April 28, 2010
First Time Home Buyer, Mortgage Insurance
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Ok, so you have done your reading and think you have a handle on the home buying process and what you need to know. Then check out this game from one of Canada’s leading mortgage insurers to test your knowledge.
It takes about 10 to 15 minutes but, in my opinion, gives you a great foundation for the purchase.
Enjoy!
http://www.genworth.ca/homeownership/c_on-your-terms/HomeownershipWeek_Thursday.asp
April 22, 2010
First Time Home Buyer, Mortgage Insurance
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Hey if you are interested in the following 7 topics (and if you are a first time home buyer why not) then click on this link <Genworth National Home Ownership Week – Home Buying Basics> :
- New Mortgage Rules and What They Mean For HomeBuyers
- Calculate What You Can Afford
- 10 Steps to the HomeBuying Process
- Downpayment Options
- Understanding Mortgage Insurance
- VIDEO for New To Canada
- VIDEO for Mortgage Insurance
April 12, 2010
First Time Home Buyer, Mortgage Insurance
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Hi Everyone,
One of Canada’s mortgage insurers are sending out some great information over the course of this week about what you will need to know to own your first place.
The first area that they are focusing on is Credit. Check out the link below for some great information.
Genworth Credit
Always wanting you to learn more about your mortgage,
Jason
February 16, 2010
Employed Persons, First Time Home Buyer, Interest Rates, Mortgage Insurance, Rental
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As I am sure that you have heard the Finance Minister of Canada has decided to make some adjustments to the lending requirements.
The following is a link to the official press release - http://www.fin.gc.ca/n10/10-011-eng.asp
The most important points are below.
- Require that all borrowers meet the standards for a five-year fixed rate mortgage even if they choose a mortgage with a lower interest rate and shorter term. This initiative will help Canadians prepare for higher interest rates in the future.
- Lower the maximum amount Canadians can withdraw in refinancing their mortgages to 90 per cent from 95 per cent of the value of their homes. This will help ensure home ownership is a more effective way to save.
- Require a minimum down payment of 20 per cent for government-backed mortgage insurance on non-owner-occupied properties purchased for speculation.
I believe that the industry has a number of clarification questions that we need answered before we fully understand how this will affect the market place this spring.
When everything is all sussed out I will be sure to update you.
November 24, 2009
Book, Employed Persons, First Time Home Buyer, Mortgage Insurance, Pre Approval
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Whenever the lender decides to lend money on a particular property they take into account two separate yet equally important parts.
Firstly, they look at the quality of a borrower- their credit worthiness and their ability to make the mortgage payments. The evaluation of the borrower typically takes place in the pre-approval process.
Secondly they look into the quality of the property. What they want to ensure is that in the event of a borrower not being able to make their payments and in turn goes into foreclosure that they can easily market the property and get their investment back. So you can understand that if the house is not at least of average quality then the typical purchaser is not going to want to buy it. The lender evaluates value of this in one of two different ways. If the file is insured then the insurer does their own internal evaluation. If the file is not insured than the lender may request that a third-party appraisal is completed.
One important thing to note is that the quality of the property may take into account things that are beyond the scope of the physical property itself. For example, in a condominium complex, even though the condo complex may be in great condition sometimes the condo financials are not in order.This would be something that the lender would consider to be a serious issue and therefore may not lend of this property.
Why I am telling you this is not to warn you not to go to try different properties but rather to let you know what type of resistance you might find if you decide to purchase a house that is considered a fixer upper.
This is a critical area that needs to be addressed before financing conditions can be met. This is why it is so important that you send all data about the property to your mortgage broker as soon as you can after the Offer to Purchase has been accepted by the seller.