26 Jul

5 REASONS THE BANK MAY TURN YOU DOWN FOR A MORTGAGE

General

Posted by: Shari Letsos

Mortgage rules have become stricter over the past few years. Assuming you have a down payment, good credit and a good job, what could prevent you from obtaining financing for a home purchase?
Below are five less obvious reasons a bank may turn you down:

It’s not you, it’s the building
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but even if you’re the perfect candidate for a loan, you can still be rejected by a lender if the building you’re considering flunks a bank’s requirements. There are myriad reasons a building can be rejected, but one possible reason could be the building construction or condition.
In downtown Calgary we have some condos that were built in the 1970’s using a technique called Post Tension. It has been discovered that the steel rods in the walls can corrode over time and the buildings could collapse. Some lenders are okay with an engineer’s report but others won’t consider lending in this type of building. A few years ago a condo was found to have water seeping down between the inner and outer walls from the roof. This resulted in a $70,000 special assessment for each condo owner. Before the problem and the cost were assessed most lenders refused to lend on this property.
If a condominium building does not have a large enough a reserve fund for repairs a lender may want to avoid lending in that building as well.

Your credit doesn’t make the cut
If you have a credit score of 680+ this probably won’t be a problem for you but for first time home buyers with limited credit this can be a major stumbling block to home ownership. Check your credit score before you start your home search.
Not having enough credit can also be a problem. If you have a Visa card with a $300 limit, that won’t cut it. A minimum of 2 credit lines with limits of $2,000 is needed; one revolving credit line such as a credit card and an installment loan such as a car loan or a furniture store loan.
A long forgotten student loan or utility bill from your university days can also cause problems if its showing as a collection.
You’re lacking a paper trail
You have to be able to show where your money comes from. A cash gift of the down payment for your new property without a paper trail isn’t going to fly with the bank. If it is a gift, we need to see the account that the money came from, a gift letter from a family member, and the account the money was deposited into.

Your job
Being self-employed or a consultant comes with its own set of obstacles. But the solution here, too, is about documentation. And be prepared to offer up more documentation than someone with a more permanent income stream. Two years of Notices of Assessment from the CRA will show your average income over a two-year period. This could be a problem if your business had a slow start and then really picked up in year two. The two-year average would be a lot lower than your present income.
Another stumbling block may be how you are paid. Many people in the trucking industry get paid by the mile or the load. Once again a two year NOA average should help.
In Alberta, many people are paid northern allowances, overtime and a series of pay incentives not seen in other industries. This can be a problem if you do not have a two-year history.
When you apply for a mortgage you need to stay at your position at least until after your home purchase is complete. Making a job change with a 90 day probation means you will need to be past your probation before the mortgage closes. If you make a career change , you may need to be in your new industry for a least a year before a lender will consider giving you a loan.
The property’s appraisal value is too low
This often happens in a fast moving market. The appraisers base their value on previously sold homes on the market in the last 90 days. If prices have gone up quickly your home value may not be in line with the appraisers value. If the home you want to purchase is going for $500,000 and the appraised value is $480,000, you have to come up with $20,000 PLUS the 5% down payment in order to make the deal work.
Finally, with all the potential problems that can arise, it’s best to contact a Dominion Lending Centres mortgage broker before you start the home search to make sure that you have your ducks in a row.

Shari Letsos
Senior Mortgage Professional
Cell: 604-723-7721
Sletsos@dominionlending.ca
Dominion Lending Centres Mountain View
19 Jul

TIME TO GET OVER OUR SQUEAMISHNESS ABOUT REVERSE MORTGAGE

General

Posted by: Shari Letsos

 
What is a reverse mortgage?
-Access up to 55% of the value of your home
-Maintain ownership of your home and never have to move or sell
-No payments required
-You can receive your tax-free cash over time or 1 lump sum payment
-Must be age 55 or older
-No income needed to qualify
 
There’s still one notable example of the old Canadian conservatism with money.
 
It’s the reluctance of retired people to crack open the equity they have in their homes and spend the money. Strong growth in demand for reverse mortgages suggests this won’t last.
 
Our less cautious attitude to money can be seen in ever-rising household debt. We’re also buying houses at prices that are way out of sync with our incomes, and swapping out bonds and GICs in our investment portfolios for riskier but higher-yielding dividend stocks. Somehow, using the equity in your home for your retirement is resisting this erosion of the old ways with money.
 
Downsizing to a condo? Our calculator shows how little you’ll save
 
It’s not as though home equity is sacred. Borrowing via home equity lines of credit (secured by your home equity) is so common these days that the federal Financial Consumer Agency of Canada recently issued a warning how they’re contributing to rising household debt levels. Where people have been cautious in the past is in unlocking home equity later in life through reverse mortgages.
 
The value of new business generated at reverse mortgage provider HomEquity Bank last year was $459-million, a fairly modest amount that helps explain why no one is challenging HomEquity in this sector. But the company’s smallish base of business is generating big growth. Reverse mortgage sales rose 26 per cent in 2016, and jumped 35 per cent in the first five months of this year compared with the same period a year ago.
 
