The rate game

When the first thing that you talk about with clients is rate, then you have just limited yourself to being a rate broker. I told another broker on our national facebook group that if you do this you have to be prepared to live by the sword and die by the sword.

Actually rate will not dictate your final payment as much as amortization. If you are buying with 20% down or more you have the choice to extend your amortization out to 30 years. This is also available if you are refinancing. Doing this will help lower your overall monthly payments as well.

There is more to a great mortgage than just the rate. You need to consider flexibility like pre payments privilages, portability, and potential penalty to break the contract.

Today I am thankful for the slower pace on the weekends, being able to take a nap and still get what I want done accomplished and it was cool and crisp for an early morning run.

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Mitigate your risk

With all the talk about possible impending interest rate increases in the new year, there is still a way to have your cake and eat it too. As it stands today lender are still offering deep discounts on variable rates. For example a AAA client purchasing and putting down less than 20% may get access to prime ( 2.45%) less 1.3%. This means your new mortgage would start at 1.15%. This is pretty sweet considering the same 5 year fixed rate is around 2.59%. So you start off at a discount of 1.44% compared to those who take the fixed rate.

While I have no crystal ball and can not predict what the governor of the bank of Canada may do. It would take quite a few interest rate increases to even meet the current fixed rate of 2.59%. This is because when the bank of Canada has moved the rates in the past they are normally at .25% at a time.

So the best way to mitigate your risk and get access to the best rates on the market ( for those who qualify), is to go variable and set your payment as if you took a fixed rate. So for example a 400K mortgage at 1.15% will give you a payment of $1,534.30 ( 25 year amortization as well). By setting your payment at the fixed rate of 2.59% you will pay 1,809.84. The $275.54 extra that you are paying goes directly towards your principal further reducing your mortgage by 4.3 years and saving you $10,726 in interest. There is a link to my mortgage calculator below, where it says mortgage app.

Today I am thankful for warm chocolate challah bread which was the best post workout snack ever, the opportunity to practice my french yesterday which always makes me feel better and Christmas music in every store.

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Meeting Request

Earlier this week on the regular mortgage mastermind group that I attend with Dustan Woodhouse. He asked the group what are you doing different now vs prior to the pandemic. The most common response was that we are not doing any more face to face meetings. 20 years ago when I started it was the common practice. However with that practice comes the down side of lost productivity time.

To meet someone in person requires that you leave the home office up to 30 minutes beforehand to allow yourself to arrive on time and so you can find a place to park. Showing up late is not in my vocabulary. Take a few minutes for chit chat and then talk about the important stuff and lo and behold the meeting takes about an hour. So now with the commute back in possibly rush hour traffic has now resulted in a loss of 2 to 2 and half hours of time. All of which could be accomplished by meeting virtually or over the phone.

I am more productive staying in the office and working on getting my clients files approved and finalized than running all over town. I mean no offence to say this as my clients and referral are wonderful people, it’s just that in 99% of the time we don’t have to meet in person. To meet virtually is actually a very easy process, just click here and pick a time that works for you and make sure that your camera is on so we can connect.

Today I am thankful for meeting up a friend that I have not seen in a very long time yesterday, neighbours homes starting to look festive and options for clients when others had said no.

“The least productive people are usually the ones who are most in favour of holding meetings.” Thomas Sowell

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Google it

If you don’t know something you Google it. Yes the company with the same name has also become a verb describing the action of searching for information online. If you want to learn how to cook, you Google it. The same for working out, learning a new language, buying insurance, buying a new home or getting a mortgage. It ( and countless cat videos ) are all on line for your browsing pleasure.

However like in Captain America Winter Soldier, your life is a digital book and most of it now is online. Your prospective employers don’t just call your references, they also check you out online. The same can be said for your prospective romantic partners. Only the naïve will take what is presented on the dating app or site at face value. If they are smart they are also confirming the details by doing their own research.

