1. What’s the best rate I can get?

Your credit score plays a big part in the interest rate for which you will qualify, as the riskier you appear as a borrower, the higher your rate will be. Rate is definitely not the most important aspect of a mortgage, however, as many rock-bottom rates often come from no frills mortgage products. In other words, even if you qualify for the lowest rate, you often have to give up other things such as prepayments and porting privileges when opting for the lowest-rate product.

2. What’s the maximum mortgage amount for which I can qualify?

To determine the amount for which you will qualify, there are two calculations you’ll need to complete. The first is your Gross Debt Service (GDS) ratio. GDS looks at your proposed new housing costs (mortgage payments, taxes, heating costs and 50% of strata/condo fees, if applicable). Generally speaking, this amount should be no more than 32% of your gross monthly income. For example, if your gross monthly income is $4,000, you should not be spending more than $1,280 in monthly housing expenses. Second, you will need to calculate your Total Debt Service (TDS) ratio. The TDS ratio measures your total debt obligations (including housing costs, loans, car payments and credit card bills). Generally speaking, your TDS ratio should be no more than 40% of your gross monthly income. Keep in mind that these numbers are prescribed maximums and that you should strive for lower ratios for a more affordable lifestyle. Before falling in love with a potential new home, you may want to obtain a pre-approved mortgage. This will help you stay within your price range and spend your time looking at homes you can reasonably afford. 

3. How much money do I need for a down payment?

The minimum down payment required is 5% of the purchase price of the home. And in order to avoid paying mortgage default insurance, you need to have at least a 20% down payment. 

4. What happens if I don’t have the full down payment amount?

There are programs available that enable you to use other forms of down payment, such as from your RRSPs, a cash-back product, or a gift.

5. What will a lender look at when qualifying me for a mortgage?

Most lenders look at five factors when determining whether you qualify for a mortgage: 1. Income; 2. Debts; 3. Employment History; 4. Credit history; and 5. Value of the Property you wish to purchase. One of the first things a lender will consider is how much of your total income you’ll be spending on housing. This helps the lender decide whether you can comfortably afford a house. A lender will then look at your debts, which generally include monthly house payments as well as payments on all loans, credit cards, child support, etc. A history of steady employment, usually within the same job for several years, helps you qualify. But a short history in your current job shouldn’t prevent you from getting a mortgage, as long as there have been no gaps in income over the past two years. Good credit is also very important in qualifying for a mortgage. The lender will also want to know that the house is worth the price you plan to pay.

6. Should I go with a fixed- or variable-rate mortgage?

The answer to this question depends on your personal risk tolerance. If, for instance, you’re a first-time homebuyer and/or you have a set budget that you can comfortably spend on your mortgage, it’s smart to lock into a fixed mortgage with predictable payments over a specific period of time. If, however, your financial situation can handle the fluctuations of a variable-rate mortgage, this may save you some money over the long run. Another option is to opt for a variable rate, but make payments based on what you would have paid if you selected a fixed rate. Finally, there are also 50/50 mortgage options that enable you to split your mortgage into both fixed and variable portions.

7. What credit score do I need to qualify?

Generally speaking, you’re a prime candidate for a mortgage if your credit score is 680 and above. The higher you can get above 700 the better, as you will qualify for the lowest rates. These days almost anyone can obtain a mortgage, but the key for those with lower credit scores is the size of the down payment. If you have a sufficient downpayment, you can reduce the risk to the lender providing you with the mortgage. Statistics show that default rates on mortgages decline as the downpayment increases.

8. What happens if my credit score isn’t great?

There are several things you can do to boost your credit fairly quickly. Following are five steps you can use to help attain a speedy credit score boost: 1) Pay down credit cards. The number one way to increase your credit score is to pay down your credit cards so they’re below 70% of your limits. Revolving credit like credit cards seems to have a more significant impact on credit scores than car loans, lines of credit, and so on. 2) Limit the use of credit cards. Racking up a large amount and then paying it off in monthly instalments can hurt your credit score. If there is a balance at the end of the month, this affects your score – credit formulas don’t take into account the fact that you may have paid the balance off the next month. 3) Check credit limits. If your lender is slower at reporting monthly transactions, this can have a significant impact on how other lenders view your file. Ensure everything’s up to date as old bills that have been paid can come back to haunt you. Some financial institutions don’t even report your maximum limits. As such, the credit bureau is left to only use the balance that’s on hand. The problem is, if you consistently charge the same amount each month – say $1,000 to $1,500 – it may appear to the credit-scoring agencies that you’re regularly maxing out your cards. The best bet is to pay your balances down or off before your statement periods close. 4) Keep old cards. Older credit is better credit. If you stop using older credit cards, the issuers may stop updating your accounts. As such, the cards can lose their weight in the credit formula and, therefore, may not be as valuable – even though you have had the cards for a long time. Use these cards periodically and then pay them off. 5) Don’t let mistakes build up. Always dispute any mistakes or situations that may harm your score. If, for instance, a cell phone bill is incorrect and the company will not amend it, you can dispute this by making the credit bureau aware of the situation.

