House Sales Expected to Increase in Kamloops

Courtesy of Starr Webb DLC Weekly Rate Minder

Courtesy of Starr Webb – Dominion Lending

CMHC Hikes Premiums Again If you plan to buy a home with less than 10% down and get CMHC insurance, get ready to pay another $450 per $100,000 of mortgage. That’s what CMHC’s just-announced premium hike amounts to. Click here for details It’s the second time in about a year that CMHC has raised its fees on homeowners. The new premiums are a 14-15% increase over today, or 31% if you compare them to CMHC’s fees last year. CMHC’s move targets only those putting down less than 10%, which amounts to 56.8% of CMHC-insured borrowers, as of CMHC’s latest reported quarter. The company says the decision is not because of an increase in borrower risk. “For the average Canadian homebuyer who has less than a 10% down payment, the higher premium will result in an increase of approximately $5 to their monthly mortgage payment,” the agency said in its release today. “CMHC completed a detailed review of its mortgage loan insurance premiums and examined the performance of the various sub-segments of its portfolio,” said SVP of Insurance Steven Mennill. “The premium increase for homebuyers with less than a 10% down payment reflects CMHC’s target capital requirements which were increased in mid-2014 (to 220% of the minimum OSFI requirements).” We’ll probably know by next week if Genworth and Canada Guarantee follow CMHC’s lead. They did last time and there’s a fair chance they will again. A Genworth spokesperson said, “We are reviewing [CMHC’s announcement] and expect to release our official announcement early next week.” Some quick notes for homebuyers: If your loan-to-value is over 90% and your lender submits your complete application to CMHC before June 1, 2015, you’ll pay the old (cheaper) CMHC fees. It doesn’t matter when your mortgage closes. Submitting a pre-approval as opposed to a complete application will not hold the old insurance premiums. If you borrow your down payment, the fee is another 5 basis points (0.05%) higher, or 3.85% of the mortgage amount. If you live in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, you also have to pay provincial sales tax on your default insurance. That sales tax cannot be rolled into the mortgage.

DLC Weekly Rate Minder courtesy of Dominion Lending Center

 Please note that rates shown above are subject to change without notice. The rates shown are  posted rates and the actual rate you receive may be different, depending upon your personal financial situation. “Some conditions may apply. Rates may vary from Province to Province. Rates subject to change without notice. *O.A.C. E.& O.E.” Check with your Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Professional for full details and to determine what rate will be available for you.

*O.A.C., E.& O.E.

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DLC Weekly Rate Minder courtesy of Starr Webb

DLC Weekly Rate Minder courtesy of Starr Webb

RBC cuts mortgage rate, price war coming?
It was always going to happen, but while last week the big lenders were reluctant to pass on the Bank of Canada’s interest rate cut to borrowers, this week there’s talk of a price war. Royal Bank of Canada is the first of the big banks to cut mortgage rates, dropping its five-year fixed rate deal to 2.84 per cent and also cutting its other fixed products. Flexible rates are unchanged though along with other lending from the bank. Of course, these rates are the bank’s published deals and brokers frequently secure better ones, but a ‘battle of the rates’ creating headlines can only help the perception that now is a great time to buy. How low those rates go is anybody’s guess, but there are already predictions of sub-two per cent mortgages.

DLC Weekly Rate Minder courtesy of Dominion Lending Centres