CategoryInterest rates

Posted March 5, 20202 Comments Bank News

Rate Cuts and Pending Deals – A quick note

As the dust starts to settle on yesterday’s Bank of Canada rate cut, here’s some clarification on what happens next.

To all my pending clients or clients with something on the go, your rates will be automatically adjusted downward.

For new clients, prospective purchasers, or people that want to take advantage of these falling rates, don’t hesitate to reach out to my office today. I am happy to discuss how you can take advantage of this.

Your best interest is my only interest.

As always, I welcome your comments, calls and questions.

Steve Garganis 416 224 0114 steve@mortgagenow.ca

Posted January 9, 20201 Comment Consumer Debt

Want to pay off debt? Pay less interest!

It’s not a new concept but it is one that is worth remembering and so I will repeat it. If you want to pay off debt, start by paying less interest.

January is usually a tough financial month for most of us. Holiday bill payments, rrsp contributions, property tax bills and if you are self-employed, you probably have to make some sort of business tax or corporate tax payment. If December is the Holiday Season, then January feels like a hangover!

Banks and Credit Card companies love this time of year because this is when we will normally carry a balance and have to pay those crazy interest rates that range from 9% to 25%. Wait, before you get too depressed, there could be a better option. There’s a less expensive way to manage your debt. Continue reading “Want to pay off debt? Pay less interest!”

Posted October 30, 2019 Interest rates

Important week for mortgage rates could cost or save you thousands.

Mortgage rates fell by about 1% since January of this year. That rate drop has created a surge in real estate sales across Canada, with September and October seeing a greater than average number of real estate transactions. We also saw consumers taking advantage of these low rates by refinancing their mortgages early.

The Five-Year Government of Canada bond yields have been going up and down like a yo-yo over the last three months, with a low point being 1.13% and a high of 1.58% just this past week. This uncertainty/volatility forced financial institutions to raise their interest rate by about .2% to .3%. Having said that, interest rates are still very low. In my discussions with the major lenders, they are all telling me that it’s busier than usual for home purchases and refinance purposes. Continue reading “Important week for mortgage rates could cost or save you thousands.”

Posted September 12, 2019 Bank News

Why didn’t the Bank of Canada Gov cut rates last week?

WAS THIS A BIG MISTAKE?

Last week, Stephen Poloz, the Bank of Canada Governor, kept the Prime Rate as is during the 6th of their eight scheduled meetings for 2019. The Current Target rate is 1.75%. (Bank Prime rate is derived from this rate. Today’s Bank Prime rate is 3.95%. Over 99% of time, when the Target Rate is cut, the Banks will reduce the Bank Prime Rate by an equal amount).

This was a very calculated decision that has politics written all over it. While the rest of the world banks have been cutting rates to combat a looming recession due to growing global trade wars and slowing global economies, our Government did nothing. Apparently, the Canadian economy is ‘resilient’. The next Bank of Canada meeting is set for October 30, 2019. Oh, and there’s a Federal election on Oct 21, 2019. Yeah, this has politics written all over it.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MORTGAGE RATES TODAY. Continue reading “Why didn’t the Bank of Canada Gov cut rates last week?”

Posted August 20, 20191 Comment Interest rates

Mortgage Rates are still trending Lower… Yes, in August!

A couple years ago, the federal government brought in some tighter mortgage qualifying rules. The ‘stress test’ was just one of several changes, but it’s definitely the most well known.

The feds wanted to slow the housing market. They also wanted to ensure that borrowers could afford the much anticipated mortgage rate hikes. Rates have to go up some time, right?! When?!

Continue reading “Mortgage Rates are still trending Lower… Yes, in August!”

Posted August 6, 2019 Interest rates

Should You Take a 10-Year Fixed Rate When Rates are Low?

I’ve been fielding a lot of calls lately asking about 10-year fixed rates – and with good reason! You can now get a 10-year fixed rate for around 3.04%. That’s almost at an all-time low.

But should you take this offer? NO!

Continue reading “Should You Take a 10-Year Fixed Rate When Rates are Low?”

Posted June 28, 2019 Interest rates

A Rate War on Canada Day?

I’ve never seen more competition with mortgage rates in my 30-year career than I have in the first five months of 2019!

Rates are under 3%!

On May 10th, a new jobs report was released by the federal government showing 106,000 new jobs created in the month of April. This blew away all expectations. And, the reaction was immediate, including higher mortgages being imminent and a bull stock market on the horizon… and yet, this didn’t happen. Continue reading “A Rate War on Canada Day?”

Posted May 10, 2019 Interest rates

It’s war. Mortgage Rate Wars. You could win with Big Rate Cuts!

We’ve seen mortgage rates drop steadily over the past three months. At the beginning of this year, we saw fixed rates approaching 4%. And, today, we’re seeing them sit around 3%.

WARNING: These rate wars could come to an end as recent employment figures skyrocketed all estimates… stay tuned!

This is like the perfect storm. Fewer mortgage transactions across Canada + Declining investor confidence + Inverted bond yield curve. Put it all together and you get a rate war. And for a refreshing change, consumers aren’t the victims. The banks are settling for a smaller profit margin.

Continue reading “It’s war. Mortgage Rate Wars. You could win with Big Rate Cuts!”

