1. Create yourself a Budget and stick to it, so you can keep your finances on track. Planning a budget will help you identify uneconomical expenditures and help you achieve your financial goals. Having a budget can also decrease your stress levels, prepare you for unexpected costs and help you plan for your future of home ownership.

Some of the things you should consider in a budget are all your sources of income, mortgage payment, all loans, condo fees, utilities, cable, internet, phone bills, credit card debts, entertainment expenses, clothing, food, transportation expenses, Insurance (auto, house, life), personal grooming, pet care, donations, child care and an emergency fund which can assist in those unexpected costs like an exterior leak, plumbing issues or just those unforeseen repairs and maintenance issues that could arise.

2. Before you start looking at homes, meet with your Mortgage Broker so they can assist you in figuring out how much home you can afford, get you pre-approved for a mortgage loan and give you the information you need for planning and preparing to save for your down payment. It can be very disappointing to find your dream home only to find out you don’t qualify.

During your qualification period and before you purchase a home, avoid making any big purchases like a new car or buying furniture as these expenses will have to be factored into your debt servicing ratios and could seriously jeopardize your loan approval.

3. Part of your budget plan is to know and consider the additional costs before the purchase of your home. Legal fees, mortgage insurance premiums, life and disability Insurance, Fire Insurance, house insurance, strata fees, appraisal, home inspection, property survey, moving costs, appliances, home maintenance equipment, purchase deposit, down payment, GST if it’s a new construction, property tax, and possibly property transfer taxes. The amount of this property transfer tax will depend on your province and the amount of your home purchase price.

4. Your realtor should be someone you can trust, who understands your needs and will take the time to educate you through the home buying process and the current real estate market conditions in your chosen area.

Your realtor will provide a variety of services to make the complexity of purchasing a home seamless. For example, they will arrange appointments of potential homes, assist in the Contract Of Purchase And Sale agreements, obtain and review the strata minutes, negotiate the home offer on your behalf, inform you of facilities and public services that are available in your neighborhood and current future zoning regulations. Simply, they will streamline the biggest investment purchase that you will ever make.

5. Have your home or strata property inspected. This is one of the most important steps to consider when buying a home, to make sure your home is a sound investment and a safe place to live. If significant defects are revealed by a home inspection, you can back out of your offer, free of penalty, within a certain time frame. Condominium buyers will tend to focus on the Form B certificate that will identify any major issues and costs by the condominium corporation.

6. If there is anything unclear to you while you are preparing the Contract Of Purchase And Sale have the Purchase And Sale Agreement reviewed by your real estate attorney before signing this legal document.

7. Subject Clauses on your Offer To Purchase is highly recommended, especially for first time home buyers. For example a

• subject to a satisfactory home inspection
• subject to arranging your mortgage financing

It is of great significance to know that “subject clauses” do not “elude” you to avoid your legal responsibilities in the contract and you must make every attempt to fulfill the conditions that you have set. During this time, it is the seller’s discretion to continue to accept other offers even after the seller has accepted your offer with subjects.

8. On Closing Day, all parties will sign the papers at the lawyer’s office, officially sealing the deal. This is the day that ownership of the property will be transferred to you. On this day it is your job to provide your mortgage broker with your lawyer’s information, as they will be the ones to forward a copy of the Purchase And Sale Agreement to your lawyer as well as inform your lender of your lawyer’s information.

Proof of insurance will need to be obtained, so arrange your Home Insurance before closing and bring the policy with you to your appointment, have your certified cheque or bank draft with closing balance payable to the lawyer’s firm’s trust account, a VOID cheque or a pre-authorized payment form and bring two pieces of valid identification with you like a valid driver’s license or passport. The second piece of identification can be your social insurance card, birth certificate or credit card from a major bank.

Closing funds will be arranged by your lawyer to the seller’s lawyer, the transfer and mortgage will be registered and you will be given the keys to your new home! Finally you take possession.

