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Posted 2 Comments on Housing bubble? Waiting for the crash before buying has cost you 602 in the last 6 years. Case study

Housing bubble? Waiting for the crash before buying has cost you 60% in the last 6 years.

Housing BubleBad news travels 10 times faster than good news!  It’s just human nature that we can’t seem to escape.  We seem more likely to gossip about someone’s misfortune than their accomplishments.

Here’s a negative headline….  YOU LOST APPROXIMATELY $355,000, SO FAR, IF YOU’VE BEEN WAITING TO A BUY HOUSE SINCE 2008.  Read on to see understand how and why.

Take Wednesday’s headline in the Financial Post, “Bank of Canada warns house prices are overvalued by up to 30%” .  WOW!  How’s that not gonna get your attention?   It certainly got mine.  I immediately had to read this article.  But the more I read, the clearer it became that this statement wasn’t exactly true.

The article pointed to a semi-annual report that is put out by the Bank of Canada entitled, Financial System Review December 2014.  That headline is an attention grabber.. And like most media headlines, it’s not the full story.  In fact, it’s not an accurate reflection of what the Bank of Canada report had to say.   If you look at Stephen Poloz’s (Bank of Canada Governor) comments, he says “there is some risk that the housing market is overvalued, and our estimates fall in the 10 to 30 per cent range”.

But he’s not done there.. Continue reading “Housing bubble? Waiting for the crash before buying has cost you 60% in the last 6 years.”

Posted 8 Comments on When this guy can’t qualify for a mortgage, you know the mortgage rules are too tight! Consumer Debt

When this guy can’t qualify for a mortgage, you know the mortgage rules are too tight!

BernankeFORMER US FED CHAIRMAN CAN’T GET A MORTGAGE.

Anyone remember this guy?  Ben Bernanke.   He’s just the former Chairman of the US Federal Reserve Bank. He served two terms from 2006 to 2014.   Earlier this month, he revealed that he was declined for a mortgage refinance.  Now, just to put this in perspective, he used to make a nice 6 figure salary.  And today, he is paid an estimated $250,000 per speaking engagement.

How can he not qualify?  Clearly, the mortgage rules tightening process has gone waaaaaay overboard.   But this isn’t just happening in the US.   Canada’s mortgage lending rules have always been tighter than the US.  And over the past 6 years, the Canadian govt has brought in numerous changes to tighten the rules even further.  (Actually, experts agree that they went way overboard.  And we are only now seeing the effects of the rule changes.. Look out.  You’re in for a big surprise the next time you need mortgage money).

CANADIAN MORTGAGE RULES ARE EVEN TIGHTER!!

Canada’s Banking industry has been the envy of the world.  We came out of the 2008 US sub-prime mortgage crisis with no visible scars.   Continue reading “When this guy can’t qualify for a mortgage, you know the mortgage rules are too tight!”

Posted Consumer Debt

News stats..Higher debt, but lower defaults

debt aminationSaw this article today about higher consumer debt levels BUT lower defaults.   Equifax Canada is quoted as saying that consumer debt rose by 7.2% in  the second quarter 2014 to $1.45 trillion ,compared with $1.35 trillion from a year ago. This includes credit cards, loans, lines of credits and mortgages.

The average Canadian now has $20,759 in personal debt, excluding mortgages.   That’s a 1.5% increase since last year.   So that means mortgage debt has risen by around 7%.    Here’s a heads up… you will see and hear articles sounding the panic alarm… again.

Well, before we hit that panic button, there was one more stat that we should pay attention to.   DEFAULTS.   Defaults are at their lowest level since 2008.  If higher consumer debt levels and lower defaults sound strange to you, it shouldn’t.    I’ll explain… Continue reading “News stats..Higher debt, but lower defaults”

Posted Case study

Use your mortgage to pull debt together and save for retirement.

saving-for-retirementPerhaps too much debt has made your monthly cash flow tight, putting you under some financial pressure and making it almost impossible to save for retirement. With the right plan in place, it may be possible to simplify your debt, reduce interest costs, and save for retirement, all without earning more or cutting your spending. 

If you have enough equity in your home (you can’t refinance a mortgage above an 80 per cent loan to value), we can show you how to use that equity to roll your high-interest debt into a low-rate mortgage and make a large RRSP contribution if you have contribution room.

Here’s an example – mortgage, car loan and credit cards total $225,000. If you have enough equity, you can roll that debt into a new $233,000 mortgage, including a fee to break the existing mortgage, and look at the payoff. Continue reading “Use your mortgage to pull debt together and save for retirement.”

Posted Debt

Your credit score is more important than ever.

bad credit  What is your credit score?

Credit scores can range from 300 to 900 and are used by lenders to determine what kind of a risk you are likely to be as a borrower. Your score is based on several attributes –

Payment history

The single biggest factor in your credit score is having a timely bill payment history. Recent late payments are factored more heavily than old ones so start today and never let a bill get past due. Continue reading “Your credit score is more important than ever.”