23 Feb

5 REASONS WHY YOU DON’T QUALIFY FOR A MORTGAGE

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Posted by: Sangeeta Sangeeta

Check this out!!

5 REASONS WHY YOU DON’T QUALIFY FOR A MORTGAGE

It’s not just because of finances.

As a mortgage broker I receive calls from people who want to know how to qualify for a mortgage. Most of the time it comes down to finances but there are other reasons as well.
Here are the 5 most common reasons why your home mortgage loan application could be denied:

1. Too Much Debt

When home buyers seek a mortgage, the words “debt-to-income ratio” quickly enters into the vocabulary, and it’s not without reason. Too much debt is a red flag to lenders, signifying you may not be able to handle credit responsibly.
Lenders will analyze how much debt you carry and what percentage of your income it takes to pay your debt. Debt ration is just as important as your credit score and payment history.
Two affordability ratios you need to be aware of:
• Rule #1 – GROSS DEBT SERVICE (GDS) Your monthly housing costs are generally not supposed to exceed 32% of your gross monthly income.
• Rule #2 – TOTAL DEBT SERVICE (TDS) Your entire monthly debt payments should not exceed 42% of your gross monthly income.

If you don’t have a good debt to income ratio, don’t give up hope. You have options available including lowering your current debt levels and working with your Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Broker.

2. Poor Credit History

Some people don’t realize if they are late on their credit card/loan/mortgage payments the lender sends that information to the credit bureaus.
• Late/non payments on your credit report will make your score drop like a rock
• Exceeding your credit card limit, applying for more credit cards/loans will lower your score.
• Bankruptcy or Consumer Proposal will significantly impact your score, and stay on your credit report for up to 7 years.
Your credit history is a great way for a lender to tell whether you’re a risky investment or not. Lenders look not only at your minimum credit score, but also at whether you have a significant amount of late payments on your credit report.
Your Mortgage Broker will run your credit bureau to see if there are any challenges you need to be aware of.

3. Insufficient Income and Assets

With the high price of homes in the Vancouver & Toronto area, sometimes people simply don’t earn enough money to afford: mortgage payments, property taxes and strata fees along with their existing debt (credit cards, loans, lines of credit etc.).
You need to prove your previous 2 years’ income on your taxes with your Notice of Assessments (NOA). This is the summary form that the Federal Government sends back to you after you file your taxes, showing how much you filed for income and if you either owe money or received a refund.
If you can’t provide documentation to prove your income, then you will likely get denied for a home mortgage loan.
Some home buyers will need to provide more money for a down payment (perhaps a gift from their family) or try to purchase a home with suite income. In some cases, home buyers will need to add someone else on title of the home, in order to add their income to the mortgage application.

4. Down Payment is Too Small

A lender looks at the down payment as how much of an investment a buyer will be putting in their future home. Therefore, bigger is always better when it comes a down payment to satisfy your home mortgage loan application. Start saving now.
To qualify for a mortgage in Canada the minimum down payment is 5% for the purchase of an owner-occupied home and 20% for a rental property.
In Canada if you have less than 20% down payment, the federal government dictates that the home buyer must purchase CMHC Mortgage Default Insurance which is calculated as a percentage of the loan and is based on the size of your down payment. The more you borrow the higher percentage you will pay in insurance premiums.
For those with less than 20% down payment, the maximum amortization is 25 years, with more than 20% down payment 30-35 years (depending on the lender).

5. Inadequate Employment History

Most lenders will want to see a consistent employment history of 2 years when applying for a mortgage, because they want to know you’re able to hold down a job long enough to pay back the money they’ve loaned you.
To prove your employment, you will need to prove a Job Letter with salary details.

If you’ve been denied a mortgage, chances are it was because of one of the above five reasons. Don’t be deterred, with a little patience and some work on your end, you can put yourself in a position to get approved the next time you apply.

16 Feb

HIGH RATIO AND CONVENTIONAL MORTGAGES

General

Posted by: Sangeeta Sangeeta

What is – HIGH RATIO AND CONVENTIONAL MORTGAGES? Check this out !!

There are two different types of mortgages when it comes to their balance in relation to the value of your home- high ratio or conventional.

When you applying for a mortgage, lenders use a ratio called loan to value. Your loan to value is exactly what it sounds like, the size of your mortgage in relation to the value, written as a percentage.

For example, if you have a $500,000 home and your mortgage is $300,000 and your down payment/equity is $200,000, your loan to value is 60%. This means that the bank owns 60% of your home and you technically own 40%, because if your house sold for $500,000, you would only get $200,000 as the remaining amount goes to the lender to pay out your mortgage.

When some one says high ratio and conventional mortgages, that is referring to your loan to value. If your loan to value is more than 80%, you have what is called a high-ratio mortgage. A high-ratio mortgage is when you own less than 20% of your home. You will also be required by law to pay what is called mortgage default insurance to help protect the lender if you were unable to maintain your mortgage payments.

A conventional mortgage is when you own 20% or more of your home and your mortgage amount is less than 80% of the value of your home. You do not need to pay mortgage insurance premiums if you purchase a home with 20% or more as well. When refinancing your home and borrowing against your equity, lenders are not allowed to increase your mortgage to an amount above 80% of your homes value. This means, if you own less than 20% of your home, you cannot refinance or take equity out.

You are also not allowed to purchase a rental property and receive a high ratio mortgage as you are required to put 20% down. Conventional and high ratio mortgages will also affect your interest rates as most lenders incentives high ratio buyers to work with them by offering lower interest rates.