There are many aspects to consider with your mortgage and home purchase so it would be wise to contact your trusted Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Professional who can navigate you through the home buying process and give you the resources you need for a successful first home! Give us a call today so we can help you through these steps of home ownership!

Did you know you can get a mortgage for renovating your home? Many home buyers and existing home owners are deciding to get more bang for their buck by purchasing a home that needs some improvements. Whether you are renovating at the time you buy or waiting for a few years, there are financing options available.

For home buyers, you may want to consider a “purchase plus improvements” mortgage when renovating your home. Many lenders offer these even if you only have a 5% down payment. The lender will require proof of the work to be completed in renovating your home. They will add this quoted amount to the purchase price, deduct the down payment and determine your mortgage amount. If you are buying with less than a 20% down payment, insurance fees by CMHC or Genworth will be added to the mortgage. The lender and insurer will typically allow a maximum of 10% of the value of the home to a maximum of $40,000-$50,000. If it is going to cost much more for renovating your home a construction draw mortgage would be required.

At the time of completion on your purchase, the lender will fund the mortgage proceeds to the lawyer and condition a hold back for the renovation funds. You will have to use your own funds (or borrowed from family or your line of credit) for renovating your home. The remaining funds will be released by the lawyer upon proof (appraisal) confirming the work quoted has been completed. There is typically a 90 day period for work to be complete but this can be extended if required. Of course, during this time you are making mortgage payments on the full mortgage amount.

Buy a home $500,000

Renovate $ 50,000

Down pay $110,000

Mortgage $440,000

For existing home owners the same financing option for renovating your home is available. The one exception is your maximum mortgage amount for the existing mortgage and new funds for renovating your home can’t exceed 80% of the value of the home.

For a complete guide to renovating your home check out http://www.bcliving.ca/home/complete-guide-to-managing-a-home-renovation

When signing your mortgage commitment letter you will have to choose your payment frequency. If your goal is to re-pay your mortgage as quickly as possible, then you need to understand how different payment options will affect your repayment schedule.

So what are your options?

In general, most lenders will offer the borrower the option to decide which repayment schedule fits best with their lifestyle. The options include monthly, semi-monthly, bi-weekly, accelerated bi-weekly, weekly and accelerated weekly payments. Let’s use some simple math to determine which payment frequency will assist you in paying back your mortgage in the shortest time possible.

For the purposes of this exercise and to keep things simple, let’s use $100,000 as our mortgage amount. We’ll use a 5 year fixed rate at 2.54% with a 25 year amortization period and interest being compounded semi-annually.

As you can see from the table above, choosing to pay your mortgage more frequently doesn’t result in reducing your amortization schedule. The key to reducing your amortization is to make sure you choose an accelerated re-payment schedule.

We are going to focus on Accelerated bi-weekly vs. bi-weekly payments but the same principle can be applied to accelerated weekly payments as well.

Okay, we’ve just determined that accelerating your mortgage payments will reduce your amortization and the interest you pay. How does accelerated bi-weekly vs bi-weekly result in more principle being repaid?

It’s important to think of your payments as a stream of income for the mortgage lender. Mortgage payments are comprised of principal and interest payments. The interest is calculated based on your outstanding principal balance, meaning once the interest has been paid, the remainder of your payment is used towards paying down your principal balance.

By choosing an accelerated repayment schedule, the monthly payment is divided by 2 (bi-weekly) or by 4 (weekly). There are 52 weeks in a calendar year so if you make 26 bi-weekly payments, you are in effect paying your Lender the equivalent of 13 months of payments per year compared to 12 months payments with all non-accelerated repayment schedules.

This accelerated repayment of principal is what shortens your amortization.

13 monthly payments ÷ 26 = accelerated bi-weekly payment

Example: ($449.96 per month x 13 months) ÷ 26 = $224.98 accelerated bi-weekly payment

With a non-accelerated or regular payment plan, the Lender takes 12 months worth of payments and divides this by either 26 or 52 to come up with the bi-weekly (or weekly) payment. With this adjusted payment, the Lender still receives a stream of income of 12 monthly payments per year, so there is no additional principal available to accelerate the amortization.