Posted May 9, 2019 Interest rates

Finance Your New Construction Home at Prime Minus 0.80%!

Before I get into the topic of new home financing, I want to share some positive news! The Ontario housing market is definitely alive and well! I’m seeing new properties come to market and disappear within weeks or even days. Multiple offers are also a reality, once again. Watch for encouraging sales stats to be reported next month.

Buying a resale home

Buying resale is great because you can see what you’re getting and you can have it now (average closing is 45 to 90 days). You can also set and hold your mortgage rate now.

But, there are also some negatives to buying a resale. For one, you’ll never get 100% of what you want. Maybe the kitchen, master bedroom or backyard could be bigger or perhaps you’d prefer a different floorplan. The truth is, you’re buying someone else’s home that wasn’t designed for you.

But, hey, that’s life and you can’t have everything you want. At least, not yet… or maybe you can?

Construction financing as low as prime minus 0.80% – 3.15% today!

Continue reading “Finance Your New Construction Home at Prime Minus 0.80%!”

Posted April 5, 2019 Interest rates

Beware of Mortgage Insurance Double Charges!

We’ve all heard the saying ‘necessary evil’ – something that we need or must have but don’t necessary like. It’s kind of like taking cough syrup that doesn’t taste so good but you know you need it to feel better.

Default mortgage insurance is a necessary evil. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to buy a home with less than a 20% down payment with low interest rates.

But what if you bought a house, paid the CMHC, Genworth or Canada Guaranty insurance… and a few years later you bought a bigger home or refinanced your mortgage for some home renos or debt consolidation?

Do you have to pay mortgage insurance again? If so, how much will this cost?

Continue reading “Beware of Mortgage Insurance Double Charges!”

Posted March 26, 2019 Interest rates

Why are We Being Poorly Advised Against Homeownership?

Something strange has been going on over the past decade. We’re often being told – and, in many cases, convinced – that it’s better to rent than to own.

I firmly believe everyone should own their home. In fact, I think we should own at least one investment property… and, in many cases, more than one, but I’ll get to that in a minute…

I can understand why many people, particularly Millennials, are believing it’s better to rent than own. After all, it’s easier to rent. Just look online for a condo or house for rent. Apply, sign the lease and you’re done. We’ll call this the Convenience factor.

Continue reading “Why are We Being Poorly Advised Against Homeownership?”

Posted March 19, 2019 Bank News

Mortgage Rates have Dropped and Will Fall Further

Rate forecasting isn’t rocket science – it’s more common sense than you think! But, it requires a clear mind to make sense of all the rubbish that’s being published these days.

I’ve been forecasting for a while now that interest rates would start to come back down this year. Currently, interest rates are down by around 0.4% and will come down further.

WHY ARE RATES FALLING? Continue reading “Mortgage Rates have Dropped and Will Fall Further”

Posted February 26, 2019 Interest rates

What Impact will the Stress Test have when Renewing Your Mortgage?

So, your mortgage is coming up for renewal this year. You’ve probably been in your mortgage for at least three years – but likely closer to five, as this is the most common term.

Does the mortgage stress test affect you? Absolutely! And, here’s how…

Continue reading “What Impact will the Stress Test have when Renewing Your Mortgage?”

Posted February 21, 2019 Consumer Debt

Debt Consolidation Tip: Pay less interest!

The beginning of the year is typically tough financially for most of us. Holiday bill payments, RRSP contributions, property tax bills, etc. And, if you’re self-employed, you probably have to make some sort of business tax or corporate tax payment. If December is the Holiday Season, then January and February feel like a hangover!

Banks and credit card companies love this time of year because this is when we’re most likely to carry a balance, forcing us to pay those crazy interest rates that range from 9% to 24%.

But, wait! Before you get too depressed, there may be a better option. There’s a less expensive way to manage your debt.

Continue reading “Debt Consolidation Tip: Pay less interest!”

Posted February 12, 20191 Comment Bank News

Mortgage growth has slowed… so why are BANKS winning & CONSUMERS losing?

I reviewed some recent stats that explain how overall mortgage growth has fallen to its lowest level in the past 17 years!

Overall, mortgages outstanding across Canada total more than $1.5 trillion. And, while this total continues to increase year over year, the rate of growth has decreased. We should pay attention to this!

Typically, when we experience lower mortgage growth or no growth at all, house prices will follow suit and come down.

But, why aren’t the banks up in arms over this given that they make huge profits by lending money? (More on this below.)

Continue reading “Mortgage growth has slowed… so why are BANKS winning & CONSUMERS losing?”

Posted January 15, 20193 Comments Bank News

Remember when I said rates could go down, not up?!

If you’re a regular reader of this site, you’ll know I’ve been very skeptical and critical of the Bank of Canada (BoC) for continuing to increase interest rates. It just hasn’t made sense.

The BoC raised rates FIVE TIMES between July 2017 and October 2018. That’s a 1.25% increase. For anyone with a $300,000 mortgage, your payment increased by $189 per month. Or, to put it another way, for every $100,000 of mortgage, your payment went up by around $63 per month.

Yet, we kept hearing that the BoC wanted to raise rates further. Economists and other experts were saying we should expect more rate increases by the end of 2018! Wow!

Continue reading “Remember when I said rates could go down, not up?!”

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