Interest Only Mortgage

More Canadians are Turning to Mortgage Brokers

When it comes to mortgage financing, more and more Canadians are choosing to work with a professional mortgage broker. According to a recent study by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), 23 per cent of mortgages written were arranged through a broker.

Canadians are just catching up with their American neighbors, who are far less likely to simply walk into their home bank for a mortgage. In 2000, almost 70 per cent of all U.S. mortgages were arranged through mortgage brokers.

If we follow the U.S. model – and it seems that we are — then we’re in for a sea of change in the way Canadians manage their most significant personal asset. It makes sense. After all, investment returns aren’t as lucrative as they were five years ago, and investors are seeking out ways to make financial gains through avenues they may have overlooked.

There are some significant benefits to working with an independent mortgage broker. Firstly, let’s compare mortgage expertise: Most banks have one or more representatives who are specifically assigned to assist with mortgages. Their role is to develop mortgage business for the banks. A ontario mortgage broker, on the other hand, is a trained mortgage professional who has met standards for education. The comprehensive training of an independent mortgage broker may exceed the training of their counterparts at the bank. More importantly, the mortgage broker is independent. He or she is not an employee of a lending institution, but has access to rate and option information for a full spectrum of chartered banks and other lending institutions. Their role is to find the best possible mortgage rates and options for you.

Let’s also look at choice: A mortgage broker offers you access to many competitive lenders, each with a range of mortgage options. It would take weeks of research, telephoning and personal visits to recreate the range of features and options that a mortgage broker has at his or her fingertips. Rate information, mortgage options and payment schedules are up-to-the-moment, so you and your broker can make valid comparisons of the options available. The result of all this choice is a mortgage which is customized to meet your needs and to save you money.

Also consider accessibility. Your mortgage broker will be available to you before and after your mortgage closes, which will be good news for those who have spent long hours on hold or in a telephone voice answering loop.

Above all, clients have turned to mortgage brokers for better rates. Access to a broad range of lending institutions is a critical advantage for mortgage shoppers. A quarter-point difference on your mortgage rate can add up to thousands of dollars over the life of your mortgage. Many mortgage brokers work inside a brokerage organization with sufficient mortgage volumes that they can negotiate the best possible rates for your situation. Canadian homeowners who have experienced the benefits of a mortgage broker are unlikely to ever return to a world in which they simply accept the best posted rate at their local bank.

Mortgage Security not That Costly

Forget everything you thought you knew about the benefits of taking a variable-rate mortgage instead of locking in for the long term.

A new study suggests the security of a five-year mortgage costs little or nothing beyond a riskier variable-rate mortgage, providing you get a jumbo-sized rate discount.

“Interest costs on discounted closed five-year mortgages have been close to, and often lower than, those of variable-rate mortgages since late 1996,” senior Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. economist Ali Manouchehri writes in the study.

Homeowners have made variable-rate mortgages hugely popular in the past few years in the belief that you can save on interest costs by pegging your mortgage rate to your lender’s prime lending rate. As the prime rises, or as has generally happened in the past few years, fallen, so goes your mortgage rate.

The prime rate at the major banks is now 4.5 per cent, while the posted five-year rate at the big banks is 6.15 per cent. In just one year, the variable-rate choice would save you about ,700 on monthly payments toward a 0,000 mortgage amortized over 25 years (assuming a level prime rate).

Historically, you would also have saved a lot. The CMHC study shows that five-year mortgages taken out from 1993 through 1998 would have cost anywhere from ,000 to ,000 in additional interest paid over the term of the loan (the example is based on a 0,000 mortgage amortized over 25 years).

The flaw with this analysis is that it doesn’t reflect real-world mortgage pricing. These days, very few people take out a mortgage without a sizable discount off the posted rates at major banks.

For that reason, the CMHC’s Mr. Manouchehri decided to compare discounted five-year mortgages with discounted variable-rate mortgages. Incidentally, five years is the most popular term by far for fixed-rate mortgages at about 59 per cent of the total.

The size of the discounts Mr. Manouchehri applied was based on the difference between posted major bank rates and the best deals available from other lenders. For five-year mortgages, he used a discount of 1.25 of a percentage point; for variable-rate mortgages, it was 0.4 of a point off prime.

For five-year mortgages taken out between 1993 and mid-1996, the five-year mortgage was costlier in terms of interest costs. Since then, however, variable-rate mortgages have generally been a little bit more expensive.

