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Posted Interest rates

Real estate sales up 21% and 52% due to end of low fixed rates.

home-prices-upAugust real estate resale numbers are in….  and what a jump!  Up 21% in the Greater Toronto Area and an incredible 52% in Vancouver.   And here’s another interesting stat.  The average home price in Toronto is $505,000.  That’s a 5.5% increase from the previous month.

REAL ESTATE SALES DRIVEN BY HIGHER RATES..

But here are my thoughts on what caused the increased sales.  I think it has more to do with the steady mortgage rate increases that we’ve seen since May.  You see, most Lenders and Banks will offer rate holds of 120 days.   So that means you could have got a 5 year fixed rate mortgage preapproval in May for under 3.00%….  Those record low Fixed rates definitely forced many homebuyers to buy for fear they could miss out on the low rates. Continue reading “Real estate sales up 21% and 52% due to end of low fixed rates.”

Posted Interest rates

5 year Fixed rates are going up.. time to consider Variable rate.

graph trend upThe 5 yr Gov of Cda bond yields hit a 2 yr high on Friday reaching just over 2.00%.  That’s up around 0.35% since mid July and up around 0.75% since May.   The increase started in May when the U.S. Federal Bank Chair, Ben Bernanke, made some comments about possible easing of the Fed’s stimulus program beginning as early as September.

Fixed mortgage rates are closely tied to the Gov of Cda bond yield.   When the yield goes up, mortgage rates are sure to follow.  With 5 yr fixed rates expected to rise, it makes for an interesting mortgage market.  Which product and term is best to choose today?   The answer is different for everyone.   We all have different needs, goals and risk tolerances.   Continue reading “5 year Fixed rates are going up.. time to consider Variable rate.”

Posted Interest rates

Choose short term money for long term gains.

short termOnly recently has 5 year fixed rate become a product worth considering when it comes to paying the least amount of interest on your mortgage.   Studies prove that short term mortgage funds are the cheapest way to finance a house.. this includes Variable rate mortgages.

Historically, Variable rate and short term fixed rates have had lower rates than long term rates.   And yet, the BIG SIX BANKS, the Federal govt, and several popular finance experts have preached 5 yr fixed.  ‘You must take 5 year fixed so you know what your rate is.’   That’s a load of nonsense.   It’s true, that over the past 2 years, 5 yr fixed did make more sense given that the spread between Variable and Fixed was less than my target of 1.00%.  (I like to see a 1.00% spread between Variable and 5 yr fixed before recommending Variable).    Continue reading “Choose short term money for long term gains.”

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Looking back 5 years.. which mortgage product did your Banker recommend in 2008?

greedy bankerRemember 2008?  It was almost 5 years ago that the U.S. sub-prime mortgage scandal erupted.   October 2008, to be exact.  That’s almost 5 years ago…  And with October and November 2013 renewals being less than 120 days away, we can now lock in some rates for those upcoming renewals.  So I thought this would be a great time to see what sort of advice and recommendations the Banks were giving to their mortgage customers.

THE BANK’S ADVICE

The funny thing is, Banks have never changed their advice or strategy.  ‘Take a 5 year fixed rate’.  That’s all the Banks seem to want to promote.  And with good reason… it’s the most profitable product FOR THE BANKS.   But historically, it’s NOT the best product to take.   There is no historical data that I am aware of that shows taking a 5 year fixed is the best strategy.  But I’ll get into that in more detail later. Continue reading “Looking back 5 years.. which mortgage product did your Banker recommend in 2008?”

Posted Interest rates

Time to look at Variable Rates again.

Variable rate mortgage

With fixed rates up around 0.60% over the last 4 weeks (currently at around 3.49%.. there are some lower rates but these come with conditions so we are using the more widely available rate) we must again take a look at Variable rates.   Today’s best Variable rate product is sitting at around Prime less 0.40% … there’s even a few promotional Variables at Prime less 0.50% for qualified applicants.   But for this article we will stick with Prime less 0.40%.  That’s 2.60% today.  We are almost at that 1.00% spread that I like to see.

Two years ago, the best Variable rate was at Prime less 0.75% with the option to lock into the BEST discounted fixed rate at any time (this option is important, don’t ever settle for a variable product that doesn’t have this clause).   And 5 years ago, we had Variable rate products as low at Prime less 0.90%. Continue reading “Time to look at Variable Rates again.”