Bank of Canada

Rates lowered by CIBC and RBC

CIBC and RBC led the way today by announcing lower rates. All rates from 2 year terms and up were lowered by 10 bps across the board. With this latest decrease the posted 5 year fixed rate at both lenders is now at 5.49%.

No announcements by the other lenders at this time but they will surely follow.

Bank of Canada

Rates Lowered Unannounced

RBC, without a press release, lowered their posted rates today by 0.10% across the board. This is the second time in under 2 weeks that mortgage rates have been lowered.

Based on current bond yields, we can anticipate futher rate decreases in the near future. No other lenders have followed RBC’s lead thus far but we can expect them to match in the coming days.

Wayne Mah, AMP / Senior Mortgage Planner / mah.w@mortgagecentre.com / 604.880.1899

Bank of Canada

So It Begins…Bank of Canada Raises Bank Rate Today

The Bank of Canada raised the Bank Rate by 0.25% today. It is now at 0.50%. This is the first increase by the central bank since July 2007.

With this rise I expect all major lending institutions to rate their Prime Rates by an equivalent amount – from 2.25% to 2.50%. This means that if you are in a variable rate mortgage or have a line of credit, you will be paying more.

This is most likely a start of a series of rate increases by the Canadian central bank over the foreseeable future as the economy continues to improve. For some this may be a time to re-evaluate your debt and adjust accordingly.

The next Bank of Canada meeting is July 20, 2010.

Bank of Canada Press Release

Wayne Mah, Senior Mortgage Planner, The Mortgage Centre 604.880.1899 / mah.w@mortgagecentre.com

Bank of Canada

UPDATE: Strata Duplexes Now Okay

CMHC has just announced that they will now be insuring mortgages on “non-conforming stratas” again. This reverses an earlier decision (see previous post). A requirement is that title insurance must be taken out.

This is super news for both buyers and sellers. Now buyers can go as low as 5% down again!

No updates from the other two insurers as of yet.

Wayne Mah, Senior Mortgage Planner, The Mortgage Centre 604.880.1899 / mah.w@mortgagecentre.com

Bank of Canada

Warning: Possible Financing Problems On Strata Duplexes

Our office recently encountered financing problems for a strata duplex. We discovered that currently no mortgage insurer will approve such a property. Not CMHC, not Genworth and not Canada Guaranty .

This is a very recent change!!!

I found this very strange and having been in the industry for many years I decided to find out why. In the past these were not an issue.

Some background on these types of properties. Although strata duplexes are not rare, they are not abundant. I have seen some strata four-plexes as well in the past. As these complexes are small (usually only 2 owners) many do not follow the rules and regulations of the B.C. strata property act (holding meetings, having bylaws, collecting monthly strata fees, etc.). This is called a “non-conforming strata”. Why would they when there are only such a small number of owners? The owners would just have an informal agreement to do what needs to be done.

Apparently, this is the problem and has caused the recent change by the insurers. With no “formal” structure I was told there have been instances of “litigation” between owners in a few complexes. Ultimately this involved the lender and thus the insurers. The insurers do not want to be involved in such incidences and thus are now not insuring such properties.

This is a big problem as this means a minimum of 20% down if you wish to purchase such a property. Ultimately, our client could not make the purchase. They were upset and so were the real estate professionals involved.

I have been told by one insurer that they are working with their legal department to see if there is a remedy and get these properties okayed again. However, in the meantime the only way they will approve loans on such properties is if they fully comply with the B.C. strata property act. This mean to hold meetings, keep minutes, implement bylaws, etc.

Thus far I am not aware of any lenders not approving mortgages on these properties if the client has more than 20% down (bypassing the insurance regulations).

I would love to hear your comments. Are you planning to buy or sell one of these properties? Have you encountered this problem?

Wayne Mah, Senior Mortgage Planner, The Mortgage Centre 604.880.1899 / mah.w@mortgagecentre.com

Bank of Canada

Financing for Americans Purchasing A Property in Canada

The following information is specifically for our United States’ neighbours who are interested in financing a property purchase in Canada. If you are interested in information about financing but are from elsewhere around the world please refer to Financing A Property Purchase In Canada From Overseas.

As Canada and the United States share the largest border in the world, citizens from both sides of the border travel back and forth extensively. And not surprisingly a large number own, or wish to own, properties in the other’s country. Financing for these cross border purchases is quite easy due to the close ties between our two nations.

There a two basic methods to finance a purchase in Canada if you live in the United States:

1. Finance the purchase through a U.S. lender, perhaps using the property you own in the U.S, and buying the property in Canada outright.
2. Obtain financing via a Canadian lender.

As an American citizen, a purchaser is able to finance up to 80% the value of the property in Canada. Qualifications that are used for Canadian citizens would be applied. The approval would be based on your income, credit history, and current debt load.

Documents typically needed:

1. A completed application.
2. Confirmation of your income via a letter of employment, recent paystub or tax filing.
3. Confirmation of your downpayment via 3 months of bank statements. Any irregular deposits would have to be verified as to source.
4. A credit bureau will be obtained and reviewed by the lender.

That is basically it!

Please note that in Canada most lenders do have what we call a “sliding scale” for higher valued properties. You may be able to borrow 80% of the value if qualified for modestly priced homes. However, for properties over $1 million they will be treated to this “scale”. As an example, the lender may only finance 80% of the first $750,000 and 50% of the balance of the purchase price. So the higher the value the less “overall” percentage you will be able to finance.

This information is to be relied upon as a general guideline only.

Please contact me for a more detailed discussion about your specific needs.

Wayne Mah, Senior Mortgage Planner, The Mortgage Centre 604.880.1899 / mah.w@mortgagecentre.com