Jeremy Ridley – RBC Mortgage Advice for Home Buyers
Top 10 First-Time Homebuyer Questions:
A home can be one of the most personally and financially rewarding investments you’ll ever make. But if you’ve never bought a home before, the process may seem a little overwhelming.
To help you, We’ve put together this special report. It provides answers to 10 of the most frequently asked questions that our home-buying clients ask.
1. What’s the best way to save for my down payment?
If you’re saving to buy your first home, one of the most effective ways to put money aside is with an automatic savings plan. With these plans, an amount you specify is automatically transferred from your bank account to your savings account on a regular basis. You can contribute as little as $25 and make deposits weekly, bi-weekly, semi monthly, monthly, quarterly- whatever works best with you cash flow.
One of the best places to put your savings is in a tax-free savings account (TFSA). All earnings and withdrawals from your investment are tax-free. You can contribute up to $5,000 a year into a TFSA
You might also consider directing your savings to your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). Under the RRSP Home Buyers’ Plan, first-time home buyers can withdraw up to $25,000 from their RRSP, tax-free, to use as a down payment on a home. The Plan allows you 15 years to repay the amount withdrawn, starting the second year after the year of withdraw. For more information on this plan, please visit cra.gc.ca and search “Home Buyers’ Plan” in the A to Z index.
2. How much home can I afford?
Getting pre-approved for a mortgage is a good place to start, or you can use one of the many online calculators to help you figure out how much home you can buy. The “How much home can I afford” calculator at www.rbcroyalbank.com/products/mortgages/mortgage_calculators.html or calculators available from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation at cmhc.ca can help you start to understand an affordable range for you to start shopping.
Two important ratios lenders use to determine how much home you can afford are your Gross Debt Service (GDS) ratio and Total Debt Service (TDS) Ratio:
-GDS is your proposed monthly mortgage payment, property taxes, and heating costs divided by your gross monthly income. Ideally it should not exceed 32%
-TDS is your entire monthly debt load (Homeownership costs plus credit car payments, loan payments, and other debts) divided by gross monthly income. Ideally, its should not exceed 40%
3. What is a pre-approved mortgage? Does it guarantee I’ll get the financing I need?
A pre-approval simply means that you’ve reviewed your earnings, assets, and liabilities with a lender who has determined the amount of money that you should be able to borrow for the purpose of purchasing a home. In order to proceed with a formal mortgage approval, the lender will want to assess the value of the property you are looking to purchase and confirm your income, down payment and so on if you haven’t already provided that information.
Having a pre-approved mortgage is a great advantage when you’re looking for a home. Knowing the price range that you can comfortably afford will help you narrow down your search and ensure you won’t be let down by finding that the home of your dreams is not within your reach. It will also signify to realtors and vendors that you are a serious purchaser and give you more credibility when negotiating your purchase.
In addition, the interest rate that’s quoted on your pre-approval is usually locked in for 90 days, so you’re protected if interest rates rise while you’re looking for your perfect first home.
4. Why should I use a real estate agent?
A real estate agent will help you find the right home and will offer you advice on what price to offer and any conditions you might want to consider including in your Offer to Purchase. If possible, get referrals from friends, family and co-workers. It’s important to choose an agent who is familiar with the area where you are searching for a home. You may be spending a lot of time with your agent checking out homes, so be sure to choose someone you feel comfortable working with.
In some provinces, real estate agents may require that you sign a Buyer Representation agreement. This is a binding agreement for a given period of time that ensures that the agent you are working with can represent you in your purchase and be compensated for doing so before you sign a Buyer Representation agreement, review the terms of the agreement to confirm you are comfortable with it.
5. How can a mortgage specialist help me?
Working with an RBC Royal Bank mortgage specialist has a number of advantages, especially if you are a first-time home buyer. RBC Royal Bank mortgage specialists have access to the entire RBC network of resources to draw upon on your behalf. They’ll not only help with your pre-approval but also look at your whole financial picture and provide personalized advice based on your needs. That includes reviewing your mortgage options with you and making sure you get the mortgage that’s right for you.
This allows you to go shopping with confidence. Once your mortgage specialist says you are pre-approved, you are-no last minute surprises to worry about!
