The Cost of Borrowing

With the emergence of the Internet over the past couple of decades, more and more consumers are playing an active role in “rate shopping” for their mortgage.  Unfortunately, the “best rate” doesn’t always equal the best mortgage – there’s usually a big difference between the lowest rate and the lowest total cost of borrowing.  In fact, the… Continue reading The Cost of Borrowing

What is an IRD (Interest Rate Differential)?

The world of mortgages and real estate is filled with an excessive amount of acronyms.  If you were to overhear some of our conversations, you would swear we were speaking a different language – LTV and PMI this, and IRD and ARM that, API, BPS, and it goes on and on.  While most people don’t… Continue reading What is an IRD (Interest Rate Differential)?

Don’t Sign That Mortgage Renewal

The major banks currently renew somewhere between 80-90% of the mortgages they hold, and the majority of those renewals are done at posted rates (posted rates are the rates that are publically advertised by the banks, and the rates also used for qualifying for a variable rate mortgage). Many clients, especially those with a steady… Continue reading Don’t Sign That Mortgage Renewal

Mortgage Monday Myths: You Can’t Get a Mortgage If You’re Self-Employed

There are approaching 3 million self-employed people in Canada – that’s almost 10% of the country! But obviously, with around 70% of Canadians owning their own home, there has to be a way for those of us that are self-employed to obtain a mortgage, right? Mortgage Monday Myth #2: Self-employed = no mortgage. It’s true… Continue reading Mortgage Monday Myths: You Can’t Get a Mortgage If You’re Self-Employed

The Various Sources of Mortgage Funds

When you think about who actually funds mortgages (ok, I’ll admit it’s not a question a lot of people ponder for more than a couple of minutes), you may be surprised to find that mortgages are actually funded by a variety of sources – from banks (the obvious one) to credit unions and mortgage loan… Continue reading The Various Sources of Mortgage Funds