Trusted Tips and Resources

Trusted Tips & Resources

Skott Enns Trusted Regina mortgage broker explains the First Time Home Buyer Incentive program

Skott Enns's goal isn’t to simply help you get a mortgage with the best mortgage rates, it is to help you figure out a plan to pay off your mortgage as quickly as possible!  Has been voted Regina’s best mortgage broker for 2013, 2014, and 2015 & 2016 by Prairie Dog Magazine and named to the Summit 20 group, which means that he is in the Top 20% of all TMG Mortgage Brokers in Canada for the last two years. If you are looking for honest, unbiased advice from a mortgage broker in Regina they would love to talk with you! TMG The Mortgage Group Skott Enns is a Trusted Regina Mortgage Broker



Skott Enns sat down with CBC and explained the First Time Home Buyer Incentive program.



In a recent interview with CBC News our Trusted Regina Mortgage Broker  Skott Enns sat down and explained the new features of the First Time Home Buyer Incentive Program.  In addition, Skott goes on to examine some potential pros and cons of this program.  


He begins by stating that:


Starting September 3rd for any homes where possession is starting in November if a potential first time home buyer has the minimum 5% down payment, CMHC will provide them with an additional loan of 5% for an existing home or an additional 10% for a new build for the down payment.  


He also states that outside of being a first-time home buyer the maximum household qualifying income that they can use for mortgage approval is $120,000. per year.  So if your household makes more than this you will not qualify for this program.  Additionally, the largest purchase price for approval is four times the amount of your qualifying income.  



Something buyers need to note is that when you do choose to sell the home the monies that CMHC provides will need to be paid back to them though the loan is interest free.


Benefits of the Program


When asked as a Regina mortgage broker what are some of the benefits you see to a program like this Skott detailed his perspective as follows:


  • It allows a first time home buyer to keep their cost as low as possible when considering principle and interest payments
  • The program will reduce your CMHC premium

Negatives of the program

Skott goes on to outline some potential negatives of the Program:

  • People forget - If you sell your house in 10 years you may forget that you need to re pay the loan to CMHC.
  • People have general concerns about being in partnership with CMHC who is part of the Federal Government on the biggest investment which is their home.


To be honest this is the first bit of good news that we have had in terms of qualifying for a mortgage.  
The news coming out about mortgages and from CMHC has been about how difficult the newest changes make it for not just first-time home buyers but anybody to qualify for a mortgage.  It seems that every change has been making it more and more difficult. But this bit of good news will help keep payment down for a segment of the market.

Watch the entire interview here


If you are looking for honest, unbiased advice from a mortgage broker in Regina Skott would love to talk with you!

TMG The Mortgage Group Skott Enns is a Trusted Regina Mortgage Broker


Trusted Regina Mortgage Broker Skott Enns shares a tip on renewing your mortgage.

Get free expert mortgage advice from a multi-award-winning Regina mortgage broker. Skott Enns is a Trusted Regina Mortgage Broker and he is fully committed to helping clients find the best option that suits their financial goals. His mission isn’t to simply help you get a mortgage with the best mortgage rates, he wants to help you figure out a plan to pay off your mortgage as quickly as possible! In his latest Regina mortgage tip, he shares some great advice on mortgage renewal! 


Mortgage Renewal Time?

If you have a mortgage, at some point it will come up for renewal (unless of course, you are really close to paying it off, and in that case – congratulations!!!). When this happens, it is important for you to know your options, so that you are not leaving money on the table or putting yourself in a situation that could cost you money down the road.

There are two primary reasons that you may want to leave your existing lender: rate being the primary one, and sometimes you may simply be unhappy with the service (or lack of) that your existing lender is providing to you.

Approximately 65% of clients will simply sign the first mortgage renewal form offered to them by their existing lender when. No questions asked. That is a mistake, and often a costly one. Don’t get me wrong, the easiest thing for you to do is to sign that form. No requalification, no additional questions, things just keep humming right along… but here is the thing: the banks are also aware of the fact that two-thirds of clients will ‘just sign’, and guess what… the higher the interest rate they can get you to pay, the more money they make.


How often do you think they will have your best interests at heart when renewing your mortgage?


Negotiating a Better Offer Upon Your Mortgage Renewal

The reality is that at the end of that term, you are indeed a free agent! Get out there and play the field. Here is how I would recommend doing that.

Ask Your Existing Lender To Come To The Table With Their Best Rate

Again, there is no doubt that the easiest thing to do IS to stick with your existing lender, and if they are offering a competitive rate, then my advice will always be to stay there. However until you know what they are willing to do for you, it is difficult to determine what the best course of action is.