12 monthly payments ÷ 26 = regular bi-weekly payment

Example: ($449.96 per month x 12 months) ÷ 26 = $207.67 regular bi-weekly payment

So now you know why choosing accelerated bi-weekly vs. bi-weekly payments results in 1 extra month of payments per year, which in turn shortens your amortization.

I always recommend this to anyone who can afford the increase in payment but I understand this option isn’t right for everyone. Another option to help shorten your amortization is to increase your payments, meaning more principal paid.

When you’re choosing your next mortgage, make sure you discuss payment options with your Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional that align with your overall goals for repaying your mortgage.

Credit scores are like report cards for grown‐ups. The score you get ranges from 300 to 900. Your score indicates your creditworthiness to potential lenders, banks, landlords, insurance companies, and even to some employers. The higher your score the better.

1. GET A COPY OF YOUR CREDIT REPORT

Make an inquiry once a year, twice is much better. If you are planning on purchasing anything that requires a credit check, keep track of your credit. This is something that is 100% in your control. As a consumer you have ability to make a soft/consumer inquiry to Equifax as many times as you want without it affecting your score. Here is a link to Equifax. If something doesn’t look right, contact the creditor immediately. Don’t wait to report an incorrect or fraudulent transaction. Is there an outstanding collection? If so, deal with it immediately, and by that I mean pay it. Then argue to get your money back. Do not leave this on your credit report hoping that it will disappear. No matter what, the collection will not be removed until it’s paid unless taken to litigation. Once dealt with, it will still take months to recover the points lost and 6 years to fall off your credit report.

2. NEVER MISS A MINIMUM PAYMENT

Because this attributes to 35% of your overall score, delinquencies have the biggest negative effect on your credit score. If you have overdue bills, make the necessary arrangements with your creditors. They would much rather work with you than file collections against you. If you can’t pay it all back, it’s better to pay some.

3. DON’T CLOSE UNUSED CREDIT CARD ACCOUNTS

Got a credit card that you have had ten years and hardly use? Keep it. It takes 12 years of history with the same specific card in good standing to crack 800 and enter that top 2% tier of quality credit. Cancelling a card can actually lower your score. Keep the old cards and only use them occasionally so the issuer doesn’t stop reporting your information to the credit bureaus. Having a long credit history helps increase your score. Don’t jump around to credit providers. Most ‘large’ providers have several different products. There is likely one that will fit your needs.

4. NEVER MAX OUT YOUR CREDIT CARDS

A good rule of thumb when considering building your credit is to keep the balance at or below 30% of the limit. Furthermore, a balance of 50% of the limit will maintain existing levels and over 75% will start to decrease it. NEVER exceed the limit, by even a $1.

5. DON’T LOOK FOR MORE CREDIT

Don’t shop around for credit or open several credit accounts in a short period of time. It raises alarms at credit bureaus and financial institutions, especially when you don’t have a long‐established credit history. Work with your existing creditors, as there is more relevant history. They are more likely to work with you, especially if you are looking to resolve some credit hardship(s). Always ensure you give your permission before allowing a credit check.

6. RULE OF 2

Ideally, you want to have 2 sources of credit solely in your own name for a minimum of 2 years with at least a $2,500 credit limit. This would be either 2 credit cards or one credit card and a line of credit. Ensure this is in addition to any joint accounts. Joint credit is only reported to the primary credit holders credit bureau and will not have any positive effect on the co-account holder.

If you ever have questions about your financial situation or want to discuss your credit score, please contact Dominion Lending Centres.

Choosing the right mortgage to meet your needs is a process best handled with the support of a mortgage professional. Just as there are many homes to choose from, there are many types of mortgage financing options.