Three trends suggest more use of reverse mortgages – strong price increases over the past decade in many housing markets, rising debt levels and an unwillingness to compromise our lifestyles to save more.
 
With more people retiring with debts, HomEquity finds that 30 per cent to 35 per cent of its business is accounted for by people paying off mortgages, lines of credit and credit cards. “They’ve retired and they’ve still got debt that’s costing them cash flow,” HomEquity CEO Steven Ranson said in a recent interview. “It’s like, oh my gosh, I can’t really afford this debt.”
 
Mr. Ranson said that 20 per cent of HomEquity’s business comes from people with homes valued at $3-million or more. “They’re not really keen to lower their lifestyle expectations, and they burn through the money they have pretty quickly.”
 
Soaring home equity helps sell the reverse mortgage as a solution for people 55 and older who need money. In fact, there’s a trendy new term for exploiting the value in your home – “equity release.”
 
The conservative way to release equity from your home is to sell it, downsize to something less expensive and pocket the difference. But Mr. Ranson said a lot of seniors want to stay in their homes. This leaves them two options – the home equity line of credit, or HELOC, and the reverse mortgage.
 
A HELOC is probably the easiest way to dip into the equity in your home, but you have to keep up with the interest payments. With a reverse mortgage, you can borrow up to 55 per cent of your equity. Interest is charged on your reverse mortgage balance at rates that are a little over double those for a regular mortgage, and no monthly payments are required. The debt (principal and accumulated interest payments) is repaid when you sell your house or die.
 
The danger with a reverse mortgage is that equity is used for short-term purposes and thus not available in the future to downsize or cover long-term health-care costs. On the other hand, home equity is the No. 1 financial asset in many households. Tapping into this equity can make sense in some cases.
 
For this reason, it’s time to take a fresh look at the reverse mortgage and get over the common view that it’s a last resort or short-sighted measure. But you have to get the details right if you use a reverse mortgage. Don’t dip into your home equity just because it’s there. You might need it later to buy a condo or smaller home, to move into a retirement home, or to pay for long-term care.
 
If a reverse mortgage seems to make sense, get a second opinion from an accredited financial planner. The equity in your home is a terrible thing to waste.
 
Shari Letsos
Senior Mortgage Professional
Cell: 604-723-7721
Sletsos@dominionlending.ca
Dominion Lending Centres Mountain View
9 Jul

5 WAYS TO BOOST YOUR FINANCIAL FITNESS

General

Posted by: Shari Letsos

5 WAYS TO BOOST YOUR FINANCIAL FITNESS

Thinking about buying your first home?

The race to home ownership is more like a marathon than a sprint: diligent planning, pacing and strategy are the keys to success. Are you ready to approach the starting line? Here are five ways to shape up and boost your financial fitness so you’re set for success.

1. Check your credit score
First things first: order a copy of your credit report and credit score. Your credit score, which is calculated using the information in your credit report, is what lenders look at when considering you for a mortgage. Your score impacts whether or not you get approved and what interest rates you’re offered.

2. Reduce (or eliminate) credit card debt
Ideally, your credit card balance should be zero. But if, like 46% of Canadians, you carry a balance each month, make it your priority to chip away at it. You’ll boost your credit score while reducing the amount you’re paying in interest, freeing up more cash for saving and investing.

Use one – or, better yet, both – of the following strategies to make a dent in your debt:

• Make more money (i.e., take on a side gig, work overtime hours, pick up odd jobs)
• Save more money (i.e., sacrifice your satellite TV package, swap your gym membership for running outdoors, cut back on eating out)

3. Bulk up your savings

Now’s the time to save aggressively, stashing that cash in a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) or tax-free savings account (TFSA). Use automated savings to ensure that money goes straight from your checking account to your savings, investment accounts or both.

Remember: As a first-time homebuyer, you can withdraw money from your RRSP to put toward a down payment. (Generally, you’ll have up to 15 years to pay it back into your RRSP.)

4. Stick to a budget

As points 2 and 3 illustrate, getting financially fit takes determination and commitment. It can feel less overwhelming when you’ve got a snapshot of goals and actions right at your fingertips. Sit down with your partner to create a monthly budget. And stick to it.

A smartphone app can be a game changer in keeping you organized, accountable and on track with your financial fitness plan.
5. Keep your eyes on the prize

Stay inspired, motivated and positive by remembering why you’re working so hard to boost your financial fitness: to buy your first home!
Crunch preliminary figures online to come up with ballpark estimates on how much home you can afford.
Raise your real estate IQ by watching HGTV shows, researching neighbourhoods, perusing listings and attending open houses.
That will make you a more educated shopper once you’re ready to enter the market qualified with a mortgage pre-approval. Do your research now, so you can hit the ground running when you’re ready to buy. And if you have any questions, please contact your local Dominion Lending Centres mortgage specialist.

Shari Letsos
Senior Mortgage Professional
Cell: 604-723-7721
Sletsos@dominionlending.ca
Dominion Lending Centres Mountain View