Call A Mortgage Broker

As a Mortgage Broker, we work with an array of lenders: big banks, credit unions, mortgage finance companies, private lenders etc. Once you have a rate from your existing lender, your Mortgage Broker will be able to run through the mortgage products that the various lenders are offering, and figure out whether or not you would save money by switching lenders. Once we are within 120 days of your mortgage coming up for renewal, if there is a better rate out there for you, we can lock it in. One other reason to avoid signing blindly is that life happens, and situations change… if you just got out of a 5-year fixed term, but have a growing family and recognize that you will likely be upgrading your home in less than two years, perhaps it makes more sense for you to consider a shorter fixed-term or a variable term (where the penalty for breaking that term is only a 3-month interest penalty). A Mortgage Broker will help you to work through all of these scenarios.

 

A Quick Requalification

In the event that you can save money by switching lenders, it is important to realize that you will need to requalify. However, in most cases, assuming your financial situation is similar or better than what it was when you first obtained the last mortgage, this shouldn’t be a big deal. Typically, you will require the following documentation:

  • A letter of employment confirming position, salary, and full-time/part-time status
  • A recent paystub
  • A copy of a recent mortgage/renewal statement from your existing lender
  • A copy of your house insurance policy
  • A copy of your property tax bill ensuring payments are up to date
  • A void cheque or PAD form for the bank account where you would like your new mortgage to come out of

Other Points to Consider When Renewing Your Mortgage

Please recognize that every mortgage is different, and if you are self-employed, a part-time employee, own rental properties or something a little outside the norm, additional documentation may be requested, but the above list will cover the majority of the paperwork. Clearly, it may take a little bit of time to gather these documents. It is up to you whether or not you believe it is worth it.

If I can save you $5,300 (a recent real-life example) over the next 5 years through lower payments and interest savings, is it worth spending 2-3 hours collecting a little information? In my eyes, you are making $1,766 per hour if it takes you three hours…. Now there are a LOT of things that I would do if I was paid $1,766/hr to do them, even if they are not my favourite! I would teach myself to snowboard. I would eat plates of raw oysters. I would shop at Walmart. And I would definitely collect void cheques and paystubs if it meant I could save that kind of cash.

When switching lenders, there may or may not be fees involved. Discharge fees, appraisal fees, ‘legal’ fees can all be part of the switching process, HOWEVER, in many cases, these fees can be covered by the new lender. Again, best to discuss these options with your Mortgage Broker, and see what they can do to save you money.


One final point about moving lenders… 

Since October 2016 there has been a substantial rule change that has come into effect which does make it more difficult to qualify for purchasing a home today. That is the truth and there is no getting around it. However, if you are simply renewing your mortgage with a different lender, although you DO have to re-qualify, you have grandfathered in under the pre-October 2016 guidelines… which is great news, and ensures that you have a much better chance of being able to move lenders if it makes sense to do so.

If you are looking for honest, unbiased advice from a mortgage broker in Regina Skott Enns would love to talk with you!   

Skott Enns is a Trusted Regina Mortgage 



Trusted Regina mortgage expert gives us some valuable information about Refinancing.


Refinancing...is it for you?

Canadians today face many reasons to refinance their mortgage. For example, you may have been working at improving your credit score and now qualify for a new mortgage with a better discount, or you may want to stabilize your payments by changing from a variable rate mortgage to a fixed-rate. Refinancing is also a good option to pull out equity for consolidating debt, home improvements, investments, college expenses, and more.


Refinancing isn't necessarily a bad thing or term

There are many things that play a role in whether or not refinancing is a good move.  The first thing is to determine what your overall goal is by refinancing.  It can answer many questions for you including providing you with these benefits.  Why do you want to refinance?

  • Getting a rate that reduces your monthly payment while being low enough to offset the costs of refinancing is one common reason to refinance
  • Paying down higher interest debts like credit cards or loans or lines of credit .
  • Having your monthly payment reduce to help you pay off your mortgage quicker as your not incurring more debt but able to now focus on just paying the mortgage off
  • Buying a rental property or 2nd home(cottage).
  • Increase your quality of life now, maybe buying a boat or trailer for those family outings.
  • Doing some investments and get a higher rate of return on your investments and borrowing the money at a lower rate for the mortgage.
  • consolidate their high-interest debt to reduce their overall interest rate and free up hundreds of dollars in cash flow every month.
  • Doing some much-needed renovations to your home using the existing equity to increase the value of your home it's a win-win.

Here is something most people don't know when considering when doing a refinance all costs can be included in the mortgage including lawyer fees and penalties. 

When done correctly, a refinance can save families money on long-term interest.

If you are curious to know how much can save if you refinance your mortgage this calculator will help you find out!. 


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