Choosing the right mortgage can save you thousands of dollars and give you the flexibility to make informed choices in your life. It is important to take the time to review each option considering your personal and financial goals and resources. This will help you make the best decision and get you into the home of your dreams.

An important first step in choosing the right mortgage begins with asking yourself a few questions.

What kind of property are you buying?

You may want a starter home such as a condo to build equity that you can rent out later or sell and buy another home. Or you may prefer to buy a house with suite income. In each case you will want to consider how much you can afford including the strata fees and property taxes.

How long do you plan to stay in this home?

If you only plan to live in your home for 5 years or less, you may want to keep your options open and consider a variable or short term loan when choosing the right mortgage. If you are settling in for the long haul you may consider a longer term fixed rate mortgage or a combination of mortgage terms (fixed and variable). Each come with different benefits and deserve consideration as part of your home purchase and mortgage planning.

Would a fixed mortgage or variable be best for you?

A fixed rate mortgage is exactly that, a mortgage with a fixed rate over a fixed period of time. A variable rate mortgage is based on the prime lending rate (ie. Prime – .5% or 2.5%). As the prime lending rate moves up or down (in relation to the overnight lending rate set by the Bank of Canada) your cost of borrowing will fluctuate. If you need to know exactly what you will be paying every month for the full term of the mortgage (ie. 5 years) then a fixed rate mortgage may be best for you. Typically the cost of borrowing over time is lower with a variable rate mortgage. However, the interest rate environment can change and you should review both options when choosing the right mortgage with your mortgage broker.

How much do you have for a down payment and other costs?

If you have access to funds in your own account, RRSP or family gift, you may want to make a larger down payment to lower your mortgage payment and avoid high ratio insurance premiums.

Any purchase with less than a 20% down payment is a high-ratio mortgage and must be insured by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) or Genworth Financial Canada (Genworth). The fee for this insurance varies according to the amount borrowed and the percentage of your down payment, ranging from 1.00% to 2.90% of the mortgage. This one-time, upfront fee can be added to the mortgage.

If the home may need some renovations, you could consider a purchase plus improvement mortgage. It is also prudent to keep some funds in your savings for at least 3 months of mortgage and property taxes as a buffer.

Other Factors to Consider in Choosing the Right Mortgage

Loan Term

A short-term mortgage is usually for three years or less. Short-term mortgages are appropriate for buyers who believe interest rates will drop at renewal time. Long-term mortgages are suitable when current rates are reasonable and borrowers want the security of budgeting for the future. The key to choosing between short and long term is to feel comfortable with your mortgage payments and how long you are making those payments. After a term expires, the balance of the principal owing on the mortgage can be repaid or a new mortgage agreement can be established at the current day interest rates.

Open or Closed Mortgage

Open mortgages can be paid off at any time without penalty and are usually negotiated for very short terms. They are suited to homeowners who are planning to sell in the near future or those who want the flexibility to make large, lump-sum payments before maturity. Closed mortgages are commitments for specific terms, 1-10 years for example. They can come with fixed interest rates or variable interest rates. If you want to pay off the mortgage balance, you will need to wait until the maturity date or pay a penalty on the outstanding balance, if any.

For help in choosing the right mortgage, contact a mortgage professional at Dominion Lending Centres.

In Winnipeg, MB, Jackson and Hailey have been living in a rental home for more than three years. They liked this rental home so much; they asked the landlord if they could buy this house. The landlord agreed to sell the property for $300,000 to Jackson and Hailey. On August 1, 2015, the landlord as “seller” and the tenants as “buyer” signed the agreement (Offer to Purchase). They deposited $5,000 with the agreement and the possession date was August 31, 2015. If Jackson and Hailey put 5% down, then they need $15,000 as a down payment PLUS 1.5% for the closing costs of the house – 1.5% of $300,000 would be $4,500. To buy this home, Jackson and Hailey need $15,000 + $4,500. Altogether, they need $19,500.