There are several other categories when looking at loan to value and what each one can give you in terms of borrowing power, however, when it comes to high ratio and conventional, these are the biggest differences.

If you have any questions relating to a high ratio or conventional mortgages, contact your local Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional.

9 Feb

GET TO KNOW TITLE INSURANCE

General

Posted by: Sangeeta Sangeeta

Check this out !!

Are you officially Mortgage Free? CONGRATULATIONS! That is a monumental milestone to achieve!

With that significant accomplishment, you should look at obtaining a Title Insurance Policy. What most people don’t realize is that when you had a mortgage, the lender will likely have had this in place for you. Once your mortgage is paid out in full the insurance is no longer in place. It is crucial that once your final payment is made that you, as a homeowner, now get a policy.

What is Title Insurance? Good question!

Title Insurance protects you, the homeowner. It’s not like traditional insurance in that it does not ONLY cover things that might happen, but it also covers things such as property defects that have already occurred in the past.

A title insurance homeowner policy will cover:

  • Forgery – If someone forges your signature on a registered document that entitles them to sell or mortgage your home.
  • Duty To Defend – If you experience title risk, the policy will cover the legal fees and costs associated with restoring and protecting your title.
  • Lack of Building Permits – Prior to purchasing the home, if there were renovations performed without the proper building permits you may be required to remove or fix the structure.
  • Fraud – If someone fraudulently transfers your property without your consent.
  • Encroachments – If a structure built by a previous owner is outside the property boundaries, or if a neighbor builds a structure that is on your property.

Title Insurance offers you peace of mind if anything should happen to your property once you are the owner. It is relatively low cost, on average coming in at $200-$400. It is a one-time purchase and does not need to be purchased each year. More than reasonable right?

If you are still on the fence about obtaining title insurance, we’ve recently had a client who experienced title fraud:

A woman went to her bank to make a payment on a line of credit that was secured by a mortgage on her property. When she arrived, she was told that her $30,000 line of credit had been paid in full and that according to the lawyer who sent the funds, her house had been sold.

This left her quite perplexed, so she followed up with the land registry office. They confirmed the sale of the property for $350,000 and that a new mortgage was registered on the property for $325,000. The woman was stunned to find out that she had been the victim of a title fraud scheme—and that the fraudsters had collected $350,000 on the deal.

Thankfully, in the above case, the woman was covered by a Title Insurance Policy which fully covered all her legal fees to remove the mortgage from the title and rightfully transfer it back to her. Having the coverage saved her approximately $12,000 in legal fees, time, and stress.

Your home is a sizable investment and one you worked hard to purchase! Title Insurance can protect you and your property should there be anything that comes up. For the $200-$400 it costs, we feel that’s a low price tag for peace of mind. Ready to get a quote? Let us help you by contacting Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional to set up your Title Insurance Policy!

2 Feb

NEW YEAR, NEW WAYS TO MANAGE THAT HOLIDAY DEBT!

General

Posted by: Sangeeta Sangeeta

NEW YEAR, NEW WAYS TO MANAGE THAT HOLIDAY DEBT!

We hope your holidays were spent warm, safe and in the company of family and loved ones. We also hope that you’re not drowning from all the holiday purchases such as the dinners, the appetizers, the gifts, the gift cards, the drinks, the party favors – shall I continue?
It is expected that most people will spend over their budget during the holiday season. In fact, Canadian consumers spent 3.7% higher than they did last year. According to PwC, Canadians spent, on average, $1,563 each on consumer products this holiday season.
Are you among that group who spent 3.7% higher than last year? Not too worry, we get your generosity and as always, we are here to help you during this NORMAL time period of financial anxiety and discomfort.
Once again, we’re all in this together. You are not alone in your debt situation no matter how high or how low.
Our first suggestion is to put those credit cards on ice and leave them for a while. Cut out the temptations completely and focus only on the necessary transactions including home utilities, car insurance, mortgage, etc.
This extra money can be put aside and stored in your savings for multiple reasons. It is important that you DO NOT SPEND this lump sum of cash on clothes, electronics, or big-ticket items. Just because this money is readily available to you – doesn’t mean it should be spent on materialistic items.
Don’t know what to do with that extra cash and want to make good use of it? Direct this money towards credit card debt (this one is important!!) or perhaps a “nest egg” before a move across the country, retirement, whatever suits you best.
We highly suggest not letting that holiday debt get the best of you by addressing it first and foremost. Do not let this debt slide under the radar and come back mid-year with more debt racked on top of it. Trust us! Addressing your Christmas dues now will make the rest of your financial year reasonably better without having those regrettable thoughts about giving your gifts to your families.
Since it is the beginning of January and new year resolutions are [hopefully] still fresh in peoples minds, make it your 2019 goal to create a monthly spending plan. Setting up a budget will put an end to bad spending habits and increased debt if you take your budget seriously as well as make realistic changes that are suitable for your current lifestyle.
Having a financial plan will force you to look at the numbers and assess your spending. You may be very surprised by the amount of money you are currently using towards just a simple cup of coffee on the way to work.
If you have questions as to how to get started, here is a link to the 10 Basic Steps provided by Smart About Money that takes you through your motivations about your money, how you would like to utilize your money and how to put your budget into action.
Lastly, and this tip is easy if you already have one or two credit cards that are racking up debt – do NOT apply for a new credit card. We assure you handling one monster at a time is better than taking on multiple beasts.
If you have any questions or concerns as to how you should be spending your money on your mortgage, contact a Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional near you.