Tag Archive for: Zero Down mortgage

Not all Down Payments are created equal

So you are in the market to buy a new to you home. With the current real estate market being as hot ( due to limited supply) as it is make sure that you have the correct down payment in order before you put in your offer. High ratio mortgage insurance ( CMHC, Sagen and Canada Gurantee) is available for purchase prices less than 1,000,000. However to get into a home with the minimum required will depend on the purchase price of the property and of course your credit and income.

5% down payment is the minimum for purchase prices at 500,000 or less. If you are quick at math that is 25,000. However if the house that you really like you ended up getting an accepted offer at 760,000. You will put down 5% of the 1st 500,000 and 10% of the balance. So in this example you will put down 25,000 on the 1st 500K and 26,000 on the remaining 250,000 making it a total of 51,000 down payment. This is compared to putting down 20% which would cost you 152,000.

This 5% down payment should come from your own resources and you will need to provide 90 days history to show that you have not borrowed the funds. However you can receive the 5% down from a blood relative (Mother, Father, Sister or Brother) , this is considered a gift so you don’t have to debt service ( have it included with your debt payments).

I also need to tell you that if you are buying here in Nova Scotia and you have excellent income and credit but are short on the down payment, we have a local lender who will do 0% down to get you in the new home. Ask me for details.

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

Cheers,

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).

Rules, Rules, Rules

Here is the information regarding the new mortgage rules that will come into effect on April 19th of this year. The changes are not as bad as some were predicting. This is the summary, and the text is below.
Starting April 19th
1. Borrowers need to qualify using the 5 year fixed rate
2. Refinances maxed out at 90% LTV
3. 20% downpayment for mortgages tied to non-owner occupied properties bought for speculation.
Canada will bring in new mortgage rules to cool the country’s red-hot housing sector, but does not think the market has entered into bubble territory, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Tuesday.Concerned that new homebuyers may overextend themselves, the government said it is implementing three changes to mortgage rules that will help prevent the problems seen in other countries that helped trigger the global financial crisis.

“Today’s measures are part of a larger picture. We will continue to closely monitor developments in the housing sector in Canada,” said Flaherty at a news conference in Ottawa.

“There is no compelling evidence of a housing bubble, but we’re taking proactive, prudent, measured and cautious steps today to help prevent a housing bubble.”

Changes to Canada’s mortgage insurance guarantee framework that come into effect on April 19 include the requirement that borrowers will need to qualify for a five-year fixed-rate mortgage even if they go with a lower variable rate.

The government will also lower maximum amounts that can be withdrawn when borrowers refinancing mortgages. And it will require a minimum downpayment of 20 percent for insured mortgages tied to non-owner occupied properties bought for speculation.

Flaherty described the housing market as “healthy and stable” and said that the government’s early action can help prevent negative trends from happening.

The government has been concerned that some borrowers who are taking out variable-rate mortgages will struggle with their monthly payments when interest rates rise.

Bank of Montreal, while noting it did not believe the country faced a housing bubble, said it supported the government’s actions.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,

Pat

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