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CategoryMortgage Trends

Posted Interest rates

Historical Interest Rate charts

One of our Lenders, Firstline, sends out a monthly update on Interest rates  .. click here FLM-Historical- Rate-Sheets-May 2010 .  The Charts go back 25 years… some very interesting patterns…  Overwhelming data that shows Variable rate or short-term mortgages really do outperform Longer term fixed rate products…

Another benefit is a fixed or reduced mortgage prepayment penalty…. (anyone with a longer term fixed rate could face enormous penalties of 6, 7, 10 or even 12 months worth of interest)…. Variable rate or short mortgages usually have penalties of 3 months interest or less.

Not sure where you fit in?   Call me anytime with your questions or comments.

Posted Mortgage News

Are you one of these people?

Was reading this survey about First Time Home Buyers that TD Canada Trust did recently...

Thought the most interesting stat was that 3/4 of the people surveyed were opting for a Fixed Rate mortgage.   And in the same paragraph, the TD rep acknowledged that Variable Rate mortgages performed better… Does any of this sound familiar?

Here’s some more good news.. well, actually it’s bad news for the Stock Market and investor confidence but it’s good news for interest rates… The 5 year Canada Bond has dropped significantly…  We were at 2.33% at one point today… meaning 5 year fixed mortgage rates should really be hovering around 3.80%… but instead we are seeing best rates at around 4.29%…   WHY?  Pure profit taking by the Banks…

But don’t fret…this uncertainty means there is less chance for rates to increase and less chance they will increase significantly…. And for those in a Variable rate, rates of 3.80% and 4.29% are still too high….  Variable rate mortgage clients are enjoying 2.00% or better…   Enjoy the summer!

Posted 1 Comment on Rates hikes may be stalled Mortgage Rates

Rates hikes may be stalled

Bad news is good news for borrowers…  problems some European economies and other parts of the world could stall the much talked about and anticipated rates hikes..

Bank of Canada Governor, Mark Carney, said the timing of future interest rate hikes is not ‘pre-ordained’.

This just goes to show that even the best Economists don’t have a magic crystal ball….    Fixed rates are still very low, and Variable rates are even lower… 5 year fixed rates are hovering at around 4.39% and Variable rates are at around 1.90%…

This all adds up to good news for borrowers…  Enjoy the low rates!

Posted Mortgage News

2010 CMHC Survey shows Mortgage Broker share is stable

45% of First Time homebuyer’s said they would seek advice from a Mortgage Broker… according to the CMHC’s Mortgage Consumer Survey.

The study also found that internet usage was on the rise…no surprise there… 69% of First time buyers…

And 92% agree that Home ownership was a good, long-term investment.

68% of recent Homebuyer’s believe they will pay off their mortgage sooner than their current amortization.

All this adds up to a high level of confidence in our Housing market…   Enjoy those low interest rates…

Posted Mortgage Rates

Bank of Canada raises rates by 0.25%

As expected, the Bank of Canada raised it’s Target lending rate to 0.50% from 0.25%.   This prompted most Banks to raise their Bank Prime lending rate to 2.50% from 2.25%.    But there is some uncertainty about when the next increase will take place as reported in The Star.…. and oh yes, the increases will happen.. not ‘if’, but ‘when’.

Economists have said repeatedly that the Bank of Canada must raise their rate to slow the economy and keep inflation in check… The Target inflation rate is 2.00%.    Most Economists agree that they only need to raise this by 2.00% to 3.00% to have the desired effect.  (See a full report)