In the month of July 2015, the couple (the tenants – Jackson and Hailey) added a patio at the rental home and painted the whole house inside. The tenants spent $5,897.32 from their pocket for this renovation and patio project. On July 28, 2015, the landlord (the seller) gave them a cheque for $5,897.32.

They deposited this cheque in their savings account and were under the impression that they could use this $5,897.32 towards their 5% down or closing costs. No, they can’t use this amount since the landlord paid it for the work they did in that same home. Under the guidelines, the seller is not allowed to pay any money to the buyer for the sale of this property. Now Jackson and Hailey are short $5,897.32 to buy this home.

Jackson and Hailey should have gotten some advice from a mortgage professional at Dominion Lending Centres before they signed an agreement to buy this home.

The proper planning of a mortgage is pertinent before anybody signs any agreements – it helps the client and the real estate agent.

Welcome to your free financial check-up, discussing 5 key factors to assist you in ensuring you are on the right track to a solid financial future.

Credit

Ensuring you are using credit wisely will pave the way to making sure you have options available to you if or when you need them. One thing we can all do is check our credit report on a regular basis – at least once each year – so you know where you stand and whether your credit score has been compromised in any way, especially through fraud. You can contact Equifax at 1-800-465-7166 or go to the website at www.equifax.ca for more information.

There are many people who believe that it is more responsible to not use credit at all but, in fact, if you don’t have any credit accounts reporting to the credit bureau, financial institutions have no way of knowing how responsible you are with credit and you will likely be turned down if you need a loan or credit card in the future.

Making payments on time is critical to maintaining a good credit score but also keeping your account balances below 75% of the maximum limit is another way of boosting your credit score. If you have multiple accounts, spreading the balances evenly among them using balance transfer methods can help to bring some accounts in line.

It’s wise to pay off your higher interest credit accounts first but that decision needs to be balanced with whether to pay down the higher-payment accounts.

Savings

The old adage, “10% of the money you earn should be tucked away into savings” is a good one. Although it may be difficult to be disciplined enough, if you “pay yourself” every month, the savings will start to build and you may find you don’t need to rely on credit to handle those unexpected expenses.

I personally have a monthly allotment that I transfer to my savings account the same day each month. I have a reminder in my phone to physically do the transfer and it is built into my budget as if it were another utility payment I have to make.

Taking advantage of a Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) is a great way to earn higher interest on your savings as opposed to the low rate you are paid for a standard bank savings account. If your TFSA is managed by a Financial Planner you can see very good returns on your investments. Any money earned within your TFSA is tax-free and can be withdrawn at any time.

Retirement

Part of the savings picture is, of course, planning for retirement. If you can, work an RRSP contribution into your budget as soon as possible so you will be much further ahead when you want to put your feet up and enjoy.

I follow my Financial Planner’s recommendations when it comes to how much I contribute each year. As I am self-employed, the amount I contribute each year varies but I always make a contribution.

Contributing to an RRSP also gives you a tax break at the end of the year and you can use your tax return money to put towards paying down your mortgage or put it towards a vacation. Both of those are win-win scenarios.

Mortgage

Being the largest loan most Canadians will ever have, your mortgage deserves attention and regular check-ups. Choosing the right mortgage structure for you and taking advantage of today’s historically low rates, can put you on track to huge savings.

Take a look at your debt-structure. If you are making high monthly payments on high-interest loans and/or credit cards, you could easily restructure your circumstances by refinancing your credit accounts into your home. In most cases, this reduces the amount of interest you are paying overall and lowers your monthly payments. At the same time, if you take advantage of an accelerated payment structure (bi-weekly or weekly) and bump up your minimum required payment by the 15-25% that your institution allows, you can pay down your principal and be mortgage free much sooner!

In today’s mortgage climate, if you currently have a mortgage rate anywhere over 4% you should do yourself a favour and have me do a Free Mortgage Analysis for you so you can see apples to apples whether there are any financial advantages to breaking your existing mortgage for a better rate. When you can see the costs vs. benefits in black and white, the answer as to whether to refinance will be crystal clear.