Obviously, there’s nothing in this study that decides the fixed-rate versus variable-rate debate once and for all.

In fact, the CMHC study may just confuse anyone who recalls some research done for Manulife Financial back in 2000 by York University finance professor Moshe Milevsky. His research found that the extra interest charged on a five-year mortgage would have cost ,000 on average between 1950 and 2000 for a 0,000 mortgage amortized over 15 years.

To make some sense of the variable-rate versus five-year question, let’s go back to the CMHC study.

It shows that five-year mortgages, discounted or otherwise, were especially bad choices for a three-year period starting in mid-1993. Rates were high for a while back then, but they subsequently fell.

You were a spectator to these rate declines if you were stuck in a five-year mortgage, while people in variable-rate mortgages would have benefited almost immediately.

It’s a different world now, though. Five-year mortgage rates are close to a 50-year low, which suggests they’re far more likely to rise over their term than fall.

So what’s the best choice here, variable-rate or five-year fixed rate? People who want to pay rock-bottom mortgage rates for as long as possible will probably still want a variable-rate mortgage. Remember, you can lock this sort of mortgage into a fixed term without penalty in most cases.

The case for the five-year term looks almost as strong, though. First, the CMHC study tells us there may not be a significant cost to locking your mortgage in for five years, and you might even save a little over a variable-rate mortgage.

Second, the likelihood of higher rates in the years to come would suggest that this is a good time to lock in.

If you had a variable-rate mortgage discounted to 4 per cent, the prime would have to go up by 0.85 of a percentage point to equal the current five-year rate. That’s not a lot of ground to cover in the span of 12 to 18 months when the economy is doing well.

Arguably, the variable-rate versus fixed-rate debate is all about risks and rewards. Right now, the five-year option offers much less risk, and almost as much reward.

What to Expect From a Jumbo Mortgage Loan

Jumbo mortgages are not so different from standard mortgages but there are a few key things that are worth looking in to.

Jumbo Mortgage Loans

A jumbo mortgage loan is a loan taken for property that is high-priced.. In Colorado, as in most of the U.S., a jumbo mortgage loan is any mortgage that exceeds 7,000 – the limit set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for conforming loans.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two agencies that buy the majority of real estate mortgages, will not finance loans greater than 7,000 in most states; however Alaska, Hawaii, and a couple others are exceptions. Therefore, the large jumbo mortgage loans are sold to other investments, often banks and insurance companies, and so a jumbo mortgage loan falls into a different category. Rates for a jumbo mortgage are also higher than conforming loans because there is more risk involved.

What This Means for Jumbo Mortgage Interest

The size of a jumbo mortgage loan means there is more to lose. The size, coupled with other factors, results in somewhat higher jumbo mortgage rates than those carried by conforming loans. Since percentage points on jumbo mortgage rages can mean sizable payment differences, buyers should shop around for a good lender when applying for a jumbo mortgage loan in order to find the best rate. Buyers should shop around for a good lender when applying for a jumbo mortgage loan in order to find the best rate.

In truth, jumbo mortgage interest rates are only one thing to consider when shopping for a jumbo mortgage. There are additional fees and closing costs to be considered that could even out the difference in jumbo mortgage rates. Sometimes, the company with the jumbo mortgage rates is actually the cheapest, all things considered.

Also, buyers shopping for good jumbo mortgage interest rates need to consider their goals, plans, and all of their options. Like conforming mortgages, jumbo mortgages are offered in a variety product lines. Buyers have the option of taking out loans with adjustable jumbo mortgage rates with 3 or 5 year locked rates that adjust after that period, or 15 or 30 year fixed jumbo mortgage rates that never change.

Deciding which type of product (variable or fixed jumbo mortgage interest rate) is better for you depends on whether you plan to stay in the home for more than that locked 3-5 year period, or whether you will refinance the loan within 3-5 years anyway.

Buyers should not be scared off from higher jumbo mortgage rates; jumbo mortgage rates are higher only by a quarter of a point or so for well qualified buyers. What’s more, jumbo mortgages are the only option for home buyers in many parts of the country because 7,000 really isn’t that high a price in today’s housing market. As a matter of fact, jumbo mortgage loans are the only type available in many areas. The best way to find a good jumbo mortgage loan is the find a reputable and experienced lender with good rates. A great mortgage lender will take the time to understand your needs so they can help you select an appropriate product.