9. How much will I have to pay for closing costs?

As a general rule of thumb, it’s recommended that you put aside at least 1.5% of the purchase price (in addition to the down payment) strictly to cover closing costs. There are several items you should budget for when it comes to closing costs. Property Transfer Tax is charged whenever a property is purchased. The tax will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but I can help with the calculation. GST/HST is only charged on new homes, and does not affect homes priced at less than $400,000. Even homes that exceed the price threshold are only taxed on the portion that exceeds $400,000. Certain conditions may apply. Please contact you lawyer/notary for more detailed information. Your lawyer/notary will charge you a fee for drawing up the mortgage and conveyance of title. The amount of the fee will depend on the individual that you use. The typical cost is $900. If you’re purchasing a single-family home, you’ll need to give your lender a survey certificate showing where the property sits within the property lines. Some exceptions are made, however, on low loan-to-value deals and acreage properties. A survey will cost approximately $300-$350, but the lender will often accept a copy of an existing survey. Other costs include such things as an appraisal fee (approximately $200), title insurance and a home inspection (approximately $350).

10. How much will my mortgage payments be?

Monthly mortgage payments vary based on several factors, including: the size of your mortgage; whether you’re paying mortgage default insurance; your mortgage amortization; your interest rate; and your frequency of making mortgage payments. You can view some useful calculators to find out your specific mortgage payments: HYPERLINK “http://www.dominionlending.ca/mortgage-calculators”www.dominionlending.ca/mortgage-calculators

In today’s economic climate of tighter credit requirements and increased unemployment rates taking their toll on some Canadians, there’s no doubt that many people may not fit into the traditional banks’ financing boxes as easily as they may have just a year ago.

Your best solution is to consult your mortgage professional to determine whether your situation can be quickly repaired or if you face a longer road to credit recovery. Either way, there are solutions to every problem.

Mortgage professionals who are experts in the credit repair niche can help credit challenged clients improve their situations via a number of routes. And if the situation is beyond the expertise of a mortgage professional, they can help you get in touch with other professionals, including credit counsellors and bankruptcy trustees.

If you have some equity built up in your home and still have a manageable credit score, for instance, you can often refinance your mortgage and use that money to pay off high-interest credit card debt. By clearing up this debt, you are freeing up more cash flow each month.

In the current lending environment, with interest rates at an all-time low, now is an ideal time for you to refinance your mortgage and possibly save thousands of dollars per year, enabling you to pay more money per month towards the principal on your mortgage as opposed to the interest – which, in turn, can help build equity quicker.

Following are five steps you can use to help attain a speedy credit score boost:

1) Pay down credit cards. The number one way to increase your credit score is to pay down your credit cards so you’re only using 30% of your limits. Revolving credit like credit cards seems to have a more significant impact on credit scores than car loans, lines of credit, and so on.

2) Limit the use of credit cards. Racking up a large amount and then paying it off in monthly instalments can hurt your credit score. If there is a balance at the end of the month, this affects your score – credit formulas don’t take into account the fact that you may have paid the balance off the next month.

3) Check credit limits. If your lender is slower at reporting monthly transactions, this can have a significant impact on how other lenders may view your file. Ensure everything’s up to date as old bills that have been paid can come back to haunt you.

Some financial institutions don’t even report your maximum limits. As such, the credit bureau is left to only use the balance that’s on hand. The problem is, if you consistently charge the same amount each month – say $1,000 to $1,500 – it may appear to the credit-scoring agencies that you’re regularly maxing out your cards.

The best bet is to pay your balances down or off before your statement periods close.

4) Keep old cards. Older credit is better credit. If you stop using older credit cards, the issuers may stop updating your accounts. As such, the cards can lose their weight in the credit formula and, therefore, may not be as valuable – even though you have had the cards for a long time. You should use these cards periodically and then pay them off.

5) Don’t let mistakes build up. You should always dispute any mistakes or situations that may harm your score. If, for instance, a cell phone bill is incorrect and the company will not amend it, you can dispute this by making the credit bureau aware of the situation.

If, however, you have repeatedly missed payments on your credit cards, you may not be in a situation where refinancing or quickly boosting your credit score will be possible. Depending on the severity of your situation – and the reasons behind the delinquencies, including job loss, divorce, illness, and so on – I can help you address the concerns through a variety of means and even refer you to other professionals to help get your credit situation in check.  

Did you know you can use your RSP’s as a down payment to purchase a home?  

Here’s the details…

• It allows you to withdraw up to $25,000 from your RRSP’s to buy or build a qualifying home (you may not be allowed to use locked in RRSP’s)

• Each applicant can withdraw up to $25,000

• The RRSP issuer will not withhold tax on these amounts

• Withdrawals are to be repaid over 15 years

• You are not considered a first time home buyer if you have owned a home that you have occupied as your principal place of residence

• Funds must be in your RRSP for at least 92 days

• You can participate in the HBP more than once if any and all previous RRSP withdrawals are repaid in full.

