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CategoryMortgage News

Posted Mortgage News

Social networks, internet and Personal referrals….The test of time.

Information is hitting us at an astounding rate… Used to be radio, TV and newspapers ….then came the internet…now it’s social network like twitter and facebook or personal blogs…. Mortgage info and opinions are everywhere…It’s as simple as doing a Google or Bing search on your iPad or mobile phone..

But how reliable is the info you are getting and can you find what you really want online?  After all, we’re not buying a new TV or appliance…. this is a mortgage, a huge debt…

I did a search on ‘mortgage’ and got 3.5million possibilities.   I narrowed it down to ‘mortgage rates canada’ and still got 1.3million sites…how could anyone know which site is best for them?  Or credible?

I tried one more time…‘ best mortgage product for married couple buying their third home with one child in Ontario’… there, that’s quite specific.. only got 5,710 possibilities…

Many of the sites were small businesses but a lot were blogs, and that’s ok…I like blogs… Some of the sites are great.  But how many of these sites really know what they are talking about?   I was quite disappointed to see that many of these sites were being run by unqualified people with little or no practical experience in the Mortgage or Financial Services industry.  And this really troubles me.

So here are a few tips to finding a credible site or blog expert:

-is the writer or editor easily found and identifiable?

-how many years of experience does this person have in this industry?

-what makes that person an expert or an authority?

-how much practical time does this person have in the business? (are they all theory and no practical experience?)

-is the site or blog personally managed by the creator or editor?

-are there any sponsored links or banner ads on the site and if so, is there any possible conflict by having that sponsor?

-would that sponsor still allow for impartial writing or distribution of information? (careful, the answer isn’t always that easy)

THE TEST OF TIME…..In the end, I find that most of us still value the opinion of a trusted friend, a colleague or business associate or a family member.  These people’s opinions, within our circle of trust, still carry more weight than any internet site…  The internet is great for gathering info and opinions but be sure you know where that info is coming from and what the motives are behind that info…

Posted Mortgage News

TD taking action with new collateral mortgage

No, the hand-cuffs are still on if you took a TD Mortgage recently.. yes, they are still being registered as a collateral charge and not the normal, conventional charge…

But I heard from a good source that TD is working on changing their policies to allow for the transfer-in of collateral mortgages.  That would mean that TD would accept collateral mortgages from other financial institutions should new clients wants to bring their mortgage to TD.

But how does this help a TD client that is up for negotiation with their mortgage when TD knows they cannot transfer that mortgage out without having to pay new legal fees to move that mortgage?   The borrower loses their leverage to negotiate…it’s really that simple…  here’s a great article from Gail Vax-Oxlade telling us what she thinks about TD’s new collateral mortgage.  Remember, collateral mortgages are not accepted by other financial institutions for transfers….

This subject isn’t going away… we will see if other Banks will follow TD’s lead and go with a collateral mortgage charge or whether they will accept collateral mortgages for transfers.  Stay tuned for more on this major shift in mortgage registration.

And who will pay that extra cost to transfer mortgages in and convert them to TD’s collateral charge?   For now, it’s TD picking up the cost, but does anyone really expect that to continue?   At some point, that cost will most likely be passed to the consumer.

TD is taking a big risk.. maybe it’s a calculated risk… they certainly have the deep pockets to pay for this.. at least for a little while…. I’m sorry to say it looks like the TD borrower is going to lose out in the end.

Posted Mortgage News

Vacancy rates fall in Canada…there’s an opportunity here.

Here’s some interesting stats  from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.    Apartment vacancy rates are down…

The national vacancy rate is 2.6% compared with 2.8% from October 2009.  CMHC attributes this to the economic recovery.. according to CBCnews.ca.

We are also hearing reports of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) buying up properties as they expect  the rental market to remain strong.

And here’s one more article about the Florida housing market… 90,000 homes and condos were bought by International Investors…  read more here.

Add in historical low mortgage rates and this looks like a good time to buy an investment property…. Consider that a $250,000 mortgage will carry for around $1072/mth based on a 5 year fixed rate of 3.79% (lower rates are available but we’re using a higher rate for illustration purposes).      Something to consider….

Posted Mortgage News

CIBC Economist gives us the stats

CIBC Senior Economist, Ben Tal, spoke at this year’s annual Mortgage Broker conference in Montreal.  The conference, organized by the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals, is a great place for Mortgage Brokers to meet all the Lenders and service providers under one roof.

It’s also a great opportunity to hear some of Canada’s experts talk about the economy, real estate, interest rates and the mortgage market.  Here are a few highlights from Mr. Tal’s presentation.

-there are 12.5million households in Canada…31% rent, 69% own..

-of the 69% that own, 39.9% have a mortgage and 28.9% have no mortgage.

-69% of homeowners with a mortgage have more than 20% equity in their homes… only 30% have less than 20% equity in their homes.

-Renters have excellent cashflow… 96% of renters are using less than 40% of their income to pay for all their debts… so in reality, these renters could qualify for a mortgage based on their debt servicing ratios.. (most lenders allow borrowers to use up to 42% of their gross income towards a mortgage payment)…

One more comment that caught our attention was about Variable rate mortgages vs. Fixed rate… The historical data is overwhelmingly in favour of Variable rates….it’s really been a no-brainer… But what about now?  Fixed rates are at historical lows…  Mr. Tal said that Fixed rates might outperform Variable rate over the next 5 years… BUT it is so close that a 0.50% increase in Fixed rates would probably tip the scales back in favour of Variable…

That being said, we must also consider the flexibility of a Variable Rate product.. it does allow one to lock into a fixed rate at any time and it does allow for an early exit at a minimal cost….   For me, Variable rate is still better choice…for most of us.

Posted 2 Comments on What mortgage product does your bank want you to take? Case study

What mortgage product does your bank want you to take?

Here are some interesting stats…

-A Variable rate mortgage outperforms a fixed rate mortgage in over 88% of the time… According the Milevsky study done earlier this decade and updated in 2008….

-Variable rate mortgages have been at least 1.00% lower than the 5 year fixed rate mortgage over the past 25 years….and on occasion, better by as much as 2.00%.

-Canadians move every 3 years on average…meaning they must either refinance their mortgage or pay it out.

-a Variable rate mortgage has a fixed penalty of 3 months interest.

-a 5 year fixed rate mortgage has a penalty that is at least 3 months interest but has no limit…. and in the past 18 months, we have seen penalties of 6, 10 and even 14 months worth of interest.

-yet, 66% of Canadians have a 5 year fixed rate mortgage…

Is the 5 year fixed rate mortgage really the right product for 66% of Canadians?    Can the 5 year fixed rate mortgage be the right product for everyone?  Which mortgage product do you think your bank wants you to choose?

By the way, can you guess which mortgage product is the most profitable?…. you guessed it.. the 5 year fixed rate.

Make sure your Mortgage Broker does a needs analysis before they recommend a mortgage product for you…. There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to mortgages….  Ask yourself, ‘who is this mortgage best for’…. my bank or me?