Buyers
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), […]
5 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Shopping For A Mortgage
Avoid these 5 common mistakes, and you will have no problem getting your mortgage faster, more efficiently, and with a clear understanding of the process: 1. Thinking banks are the first and best place to go for a mortgage Mortgage brokers can often beat the bank rates by using different lending institutions. The bank is […]
New Program to Help First-Time Homebuyers
In a move to help BC citizens and residents buy their first home, the BC government announced today that it is launching a new program to augment down payments for first-time buyers. The B.C. Home Owner Mortgage and Equity Partnership program contributes to the amount first-time homebuyers have already saved for their down payment, providing […]
Top 5 Questions To Ask Your Mortgage Lender
1. How the penalties are calculated if I break my mortgage early? Specifically, ask what rate they use to calculate the “interest rate differential”. Typically, if the lender has “posted rates” they use these to calculate the penalty. If this is the case, the penalty can be 3, 4 or even 5 times higher than […]