With so much unknown in our economy and real estate markets, there is one sure thing – interest rates are on the move upwards. BUT, this is only fixed rates.
Variable rates remain at all-time lows. Fixed rates have increased by approximately 30bps (.30%) over the last couple of weeks.
Why is it that only fixed rates are increasing? Fixed rates are based on the bond yield market. As bond yields increase, eventually, so do the fixed rates. There has been pressure building in the bond yield market for awhile now and it was only a matter of time. Whereas, variable rates are dictated by the Bank of Canada (BOC) and based on many things including the health of our economy and consumer debt load coupled with what upside/downside there would be if they change the prime lending rate – currently set at 2.45%.
Variable rates are holding firm and we’ve been told publicly from the BOC that they won’t look at the increase until 2023.
What does that mean for variable rates?
Variable-rate discounts remain low and so does the prime lending rate of 2.45%. When you factor in the low discounts with the low prime lending rate, variable rates are very, very attractive. If we believe the BOC, the prime lending rate of 2.45% will remain the same until 2023 but the discount from lenders may change. If you have a current variable rate mortgage you are good, your discount is locked in.
Currently, the BOC prime lending rate is 2.45%. If you have a variable rate mortgage, you either have a discount or premium added to this rate. Ie. Prime (2.45%) – 1% (discount rate) = 1.45%. If you have a premium added to that prime rate then we really need to talk because there is an opportunity to save some money.
As the BOC moves the prime lending rate of 2.45%, your discount stays locked in for the term (typically 5 years). So if the prime lending rate moves to 2.70% and your variable discount is 1%, your new interest rate is 1.70%.
If you want to secure a fixed rate before they increase even more, please reach out to lock in a rate hold.
If you want to see if we can save you money on your current variable rate mortgage, please let me know and I’ll run some numbers.
Either way, we as Canadians are in a great spot from a mortgage rate perspective. Money is still cheap and it will be for the foreseeable future.
If you’ve been thinking about buying a house, you’ve probably considered how much you can afford in mortgage payments. Have you also thought about what would happen if you lost your source of income?Read More
The latest in giant payout penalties, this one was $47,291.
Here is a person – one of my ACTUAL ALMOST-Customers who had to swallow a surprise at TD for $35,000. (We tried 3 times to get him to not take that mortgage.)Read More
We always focus on the Terms and Conditions of the mortgage. Most people have no idea what the bank is talking about when they sign the mortgage. We DO as we do this every day.
Here is a link from a Canadian Law website about a CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT against CIBC for calculating their payout penalties incorrectly: https://canliiconnects.org/en/commentaries/66074 Read More
Buddy gets his mortgage with his bank because he loves his bank, and they matched the broker rate. But he also got a $35,000 payout penalty, and the broker's mortgage would have had a $7,000 fee. Dang hey.
It can be tough to optimize your credit score when you don’t even know what it is? The answer is by focusing more on your overall “credit hygiene” rather than on any one particular score.
Dental hygiene is preventative maintenance to ensure your teeth and gums are the best they can be at all times. Having a similar routine for your personal credit history can be equally important to avoid problems when you least need them—like when buying or refinancing a home.Read More
Another reason not to have your mortgage at your main bank… Many home owners have all their banking in one place for convenience but this is another “trap.” If everything is at your favorite bank, they can see:
from your pay deposits if you are still working, or are receiving EI payments.
what your debts and minimum payments are,
your savings & checking balances, what your Line-of-credit is, and your credit score.
they know the value of your home and the mortgage amount.
Are you looking for a Mortgage Broker who specializes in the FTHBI in Calgary? That would be us!
We have completed 6 of these deals in 2019. There was as total of 260. So that puts us at completing 2.5% of the entire Calgary market for this program. Interesting!
Obviously, we love this program for these 2 reasons:
You save between $100 and $200 per month on the mortgage payments. For sure. From Day 1.
The point of the program is to lower your mortgage payments. When the government puts 5% down for you, it lowers the total balance outstanding and this lowers the payments.
You save about $4000 in the CMHC fees.
You put down 5%, and the government matches 5% on existing homes. That means your CMHC fee is based on 10% down and not 5% down, and you save that from Day 1 as well.
The down side
The down side is this is registered as an interest free loan from the government. You still pay them back 5% of the sale price when you sell. That is 5% of whatever the sale price is so it could be more or less, but it is still 5%.
“The down side is not a big deal!
Guaranteed lower mortgage payments and lower CMHC fee! This is a win!”
Mortgage Mark Herman, Top Calgary Mortgage Broker near me.
FREE RESEARCH Data on the First Time Home Buyer Incentive from Mortgage Mark Herman.
Call us for all the data you need on this program.
We have it all and can explain it to you -it is a long, boring read.
Here is the link to the full article, pasted below https://www.canadianmortgagetrends.com/2020/02/cmhcs-first-time-home-buyer-incentive-off-slow-start/
Four months after its official launh, CMHC’s First-Time Home Buyer Incentive had funded just 4% of its three-year goal, according to new data provided by the agency.
From the time the down payment assistance program launched on Sept. 2 to Dec. 9, CMHC received just 3,252 applications from across Canada, 2,730 of which were approved. That translated into total funding of $51.3 million—well off pace of the agency’s three-year target of $1.25 billion.
Under the program, the government will provide first-time buyers with an interest-free down payment loan of up to 5% for resale purchases, and 10% if the property is a new build. The CMHC then participates in any rise or fall in value of the home, and the loan must be repaid either when the house is sold or within 25 years.
Interest in the program was highest in Quebec, where 1,300 applications were received. Comparatively, just 436 Ontarians applied, according to statistics that were tabled in Parliament last week.
Here’s a look at the breakdown of applications from some of the major housing markets across Canada:
Greater Toronto Area: 148
Vancouver: 45
Edmonton: 447
Calgary: 260
Winnipeg: 144
Montreal 654
Halifax: 64
New Brunswick: 60
PEI: 12
CMHC head Evan Siddall defended the results via Twitter on Friday:
“In addition to CMHC’s challenges in estimating demand for the FTHBI, uneven lender support is a complicating factor,” he tweeted on Friday. “It may also be evidence that there is less unsatisfied FTHBI demand due to the stress test than people claim. People can always buy less expensive homes.
Why is the FTHBI Unpopular?
Since the initiative was first announced in the Liberals’ spring budget, many in the industry have criticized it for being overly complicated and promising negligible benefits.
One of the biggest restrictions of the program is that it’s currently limited to purchases of up to $565,000. In markets like Toronto and Vancouver, buyers can be hard-pressed to find available properties under that threshold. According to recent data from the Toronto Real Estate Board, the average sale price in December was $837,788.Read More
