Posts tagged ‘mortgage advice’

Conservative borrowers who prefer fixed rates almost always choose a five-year term. In today’s environment, I think there’s a much better deal to be had, even if no one is talking about it. In today’s post, I make my case.

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Borrowers are often surprised to learn that qualifying for a variable-rate mortgage is harder than qualifying for a fixed-rate mortgage, even though the variable rate is lower. To find out why, check out today’s post.

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Is now a good time to refinance your mortgage? Today’s post offers you a step-by-step process for answering this question and includes some useful tips on how to reduce your payout penalty and pay off your refinanced mortgage faster.

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A newly released report by the Bank of Canada called “Discounting in Mortgage Markets” gives us some very useful insights into how much lenders are discounting their mortgage rates and for whom. Today’s post summarizes the report and offers my interpretation of the results.

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For anyone planning a divorce, today’s post can help save money and reduce hassle during this difficult time. I offer some general tips and give specific guidance for people who are looking to buy out their ex-spouse’s share of the matrimonial home.

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If you or someone you know is a new immigrant to Canada, you may be surprised at the attractive mortgage options that are available at competitive market rates. To learn more, check out today’s post.

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When the federal government recently announced changes to CMHC’s rules for high-ratio mortgage insurance, most of my colleagues voiced strong opposition. I respectfully disagree with their assessments, and in today’s post I tell you why.

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Today’s post is my quarterly update on the state of the mortgage market. It highlights the challenges being faced in the U.S., China and the EU, and assesses the implications for the Canadian economy, and most importantly, our interest rates.

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Today’s post looks more deeply into our rising debt levels and offers my best guess at the next round of mortgage rule changes that may be coming as a result.

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Title insurance offers a surprisingly broad and inexpensive way to cover yourself against a host of potentially expensive problems relating to your property. To learn more, check out today’s post.

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Home-equity lines-of-credit (HELOCs) and open variable-rate mortgages are tempting to borrowers because they can be paid off with no penalty. Are they worth it? Using current interest rates, today’s post puts the numbers to the test and compares the cost of open- vs. closed-term financing solutions. As you will see, the results are both surprising and definitive.

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Today’s post challenges Finance Minister Flaherty to keep the promise he made in his 2010 federal budget, and address the lack of lender disclosure around fixed-rate mortgage penalties.

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TD Bank will now register its fixed-rate mortgages as collateral charges and will offer you the option of registering your mortgage at 125% of the current value of your home. Should you take this offer, or run?

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Check out today’s post to learn how to make your Canadian mortgage interest tax-deductible.

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Budgeting is a lot like exercise. Everyone knows it’s good for you but most people procrastinate actually doing it. Today’s post outlines two ways to get on top of your finances: The Easy Way and The Hard Way.

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