Mortgage Brokers Offer Choice

The next time you’re looking for a mortgage for that new house or you’re up for renewal on your existing mortgage, think about using a mortgage broker – their services are free and they offer you an abundance of choices the banks simply can’t compete with.

Mortgage brokers have access to a vast array of lenders – up to 90+ institutions, including some of the big banks – which enables these professionals to negotiate the best possible mortgage products and rates on your behalf. In comparison, if you approach your bank with a mortgage request, they can only offer you a narrow choice – namely, their own products.

Mortgage brokers do their homework on available mortgage products and keep themselves abreast of any new products, or changes to existing products, to ensure they find the best mortgage to fit your specific needs.

Unlike the banks, mortgage brokers can also cater to self-employed borrowers as well as those who have suffered credit blemishes due to life experiences such as divorce or illness. Brokers will listen to your story, whereas the banks have a very narrow view of what fits into their financing box – and this is unnegotiable.

If you’re thinking of buying a home, Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professionals can find the best mortgage rate and term for your unique situation.

Top Reasons for Using a Broker:

1. Choice – access to multiple financial institutions
2. Costs – using a broker is free and they can negotiate lower rates for you
3. Knowledge – brokers stay up-to-date on available products and services
4. Flexibility – mortgage products are even available for the self-employed or those who have credit blemishes 

Looking Beyond Mortgage Rates

It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that comparing mortgage rates will guarantee you get the best bang for your mortgage buck. While this may be true for particular situations, there are many scenarios where this strategy is not effective. Following are three reasons why it doesn’t always pay to make a decision based solely on rates.

 Reason #1

Your long-term plan and risk tolerance should determine which mortgage product is right for you. This product may or may not have the lowest rate.

For instance, there are cases where lenders will offer lower rates for insured mortgages. With insured mortgages, however, you’re charged an insurance premium, which is usually added to the mortgage amount. But if you’re not planning on keeping the property for a long enough time to offset that cost, it may be better to take an uninsured mortgage with a slightly higher rate. The cost difference you will pay with the higher interest rate may still be less than what you may pay in insurance premiums.

As another example, if you prefer to budget for a consistent payment and can’t handle rate fluctuations, it may be better to go with a higher fixed-rate mortgage. If you think current rates are low enough and you will be living in your property for at least five years, it may be wise to also opt for a mortgage with a longer term.

Reason #2

One of the biggest mistakes people make when merely comparing mortgage rates is failing to consider important factors such as prepayment options to help pay off the mortgage faster, whether secondary financing options are allowed, early payout penalties, or what fees are involved.

It’s not enough to simply compare mortgage rates because you have to know what “clauses” are contained within the mortgage deal. There may be cases where you will find a lender with the lowest rate and willing to pay for your closing costs, or even provide you with cash-backs after closing.

Reason #3

Lenders can change their rates at any time. As such, if you’re shopping for rates with one lender and then approach another that gives you a lower rate, it’s quite possible that the first lender has also dropped its rates. This is why it’s important to get pre-approved with a lender once you a mortgage that fits your needs. In some cases, you can secure your rate and conditions for up to 120 days.

These are just three reasons why it’s not enough to merely compare mortgage rates. The mortgage rate you may qualify for is also highly dependent on your credit score among other things. In order to get the best mortgage deals, you need to have solid credit.

Leasing or Buying a Vehicle Impacts Your Debt Ratios

The question of whether it’s better to lease or buy a vehicle is a common dilemma. And do you buy or lease a new or used vehicle? The answer depends on the specifics of your situation.

It’s important to realize that many consumers overburden themselves with car leases or loans they simply can’t afford. While most of us require a vehicle to get to and from many destinations throughout the course of any given week, we don’t need a high-end vehicle to serve this purpose.

The key to remember when you’re looking to purchase a home and obtain a mortgage or refinance an existing mortgage is that, if you overspend on a vehicle, it affects your debt ratios and may restrict or negate your mortgage financing ability.

Leases and purchase loans are simply two different methods of automobile financing. One finances the use of a vehicle while the other finances the purchase of a vehicle. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks.

When making a lease-or-buy decision, you must, therefore, look at your financial abilities in terms of your debt ratios. And if you’re unsure about how leasing or purchasing a vehicle will affect your ratios, it’s best to speak to a Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Professional prior to making your decision.

When you buy, you pay for the entire cost of a vehicle, regardless of how many kilometres you drive. You typically make a down payment, pay sales taxes in cash or roll them into your loan, and pay an interest rate determined by your loan company based on your credit history. Later, you may decide to sell or trade the vehicle for its depreciated resale value.

When you lease, you pay for only a portion of a vehicle’s cost, which is the part that you “use up” during the time you’re driving it. You have the option of not making a down payment, you pay sales tax only on your monthly payments, and you pay a financial rate, called a money factor, which is similar to the interest on a loan. You may also be required to pay fees and a security deposit. At lease-end, you may either return the vehicle or purchase it for its depreciated resale value.

As an example, if you lease a $20,000 car that will have, say, an estimated resale value of $13,000 after 24  months, you pay for the $7,000 difference (this is called depreciation), plus finance charges and possible fees.

When you buy, you pay the entire $20,000, plus finance charges and possible fees. This is fundamentally why leasing offers significantly lower monthly payments than buying.

Lease payments are made up of two parts – a depreciation charge and a finance charge. The depreciation part of each monthly payment compensates the leasing company for the portion of the vehicle’s value that is lost during your lease. The finance part is interest on the money the lease company has tied up in the car while you’re driving it.

Loan payments also have two parts – a principal charge and a finance charge. The principal pays off the full vehicle purchase price, while the finance charge is loan interest. Since all vehicles depreciate in value by the same amount regardless of whether they’re leased or purchased, however, part of the principal charge of each loan payment can be considered as a depreciation charge. Just like with leasing, it’s money you never get back, even if you sell the vehicle in the future.

The remainder of each loan principal payment goes toward equity – or resale value – which is what remains of your car’s original value at the end of the loan after depreciation has taken its toll. The longer you own and drive a vehicle, the less equity you have.

With leasing, you may have the option of putting your monthly payment savings into more productive investments, such as your mortgage, an investment property or a vacation home, which will increase in value. In fact, many experts encourage this practice as one of the benefits of leasing.