Christmas Break

The way the calendar works this year means that most of the people involved in financing will be off, unavailable or on reduced hours until January 3rd 2023. With the way the financial markets have been this year the break will be well deserved and allow me to spend some time with my family and plan for bigger and better things for next year.

So if you have any immediate financing needs then it will be best to get your request in very soon before all those needed to help you are no longer available.

Today I am thankful for having all my kids back home for Christmas, a lunch date with an old friend and the smell of fresh baked sweets all through the house.

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 Brokerage (2022-3000179) Broker (2022-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Last minute

Just like there are always last minute Christmas shoppers there are also last minute requests for financing before the lender, brokers and lawyers take a break for the holiday’s. While Christmas is now less than 10 days away, there is only 6 full banking days and two half days left before we complete 2022.

So if you are still hoping to close in 2022, you may have missed your chance. Any files in now are looking to close the 5th of January 2023 at the earliest. Also Keep in mind the dates on your contracts as I had to send one back this morning that had a condition date of January 14/2022 instead of January 14/2023.

The only sources who could possibly close before the end of the year are my private lenders. To get this accomplished however we would need a complete file including appraisal to make it happen. Otherwise let’s plan for next year.

Today I am thankful that I have my cousin in Ottawa who can take in my daughter since her flight was cancelled due to the snow storm, for having some of my mom’s favourite Christmas music stuck in my head today and that it’s beginning to feel quite festive around my house.

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 Brokerage (2022-3000179) Broker (2022-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Weigh your options

With the most recent move by the bank of Canada, it may be time to look at the age old dilemma of fixed vs variable mortgages. Sure over the past few years it made mathematical sense to take and stay with a variable rate mortgage. However the tides may have turned and it is an ideal time to look at this again and see if the numbers favour fixed or variable.

Currently the prime rate is at 6.45%. If your mortgage is insured ( CMHC, Sagen or Canada Gurantee) you will have a discount to prime of between .90 to 1.10 depending on the lender and when you took it out. This will put you around 5.45% for your current mortgage which is now above the 5.25% stress test rate that you qualified when you took out the mortgage.

So depending on your lender you may be able to switch to a fixed rate which would be much less than staying with the variable. So if that is the case then the math will work in the favour to switch. However some of the big 5 banks only offer the discounted rate at the start of the term and in those cases to switch out of variable will have you paying more. Do the math and see what makes the most sense to you.

Today I am thankful for all the birthday wishes from my kids, my family and my friends, a great workout to start the day and all the opportunities in front of me.

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 Brokerage (2022-3000179) Broker (2022-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Interest Rate Hike

Well the Bank of Canada met this morning for the last time this year and hiked the overnight interest rate by 50 basis points or a half a percentage point. This means that those with variable rate mortgages and home equity lines of credit will have to pay more to service the debt.

This is as a result of our staggering high inflation rate which is currently sitting at 6.9%. Although it has come down in recent months from the high of 8.1% back in June, it is not coming down fast enough or far enough. The rate hike is the banks way of wants Canadian’s to drastically cut back on our spending so that the inflation rate will come down more quickly to it’s 2% target.

So while inflation has made everything from food to fuel more expensive, now the bank of Canada is making the costs of servicing our debts even more so. Cutting back on unnecessary expenses may be the only way forward to get us out of this high inflationary environment.

Today I am thankful for the feeling of muscle soreness from my workout yesterday, that this may be the last of a long series of rate increases and that the best food in the city is made in my own kitchen.

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 Brokerage (2022-3000179) Broker (2022-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Buckle Up

So most of the economists in Canada are predicting a 25 to 50 basis point increase to the over night lending rate tomorrow. This will mean that prime rate which effects our variable rate mortgages and home equity lines of credit will also go up by the same amount.

When you know something unpleasant is coming up around the corner does that make it any easier to bear? Stand still while I punch you in the face. You know it’s coming so anxiety of the anticipation may be worse than the actual damage itself. Sure we have had our share of increases in the past year so what’s one more. You have already punched me in the face 6 times this year, so what’s one more?

So the best advise is to buckle up and prepare for the worst, if you prepare for 50 bps and it only end up being 25 bps then that’s a win. Let’s take our punishment for the sake of high inflation and carry on the best that we can. Just like low rates could not last forever, neither can high inflation. This is only temporary and we can get through it.

Today I am thankful for lacing up my shoes and going for my 1st run in a month, that all the expected pains in the past were much less than the anxiety lead me to believe and chocolate covered peanut butter balls as a post run recovery snack.

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 Brokerage (2022-3000179) Broker (2022-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Soap Box

Just because you have the biggest soap box and are the CEO of several large firms ( which shall remain nameless) does not mean that the financial regulators in your country have to listen to and follow your advice. Yes these recent rate hikes have been painful to business owners and consumers alike, but it does not mean that they were unwarranted.

The US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is due to address the state of the US economy and the effects of all the recent rate increases later today. As much as we all want the rate increases to stop and to even reverse course with some decreases, this is highly unlikely to happen. What is most likely is language addressing the continued need to move the rates higher to finely get control of inflation.

