Mortgage

Are Fixed Rates Skyrocketing

March 30, 2021 By Benchmark

If you’ve recently been asking yourself what’s going on with mortgage rates, you’re not alone. As we start moving towards economic recovery and investors’ optimism of vaccine availability to combat the coronavirus, fixed rates have started to edge upwards.

Avoiding Mortgage Handcuffs

February 25, 2021 By Benchmark

Each person is unique, and so is their story. We’re talking about their personalities, their backgrounds, their perspectives, and their talents. But if each person is different then why do so many settle for cookie-cutter solutions when it comes to choosing a mortgage? As we all know, a mortgage is a legal contract between you and the lender, it’s important to understand that a mortgage comes with a variety of clauses designed to benefit the lender. Those same terms and conditions can feel a lot like mortgage handcuffs if you’re not careful.

CMHC Announces Changes to Mortgage Guidelines

June 5, 2020 By Benchmark

Yesterday afternoon, The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, better known as CMHC, announced changes to its mortgage insurance underwriting and acceptance criteria. These changes take effect on July 1, 2020 and will impact those applying for mortgage financing. If you want to buy a home with a down payment of less than 20 per cent, you’ll need mortgage loan insurance so being aware of this now can certainly help you.

Breaking your mortgage early

June 1, 2020 By Benchmark

It’s impossible to plan on many of the unexpected things that life can throw at us; job loss, illness, divorce, or as we’ve seen recently with a global pandemic like Coronavirus (COVID-19). There are many reasons why you may need to break your mortgage early, and while it’s not something you plan for when you first sign your mortgage term, it is something that’s increasingly becoming more important to consider over the interest rate itself.

Edmonton homeowners can benefit from lower rates

March 12, 2020 By Benchmark

With so much in the news recently on mortgage rates, Ron Lefebvre explains the impacts of what the recent rate cut could mean for Edmonton homeowners, along with other helpful insights on this radio broadcast of The Ryan Jespersen Show on 630 | CHED.