The Advantage of getting pre-approved

by Norm Rousseau 1. March 2010 11:43

One of the best things you can do to ensure you get the home you want is to arrange for financing before you go shopping. This is often referred to as getting “pre-approved”.
Getting pre-approved simply means that your lender has calculated how much of a mortgage they’re willing to offer you, depending on your down payment and current financial situation.

Complete Article: Part of the home buying process.pdf (605.82 kb)

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Buyers

Don't wait for interest rate hikes!

by Norm Rousseau 24. February 2010 09:09

Rate hikes urged for summer

From Herald News Services February 24, 2010

Central Bank - The Bank of Canada should uphold its conditional pledge to keep its key policy rate at 0.25 per cent until July, but should then embark on sharp rate hikes of 50 basis points at every announcement date until mid-2011, says an analysis prepared for the C.D. Howe Institute.

The call for sharp rate increases after June emerged Tuesday, one week before the Bank of Canada releases its latest interest rate statement.

Recent data indicate the Canadian economy likely expanded in the final quarter of 2009 at a faster pace than the central bank expected (four per cent versus 3.3 per cent), and inflation is now closer to the central bank's two per cent preferred target than it previously envisaged.

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Buyers

Mortgage Rule Changes - Not as bad as we expected!

by Norm Rousseau 16. February 2010 09:35

From Reuters

NEW RULES

* Borrowers must qualify for a five-year fixed-rate mortgage, even if they opt for a lower variable rate. Banks and insurers typically assess the borrower's gross debt service ratio -- the cost of financing their home relative to their income -- and their total debt service, which includes total debt payments relative to income. Currently, they use either the fixed-rate, or the greater of the variable rate and the prevailing three-year fixed rate.

* Lower the maximum amount a homeowner can withdraw when refinancing a mortgage to 90 percent from 95 percent of the value of the property. The government wants to encourage home ownership as a savings tool so is limiting this type of financing, which allows borrowers to lower their equity in their home.

* Increase the required down payment to 20 percent from 5 percent for insured mortgages obtained for purchasing speculative housing investments not occupied by the owner. Borrowers buying a property they intend to live in that also includes rental units will not be subject to the 20 percent rule.

* The rules that did not change, despite some speculation they might, were the maximum 35-year amortization period and minimum down payment of 5 percent for regular home buyers who plan to live on their properties.

MORTGAGE INDUSTRY

* Innovation began in Canada's mortgage industry in 2006, including longer amortization periods and higher loan-to-value ratios. Although the number of high-risk, or subprime, mortgages remains low relative to the United States, Ottawa intervened for the first time in 2008 to tighten mortgage insurance rules.

* Canadian law requires banks to obtain mortgage insurance on loans where home buyers make down payments of less than 20 per cent, which are considered high risk. The borrower generally pays for the mortgage premium, which is added to the mortgage payments.

* Most mortgage insurance is provided by the state housing agency, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp, and is backed by the government. The government also backs private mortgage insurers' obligations to lenders, subject to a deductible. (Reporting by Louise Egan, editing by Peter Galloway)

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