All of this brings us to mortgage lending. We frequently know more about our clients lives than their employers, friends or even spouses as we have to have the complete financial picture in order to secure them financing. All of this requires full disclosure on the client’s behalf about their past. So if you think that redacting out parts of your bank statements as you don’t want lenders to know where you have spent your money will help you, it won’t and usually results in an automatic decline. These same lenders are also checking into you online. Sadly Google, Facebook and Twitter don’t forget your past indiscretions, so please disclose them upfront so they can be dealt with properly, and not surprising us at the end when the lender does it.

Today I am thankful for frank and honest discussions with clients, great conversations with other dog owners on my morning walk and to my American friends their Thanksgiving.

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Know your numbers

When buying a property which is often your single largest invesment in your life, it’s a good idea to know your numbers backwards and forwards. In this article I am going to talk about deposit on purchase.

Deposits are required on purchase & sale agreements when you become the successful bidder on the property. It shows that you are serious about buying the property and illustrates what you are willing to lose should you break the legally binding contract. While there is no fine line about the amount of deposit required, generally it is between 5-10K and is due shortly after you have become the successful bidder.

These deposits are held by the vendors (seller) agent’s brokerage in a trust account. These deposit are not used by the brokerage for any expenses and are frequently audited to confirm this. Brokerage are required to insure the deposits up to 100K to prevent lost due to the unlikely event of the insolvency of the brokerage.

Lastly your deposit forms part of your down payment and closing costs upon closing. Please confirm this with your solicitor upon closing and check to make sure that it has been recorded as part of the statement of adjustments.

Today I am thankful for underwriters who have gone above and beyond to insure that file close, clients who are patient with the process and the sound of rainy days.

“Nature is written in mathematical language.” Galileo Galilei

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Fixer Upper

In more normal real estate markets, people would look at several homes and then buy the one that was perfect for them. Show up on the day after it closed with all their suff and carry on with their lives. In today’s real estate market with next to no inventory, people are bidding on the first property they find with the hopes that their offer will be excepted.

This is also resulting in getting homes that are less than perfect for them. Kitchens from the the 1970’s, wall to wall shag carpet and general funky design themes. However these home are still selling for top dollar and most if not all cases well over the list price. In addition to these issues people are also wining the bid on homes with some serious issues that in almost any market would cause people to walk away.

Instead of walking away they are closing on these properties. This means that the day after close what ends up happening is a huge dumpster shows up in the driveway so the new owners can gut the property so they can make it perfect for them. Also well, septic and other structural issues are being added on to the purchase price as purchase plus improvements. Cause if you let the house go, it could take you months to find another one. So they just fix what needs to be fixed and carry on with life.

Today I am thankful for my lenders who have such incredible products that allow my clients to purchase and fix their new homes, past clients with new projects and the first snowflakes of the year.

“If you can’t find happiness in the ugliness, you’re not going to find it in the beauty either.” Joanna Gaines

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Inflation and interest rates

There is lots of talk about an impending increase to the bank of Canada prime lending rate. This is because inflation has been on the rise recently. Also rising inflation is usually a sign that the economy is doing well. While I do not profess to be an economist and can’t really give you any hard facts on GDP, I do see the costs of almost everything going up. The cost of gas has almost doubled since last year, most car lots are empty as they can’t get enough vehicles and year over year the cost of new homes in Halifax has increased by 21.2%

Now does that all point to a booming economy as the real reason for the prices of almost everything increasing. I think it’s more complex than that. Nationally we are still adding jobs, 31K in October alone. Yet at the same time minimum wage positions are being left unfilled as more and more people can’t make ends meets at our current minimum wage of 12.95/hour. There are no vehicles on lots mostly due to the shortage of computer chips to build them, thus creating a high artificial demand for new and used cars. Lastly our real estate market, normally Halifax has around 2,100 listings at any given time. Currently we are around 335, which is not enough to meet the demand thus further adding increase of home prices due to rampant bidding wars.

So if and when the Bank of Canada decides to intervene and increase the rates, I don’t think it will change anything. This is because the interest rate adjustment will not actually address the root cause of the increase of so many of the items that are effecting our lives at this vary moment. Having no chip shortage will allow auto makers to ramp up supply again, thus brining down demand and prices. Also when more building permits equal more home starts and more listings then that will release some of the pressure of our housing market. So while increasing rates in the past may have seemed like the right thing to do to keep a cap in raising inflation, currently I don’t think that is the logically solution.

“Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair.” Sam Ewing

I look forward to your thoughts on this as well.

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Don’t pull my credit

Sometimes clients who apply for a pre approval or a mortgage ask me not to pull their credit. They are concerned that my pulling their credit will negatively effect their credit score. When you apply for a mortgage through a broker or a financial institution, as part of the application process you give permission for them to pull a full and current credit bureau. This is required so we can get you approved for the loan.

There are two type of credit inquires. A soft pull when when you don’t have to give your permission and the institution only receives a condensed version of your credit report. This is typically done when you receive a pre qualified credit card offer in the mail or when you go to get a new cell phone. However when you are looking to borrow money for a car loan or a mortgage, we do a hard pull where we receive a comprehensive version of your credit report.

Typically people are worried that if too many people pull their credit report in a short period of time that this will negatively effect their credit score. So whether you are shopping around for a mortgage or a new car, the enquiries made within the last 30 days will not effect your credit score. Since creditors report to the credit agencies every 30 days, it’s the enquiries and credit over 30 days that really matter. Also when you give me authorization to pull your credit, I pull it once then use that same report with all my lenders that I have available.

If you are concerned that your credit is just at the cusp of qualifying for the loan and that if it gets pulled you then may not qualify. If this is the case then I highly suggest that you get a free copy of your comprehensive credit report from Equifax directly. As if this is the case you may need to work on it to improve your score. Here are some tips to help you do that.

Today I am thankful for sacrifices of our veterans and the freedom that we now have today, the slower pace of a weekday off and the cool crispness of a November morning.

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Purchase Plus Improvements

In this age of highly competitive real estate market, sometimes you just have to jump and offer on the next available decent house in your price range. However since the homes are going for well over asking price and sometimes with interiors that have not been touched since Justin Trudeau’s father was Prime Minster, a purchase plus improvement mortgage may be something that you want to consider.

With this mortgage program it allows you to purchase an as is home ( not one that is not livable) and make some improvement to make it your own. The improvements are limited to structural and permanent fixtures ( paint, flooring, cupboards, roofing or furnace / AC etc) rather than appliances.

Depending on the lender programs can be the purchase price of your home + up to 10% or 40K whichever is less or some lenders are now doing the purchase price + 20% of the purchase price as improvements.

Here is an example, you were the successful bider on a home that you are buying for 500K. You still have room in your debt service ratios and want to improve the house to make it your own. So depending on the lender in some cases you can add 40K in improvements and others you can go up to 100K.

Don’t forget that if your purchase required high ratio mortgage insurance (CMHC,Sagen or Canada Guaranty) your down payment will now change. You will need to put down 5% for for 1st 500K and 10% of the improved value. So that would be 25K on 500K and 4K for 40K or 10K more if you were getting 100K worth of work done.

“When you are good at something, you will tell everyone. When you are great at something, they will tell you.” Walter Payton

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here

Year end closings

If you are currently house hunting or planning to refinance and would like to close on before the end of the year, then please choose your dates wisely. This is because we have 3 statutory holiday’s within the last week of the year. Christmas & Boxing day fall on Saturday & Sunday this year and that means that Monday and Tuesday will also be holiday’s for the banks and law offices. December 24th is normally a half day anyway and with the week after Christmas being a total write off anyway, if you are looking at dates to close pick no later than December 15th.

People take vacations in the week leading up to and after Christmas. Also not all closings happen on the day that they are supposed to and are sometimes carried forward a few days to get everything in order. So to prevent your closing being delayed please get all your ducks in a row and don’t put any date later than December 15th on your purchase or refinance. Otherwise you could see it possibly being delayed until Jan 12th next year.

Today I am thankful for seeing all the deer in our neighbourhood during our walks, clients planning ahead and closing mid December and friends that call out of the blue just to chat.

” Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings’s end” Seneca the Younger ( not semi sonic lol)

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to your mortgage needs.

Patrick

p.s- You can click on this link to start the process whenever you are ready. Schedule your meeting with me here.

p.s.s- I should tell you that I am licensed in Nova Scotia, Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

p.s.s.s You can download my new mortgage app here