So criticize, condemn and complain all you want from your oversized soap box it is not going to change things. Inflation rates are still at record levels even though they have started to come back down, they have not come down fast enough or by margins that would dictate a reversal of course by the Federal Reserve or our central bankers.

Today I am thankful for the fact that our electrician showed up much earlier than expected, that we now have working under cabinet lights in the kitchen and functioning security lights.

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 Brokerage (2022-3000179) Broker (2022-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Slow Progress

Slow progress is still progress. The latest economic figures are out and the Canadian GDP grew by .7% in the third quarter compared to the estimate of .4%. At an annualized rate the economy grew by 2.9% in the third quarter. While still not a recession the rate of growth has been shrinking over the past few months. This is down from an estimate of 3.2%, which was driven by strong exports of oil & gas products.

The key to the reports was the changing demand from Canadian consumers which was down 1% and business investment dropped 5.1%. Both key figures which point that we are heading towards negative territory very soon. The silver lining may be that these pullbacks may give the Bank Of Canada the data they needed to start softening the interest rate hikes so we may get the soft landing that they talked about.

As things stand right now, the market has priced in a .25% interest rate increase durning the next meeting on Dec 7th. This is significantly toned down from the 100 bps and 75bps increases that we have had recently.

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 Brokerage (2022-3000179) Broker (2022-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Cookie Cutter

There is no cookie cutter or one size fits all solution when it comes to your mortgage requirements. Just like all clients are not suitable for the same mortgage product, I am equally not suitable with all clients. What works for one person may not nor will not work for another. This is why it is best listen and find out what is important to each client.

However products or services can not be recommended until all documents have been received and reviewed for each client. To quote someone a rate or product prior to reviewing any and all of their supporting documents would be unfair for the client and unwise for myself the broker.

As the saying goes, you never learn anything when everything goes smoothly the first time. It’s when it goes sideways or badly that you learn to do things differently for the next time. What will not change is that I can not commence underwriting your file or recommending mortgage products to you until all supporting documents have been received.

Today I am thankful for feedback from clients regarding my process, a great game by our Canadian men yesterday and my bank for blocking then unblocking ( I had to call them to do that part) my credit card while I was Christmas shopping.

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 Brokerage (2022-3000179) Broker (2022-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Know your number

For this post I am not talking about your SIN number or your age, phone number, work or student ID number. For this I am taking about your credit score. In order to qualify for a mortgage you must know your credit score and if it is poor how to improve it quickly.

Although you are way more than a number in so many ways, when it comes to mortgage lending there are hard stops when it comes to getting you approved based on your credit. Because the products I have available are so diverse I am not going to focus on one number for qualification but just to say that the higher the number the better the credit and the lower the risk of default for the lenders and easier to get you approved.

If you are reading this and you are new to Canada then you need to establish your credit as soon as possible. Opening a credit card, line of credit or getting a car loan will all help as they will report to the credit bureau’s. According to Equifax the new to Canada people are scoreable within 4 months of having a credit file created here in Canada with 80% over 660 beacon score.

In terms of the make up of your score, 35% comes from your payment history ( so make your payments on time and in full), 30% comes from utilization ( so the lower your balance is in relation to your limit the better), 15% from your history ( how you have paid your bills in the past), 10% from new credit ( takes time to develop a history) and the last 10% from the type of credit that you have. Knowing this you should pull your own credit ( this will not lower your score when done from the provider) once a month so you know exactly what is going on as your creditors report to Equifax monthly. So click on this link to go Equifax Canada and pull your own report today. If you find something that is not right then contact Equifax or your friendly broker so we can help you get it fixed.

Today I am thankful for the cool crisp morning and all the stars that were still out as Augie ( my dog) and I did our morning walk, new knowledge gained from a seminar this week and zoom meetings where I told my cousin that pants are optional.

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 Brokerage (2022-3000179) Broker (2022-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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

Down Payment Assistance

Sometimes clients have the desire, the income, the credit but not the means to make home ownership possible. It’s for this reason that Nova Scotia created the down payment assistance program. Through this program they will lend you interest free a down payment up to 5% of the purchase price of your new property.

There are some requirements for the borrower:

  • You must be pre approved by a recognized financial institution and have a strong credit rating.
  • Have never purchased property before
  • Have a combined household income less than 145K
  • Be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada
  • Have been a resident in Nova Scotia for a minimum of 12 consecutive months
  • Are unable to come up with the down payment by any other means
  • Yet still have the capacity to come up with the closing costs

These are the requirements for the property:

  • Property must be here in Nova Scotia
  • This needs to be your principal residence, no rentals, cottages or commercial properties.
  • Needs to be on a foundation on your own land. So no mobile homes in parks or tiny homes on wheels.
  • Have a purchase price that does not exceed 500K in Halifax & East Hants, 375K in Annapolis Valley, West Hants & South Shore and 300K everywhere else.

If this sounds like the path that will finely lead you to home ownership then reach out to me so I can get you pre approved to start the process.

Today I am thankful for the opportunity to attend my 1st industry event since the start of Covid, all the great people I got to meet even while wearing my mask and the chance to learn so many new things.

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 Brokerage (2022-3000179) Broker (2022-3000180), Ontario(M18001555) & in British Columbia(BCFSA #504098).

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