6. Is my credit good enough for me to be approved for a mortgage?
One thing your lender will look at before approving you for a mortgage is your credit score- your record for paying your bills and repaying loans on time.
InCanada, there are two main credit-rating agencies, Equifax and TransUnion. These companies keep records of missed payments and overdrawn credit accounts. If you’ve ever had a credit card or applied for an account with a major utility, chances are your payment history is on record with one or both of these companies.
If you have a good track record-that is, you’ve always paid your bills on time and made at least the minimum payment due on your credit cards-you will have a good credit rating. If your track record isn’t perfect, that doesn’t mean that you won’t get approved for financing. If your late payments are in the past or date back to you student years but have since been paid on time, then you may not have difficulty in arranging financing. Your lender can help you assess your situation and provide advice as to how to improve your credit rating to get you ready to purchase your first home.
You can get a free copy of your credit file by mail just by asking. For details, visit Equifax.ca or Transunion.ca
7. What is Mortgage insurance?
If your down payment is less than 20% of the purchase price of your new home, you will require a mortgage that’s insured against default. This insurance protects the lender in case you default on your mortgage payments and is required by law.
There are two main mortgage insurers inCanada(the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and GenworthCanada). The cost will vary from 0.5% to about 3% of the total amount borrowed. The amount is usually added to your mortgage and the cost added in to you regular payment.
8. What are ‘closing costs’, and how much money should I set aside for them?
Closing costs are those additional expenses that come due when you complete the purchase of your new home. They typically include:
- i. Lawyer’s or Notary’s fees. When you buy a home, you need to hire a lawyer to complete a title search (to make sure there are no outstanding liens against the property and that the vendor actually owns the property), ensure all the documentation has been accurately completed, register your mortgage and register you as the new owner of the property.
- ii. Land Transfer tax. Most Provinces (and some municipalities) charge a fee for documenting a change in ownership for real estate.
- iii. Disbursements. These are costs that the seller has paid in advance, such as property taxes and utilities. You reimburse the seller for any prepayments that come into effect after you take possession of the home.
The amount of these costs will vary depending on where you live and what kind of home you’re buying. As a guideline, you can estimate that closing costs will be about 2.5% of the purchase price of your home, though this may vary greatly, especially if HST applies to your purchase.
In addition to closing costs, remember that you may also need to budget for appliances (if not included with the home), utility hook up, redecorating and paying a professional mover.
9. What are the best mortgage options for me?
When choosing your mortgage, you’ll need to decide whether you want a variable or fixed rate. The options that are right for you will depend on your situation and your personal preferences. Here’s a look at how they stack up:
- i. Variable-rate mortgage. With a variable-rate mortgage, the interest rate you are charged fluctuates based on your bank’s prime lending rate. In times of declining interest rates or stable low interest rates, a variable rate is usually the most inexpensive. With a variable rate mortgage, the payment you make is fixed; however, if interest rates rise, more of your payment goes towards paying interest. If interest rates decrease, more of your payment goes towards paying off your principal.
- ii. Fixed-rate mortgage. With a fixed-rate mortgage, your interest rate is locked in for the term of your mortgage contract, protecting you if interest rates go up over the term you have chosen.
10. How long will it take you pay off my mortgage?
The length of time needed to pay off your mortgage completely is called the amortization. Many first-time buyers opt for a 25-year amortization but amortizations up to 30 years are available.
Choosing a longer amortization will lower the amount of your regular payments, but it means you’ll be paying more interest over the life of your mortgage. Shortening your amortization, on the other hand, increases your regular payment but saves you interest overall and means you’ll be mortgage-free sooner.
An easy way to shorten your amortization and pay less interest overall is to choose an accelerated weekly or bi-weekly payment schedule rather than monthly. Essentially, your regular monthly payment is divided into four (or two). Because some months of the year have five weeks rather than four, over the course of the year you make the equivalent of an extra month’s payment.
More Questions?
If you have a question that hasn’t been answered here:
-Please visit your local branch and speak to an RBC Royal Bank mortgage Specialist
-You can contact Jeremy Ridley at (705) 739-4684 for free mortgage advice
– Or visit www.jeremyridley.ca