Do I meet the HBP eligibility conditions?

• You must be considered a first-time home buyer.
• You must have a written agreement to buy or build a qualifying home for yourself.

Or

• You must have a written agreement to buy or build a qualifying home for a related person with a disability, or to help a related person with a disability buy or build a qualifying home (obtaining a pre-approved mortgage does not satisfy this condition).

• You must intend to occupy in the qualifying home as your principal place of residence within one year after buying or building it. If you buy or build a qualifying home for a related person with a disability, or help a related person with a disability buy or build a qualifying home, you must intend that that person occupies the qualifying home as his or her principal place of residence.

In all cases, if you have previously participated in the HBP, you may be able to do so again if your repayable HBP balance on January 1st of the year of the withdrawal is zero and you meet all the other HBP eligibility conditions.

Still struggling to save for that down payment? There’s still options to buy a home without a down payment. Must have strong credit and income, so if you do and you want to explore options…contact me, we have a program for that

Curious about the Vancouver housing market stats?  Check out the link from our very own economist Dr. Sherry Cooper.  She discusses the Vancouver real estate stats as well as the new budget announced by the BC government on Tuesday. 

Click Here to Read Full Article

The BC Minister of Finance has announced several changes to the Property Transfer Tax program, effective Wednesday, February 17, 2016, which include:

1. a property transfer tax exemption for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who purchase newly-built homes, condos and townhouses under $750,000. Purchasers must live in the property for at least one year. This is a potential savings in closing costs of up to $13,000;
2. a one percent increase in property transfer tax to three percent for homes which are sold over the $2 million mark;
3. the first time home buyers exemption will remain in place for homes under $475,000;
4. buyers will need to start disclosing their country of residence in all property transactions;
5. the beneficial ownership of properties held by corporations will also be tracked.

Today Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced changes to down payment requirements. Effective February 15, 2016, the minimum down payment for new insured mortgages will increase from five per cent to 10 per cent for the portion of the house price above $500,000. The five per cent minimum down payment for properties up to $500,000 remains unchanged.

Homes priced at more than $1 million by law require a minimum down payment of 20 per cent. Today’s announcement therefore focuses on homes priced between $500,000 and $1 million.

In the Mortgage Professionals Canada (MPC) Fall Report, Chief Economist, Will Dunning discusses why raising the down payment could cause problems for the housing market, including this cautionary observation: “Rising prices have made it increasingly difficult for first-time home buyers to accumulate down payments. Increasing down payment requirements would, most likely, severely dampen housing demands from people who are financially well-qualified to make their monthly mortgage payments.”

MPC notes that the 10% requirement does represent a graduated approach while the Ministry of Finance commented that they believe this will only impact 1% of home purchasers.

If you are self employed and haven’t taken a mortgage in a few years, be prepared for a different process than what you are used to.  Lenders have tightened up on what they will allow and want to see that you have a viable business before approving your loan.  

Here are the most typical documents that you should have available when applying for your next mortgage:

• Last 2 years T1 Generals  – these are provided to you from your accountant and it’s the full copy of your tax return.  Include your Statement of Business Activities and any additional schedules.  
• Last 2 years Notice of Assessments – these are your personal Notice of Assessments that you get back from CRA after you file your taxes
• Confirmation that any outstanding income tax owed to CRA has been paid
• Corporate Documents – If you are incorporated, include your incorporation paperwork confirming how long you have been in business
• Last 2 years Financial Statements for your company

If you would like to know what you qualify for and how most lenders determine that, contact me directly for a consultation on how to best structure your next mortgage.  

NOA stands for Notice of Assessment.  It is an assessment that the CRA completes after personal income taxes are filed.  Once your tax return is reviewed by the CRA, they will send out the Notice of Assessment to confirm if you either have a balance due to CRA or if you are getting a refund.  This document is one of the most requested items when gettting approved for a mortgage.  Do not throw this document out, keep it filed with your tax return for the corresponding tax year. 

If you need to request these again, you can do so online with CRA if you already have My Account set up.  If not, you can sign up but then CRA will mail you a password.  It takes about 5 days to get the account set up and then you will be able to access previous tax years if needed at any time. 

Click here  to request your NOA’s 

If you need clarification, call anytime at 604-552-6190. 

Just remember, keep them and that most likely you will need to provide the last 2 years next time you need to qualify for a mortgage.

Banks allow home buyers to have a gifted down payment from an immediate family member.  Immediate family member is considered mother, father, sister, brother or grandparents.  When receiving a gift from a family member, the funds must be deposited into the home buyers bank account 15 days before closing of the mortgage.  Once funds have been deposited into your account, you would provide a bank statement and a gift letter from the bank that is doing your mortgage.  Each bank has their own form. 

Be reminded that the amount written on the letter must be exactly the same (to the penny) as the amount deposited into your bank account. 

Once you have the gift letter signed by your family member and your bank statement printed out, give those copies to your mortgage broker. 

If you have any questions on gifted down payments, contact me at the office at 604-552-6190 or email support@primexmortgages.com