Becoming Mortgage Free Faster

Regardless of how long you’ve had your mortgage or how large or small the current balance is, there are a variety of ways to make prepayments work for you to pay down your mortgage faster and, therefore, pay less interest throughout the life of your mortgage. After all, each extra payment amount will reduce your […]

Mortgage rates today are way below normal. Or are they?- Ask a Vancouver Mortgage Broker

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty called Canada’s low interest rates an “anomaly” last week, echoing warnings that other government officials have been making since 2009. But one of the country’s best-known economists believes today’s rates are closer to normal than many think. Benjamin Tal, deputy chief economist at CIBC, caught viewers off guard in a recent […]

Why no rate hike means variable mortgages are safe again – Ask a Vancouver Mortgage Broker

Garry Marr | More from Garry Marr | @DustyWallet A signal from the Bank of Canada that it is not raising its key lending rate any time soon, coupled with the likelihood of falling mortgage rates, could be enough to keep the latest housing rally going. Bank of Canada drops rate guidance, lowers growth forecast There’s been a sea […]

Home shoppers, don’t rush to buy just to lock in a cheap mortgage – Consult with a Vancouver Mortgage Broker

ROBERT MCLISTER– Special to The Globe and Mail The idea that low mortgage rates are gone forever sent Canadian home shoppers into a panic this summer. Thousands rushed to use their rock-bottom pre-approved mortgage rates and buy a home, contributing to a20 to 50 per cent spike in sales last month in Canada’s biggest housing markets. But […]

Why there’s no reason to panic about rising rates – Consult with a Vancouver Mortgage Broker

Garry Marr | More from Garry Marr | @DustyWallet There is a simple answer to all this hysteria about mortgage rates going up. Don’t lock in your rate. I know it’s almost heresy to have a floating rate in a mortgage world dictated by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who thinks nothing about calling up the banks and telling them […]

How to reduce mortgage penalties – Ask a Vancouver Mortgage Broker

How to reduce mortgage penalties Backing out of a mortgage early? You probably won’t be able to avoid fees entirely, but you can limit them. A rise in interest rates appears imminent, so folks with big mortgages might want to lock in the current low rates now! But for some, that means getting out of an […]

Can you handle higher interest rates? – Consult with a Vancouver Mortgage Broker

Garry Marr  | @DustyWallet It may be stressful to think about it but higher mortgage rates are on the horizon. The questions for homeowners is whether they can handle a hike in interest rates. Bank of Montreal says consumers should stress test their mortgages a couple of ways, considering higher interest rates and a shorter amortization period. […]

Low interest rate party may be ending – Ask a Vancouver Mortgage Broker

Watch the bond market and QE moves for early warnings that interest rates will start to rise in Canada. By: Gordon Pape Building Wealth, Published on Sun Jun 23 2013 The interest rate party for borrowers is almost over. After almost five years of historically low rates, we’ve started to see some upward movement in the cost of […]

Mortgage rate hikes shouldn’t torpedo the housing market – Ask a Vancouver Mortgage Broker

LARRY MACDONALD- Special to The Globe and Mail Many housing bears think that the recent increase in mortgage rates is the beginning of the end for the Canadian housing market. I’m not convinced; here are some reasons why. Fixed-mortgage rates have gone up because they are tied to bond yields, which have been rising lately. That’s […]

4 easy ways to reduce your mortgage costs – Ask a Vancouver Mortgage Broker

When it comes to saving on your mortgage, making pre-payments and shopping around at renewal time are good ideas By: Madhavi Acharya-Tom Yew Personal Finance writer The Georges live in a two-bedroom condo across from High Park. In the next couple of years, they hope to buy a house west of Toronto. They plan to use the […]

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