23 May

IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE RATE: AMORTIZATION & RENEWALS

General

Posted by: Trina Tallon

Have you spoken to a mortgage broker lately? When it’s time to renew your mortgage you have the freedom to do a number of things that are not possible at any other time without a financial penalty. Renewal time is an opportunity. Have you looked at your mortgage amortization lately? Let’s say that you started […]

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16 May

BROKERS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

General

Posted by: Trina Tallon

Nearly half of all existing mortgage in Canada will be up for renewal in 2018. Stated in a Financial Post article by Armina Ligaya, CIBC Capital Markets estimates 47% of all existing mortgages will need to be refinanced in 2018. All of this coming on the heels of rising interest rates and changes to key mortgage […]

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14 May

WHAT IS A REFINANCE?

General

Posted by: Trina Tallon

Refinancing a home is one of those things where people understand what it is but have trouble explaining how it works. To put it simply, refinancing your home allows you to access the equity you have built up, by changing the mortgage amount. Let’s say you bought a $300,000 condo and you paid 20% ($60,000) […]

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10 May

WHY WE CHOSE A MORTGAGE BROKER

General

Posted by: Trina Tallon

For Arthur Dubreuil, the recent purchase of his new house will sound like a similar story for many homebuyers. Looking to upsize to meet the needs of his growing family, the Toronto area resident looked east outside the city for a more affordable option. What he found was a perfect affordable 2,000 square-foot home on […]

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3 May

ARE MORTGAGE TERMS MORE IMPORTANT THAN RATE?

General

Posted by: Trina Tallon

Why are the terms more important than rate when it comes to a mortgage? Simple. Seven out of 10 Canadians break their mortgages prior to the renewal date. Taking the wrong mortgage when you could have qualified for a better one- is a costly mistake. The biggest mistake anyone can make is they don’t think […]

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2 May

WHAT DOES A “RATE HIKE” ACTUALLY MEAN?

General

Posted by: Trina Tallon

TD Bank has increased it’s posted rates and RBC did the same on Monday. This increase, from 5.14% to 5.59% at TD, is the “biggest move in years.” The change came because of the bond yields increasing. We do expect every other lender to follow suit. But, actual interest rates have not changed… so what […]

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1 May

FIXED RATES ARE ON THE RISE. ARE YOU READY?

General

Posted by: Trina Tallon

With the Bank of Canada holding rates steady this April, the same is not the case for the bond market, which impacts fixed rates. In every interest-rate market there are many factors leading to and increase and we are hoping to provide a little bit of clarity on what is happening and what it means […]

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1 May

SUBJECT TO FINANCING- A MUST!

General

Posted by: Trina Tallon

With most people who are new to real estate and looking for their first home (or possibly second), one of the most significant times is when your offer to buy is accepted by a seller. Unfortunately, that moment is quickly followed by stress, as not many people know what comes next- securing financing. 99% of […]

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23 Apr

CLOSING COSTS

General

Posted by: Trina Tallon

Closing costs are a necessity when it comes to purchasing a home. They are not included in down payments, they are not included in monthly mortgage payments, nor are they included in the purchase price of a home, but you are still responsible for paying them, in full. Knowing they exist is half the battle, […]

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17 Apr

BREAKING A MORTGAGE – CAN YOU DO IT?

General

Posted by: Trina Tallon

Do you have a mortgage? So do I! Looks like we have something in common. Did you know that 6 out of 10 consumers break their mortgage 38 months into a 5-year term? That means that 60% of consumers break a 5-year term mortgage well before it’s due…but do you also know what the implications […]

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