Insurance

Making sure you have adequate insurance is essential in protecting yourself and your family in the event of a crisis or emergency. Whether it be home, health, life or disability insurance, it is always a good idea to review all of your insurance coverage at least once a year to make sure you are fully covered.

Mortgage insurance is a great idea but most clients benefit more from having independent mortgage insurance coverage as opposed to taking the insurance coverage offered by the institution that has your mortgage. The average Canadian makes a change to a mortgage every 38-42 months, you may have to re-apply for the same coverage at an older age and higher premiums. If your mortgage insurance is through a company that is independent of the bank, you would have the ability to keep the coverage and premium you initially had even if moving your mortgage to another institution at a better rate works better for you.

Another way to go is Term Life Insurance. Securing a policy that will cover all costs and pay out all obligations should anything happen to you will give your family peace of mind in the worst circumstance.

Critical Illness Insurance offers protection should you become affected by one of the approved conditions and is often paid in a lump sum amount once you have survived the specified waiting period. It gives you the assurance that the costs of a serious medical condition, as well as living expenses, will be covered.

Wrap Up

I recommend talking to your Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional to make sure you make the best decision on all insurance needs.

I hope you have found some value in the information provided. As always, I recommend seeking out the experts and gaining knowledge before making any important decisions that will affect your future.

Interest rates are only one of many features that should be looked at when you are applying for a mortgage. But all things being equal, the interest rate may be more important than you think.

I was reviewing mortgage options with a client and the only thing they were interested in was the mortgage rate. There was no concern about all the other conditions that could end up being quite costly and since I could only offer him what he considered a small reduction, the client said “the bank’s rate was only a little higher and I feel more comfortable leaving everything I have with my bank for such a small difference.” What was the difference? I will get to that in a minute.

The mortgage renewal form you get in the mail is another cautionary note. I have had clients send me a copy of their renewal form. So far, in every case the renewal rate was higher than what I was currently able to get them. The last one I saw was .25% higher than what I could offer.

ACCORDING TO A RECENT MARITZ/CAAMP SURVEY, CLIENTS WHO USED THE SERVICES OF A MORTGAGE BROKER BENEFITED WITH AN INTEREST RATE .045% LOWER THAN THOSE THAT DEALT DIRECTLY WITH THEIR LENDERS.

So what does this fraction of a percentage mean for you? Let’s look at a $500,000 mortgage at 2.64% compared to 2.84%. That is only .2% or, to look at it a different way, it is about $50 a month or $600 a year savings by taking the 2.64% mortgage.

Here are a few options to increase net worth.

1. You take the 2.64% rate and you invest the $600 a year into a growth mutual fund that averages 10%. Even though over the years, as your mortgage goes down, the savings may not be as great, you make up the difference and keep investing that $600 a year for the next 30 years. That is a small difference, but in 30 years it has added up to over $100,000 in your tax free savings account.
2. You take out the 2.84% and say I like my bank and I am comfortable with the bank making the extra money and increasing their bottom line off my mortgage.
3. With interest rates being so low, you could look at increasing your cash flow by stretching out your amortization and lowering your payment. Then you take the extra cash flow and invest it with your financial adviser in your tax free savings account.
4. If you have extra equity in your home and have not contributed to your Tax Free Savings Account, consider refinancing and topping up your TFSA. As of 2016, the accumulative amount you can contribute is $51,000 per person 19 years or old in BC. So that would be $102,000 per couple. Invest that $102,000 and get an 8% return, you end up with $698,544 tax free money after 25 years and you paid back the mortgage and interest payments. If rates stayed the same throughout the 25 years at 2.69%, the whole $139,906 would be paid back. So you make a tax free profit of $558,638 by freeing up some capital to invest. Your total cost is $37,906 in interest.

There are many details to a mortgage and the rate is just one of them. Any of us here at Dominion Lending Centres would be happy to review your future mortgage needs to make sure you are maximizing your mortgage to your benefit.