6 Jul

IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE RATE: AMORTIZATION & RENEWALS

General

Posted by: Derek Vandall

Have you spoken to a mortgage broker lately? You have a great opportunity at each renewal of your mortgage. When it’s time to renew your mortgage you have the freedom to do a number of things that are not possible at any other time without a financial penalty. Have you looked at your mortgage amortization […]

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29 Jun

CO-SIGNOR OR GUARANTOR FOR A MORTGAGE?

General

Posted by: Derek Vandall

If a buyer can’t obtain a mortgage due to poor credit, employment history, lack of down payment or income, most lenders will consider lending if there is someone to act as co-signor or guarantor for a mortgage. The two options provide different requirements. So which is best – co-signer or guarantor? People often use the […]

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22 Jun

IMPROVING YOUR CREDIT SCORE

General

Posted by: Derek Vandall

Your credit score is one of the largest factors when applying for a mortgage. It can dictate how good your interest rate will be and the type of mortgage you qualify for. Mortgage Professionals are experienced in helping clients with a wide range of credit scores so we can find you a mortgage product even […]

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15 Jun

5 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE BUYING A RURAL PROPERTY

General

Posted by: Derek Vandall

After already being a homeowner for several years, my friend was set to buy the home of his dreams. He always wanted to own an acreage outside of town. He had visions of having a few animals, a small tractor and lots of space. As a person with experience buying homes, he felt that he […]

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8 Jun

CREDIT SCORES: HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

General

Posted by: Derek Vandall

The interest rate you pay on loans for every major purchase you make throughout your life depends on various factors and is dependent on your creditworthiness – everything from the mortgage on your home to your car loan or line of credit. Given today’s ever-changing mortgage requirements and rising interest rate environment, your credit score […]

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1 Jun

WHAT IS A REFINANCE?

General

Posted by: Derek Vandall

Refinancing a home is one of those things that people understand but have trouble explaining how it works. To put it simply, refinancing your home allows you to access the equity you have built up by increasing the mortgage amount. Let’s say you bought a $300,000 condo with a 20% down payment ($60,000) and had […]

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25 May

A FEW REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER A VARIABLE RATE MORTGAGE

General

Posted by: Derek Vandall

Five-year fixed mortgage rates continued their upward march last week as the five-year Government of Canada (GoC) bond yield they are priced on hit its highest level in seven years. Meanwhile, five-year variable-rate discounts deepened, further widening the gap between five-year fixed and variable rates. When I started working in the mortgage industry in 2005, […]

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18 May

REVERSE MORTGAGE – THE PROS AND CONS

General

Posted by: Derek Vandall

You may be seeing and hearing a lot more about the Reverse Mortgage in today’s marketplace. I have taken the time to get familiar with the program here in Canada and have been quite surprised by how it’s changed, how different it is to its counterpart in the U.S., and how relevant it has become […]

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11 May

ARE MORTGAGE TERMS MORE IMPORTANT THAN RATE?

General

Posted by: Derek Vandall

Why are the terms more important than the rate when it comes to a mortgage? It’s simple – 7 out of 10 Canadians break their mortgages prior to the renewal date. Accepting a mortgage from the wrong lender when you could have qualified for a better one is a very costly mistake. The biggest mistake […]

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4 May

MORTGAGE BROKER VALUE

General

Posted by: Derek Vandall

Not surprisingly, mortgage borrowers often go straight to their own Banker. And why not? It’s an established and comfortable relationship. Perhaps it’s viewed as the path of least resistance. But is it the right lender for the borrower’s current specific needs? Perhaps not. Aren’t all Lenders pretty much the same? Borrowers may think that all […]

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