Mortgage News
March 2010... Selling your home? Your first move is to review your mortgage options!
If you plan on selling your home and buying a new one,
your first move should be to look into your mortgage
options. You need to consider your current mortgage
of course, and the mortgage that you’ll need on your
new house. If you are downsizing then there is no
additional financing needed. But if you are “trading up”
and planning on having a bigger mortgage, you need
to examine your options, which include:
Bringing your mortgage with you
Most mortgages today are portable, which means
you can take your current interest rate and mortgage
contract to your new home, subject of course to
certain conditions like the amount of your mortgage.
If you need a bigger mortgage, you can often “blend”
your current mortgage rate with the mortgage rate on
the additional funds you need
Getting a new mortgage
With interest rates today still low, you might want to
consider breaking your current mortgage and getting
a new one for the total amount you need. To break
your mortgage, your lender typically has the right to
charge a penalty based on the greater of three months’
interest or the interest rate differential (IRD), which is
essentially the difference between your old rate and
current rates for your remaining term. Lately, the IRD is
often the larger penalty and the amount is surprising
some people.
To determine your approximate penalty, you need to
know your existing rate, time remaining on your term
and the current rate for the remaining term. The three
month interest calculation is the outstanding balance
of the mortgage multiplied by the existing rate and
then divided by four. The IRD is a bit more complicated
at the balance of the mortgage multiplied by the rate
differential and then multiplied by the remaining term,
which may be rounded up or down. The actual number
from your lender may be lower if they use a present
value calculation. And since lenders can calculate IRD
differently, you should always get the actual penalty
from your lender.
Obviously you’ll want to compare your new blend/
extend rate with the rate you’d get with a new mortgage.
Remember your principal balance will be higher
with the new mortgage if you roll in your penalty, or
you could pay the penalty up front. If you are in a
term longer than five years and you have passed the
fifth year, the three-month penalty applies and not the
IRD so this may make breaking your mortgage more
appealing. Of course, the exact terms and conditions
of your current mortgage need to be examined closely
to determine if there are other factors to consider.
Keep in mind, too, that some mortgages are assumable,
which means the buyer of your home assumes
its mortgage, subject to meeting the financial
requirements of your mortgage lender. If you have
an attractive mortgage rate, offering an assumable
mortgage to prospective buyers can help increase your
home’s marketability.
Sound confusing? It absolutely is. That’s why you need
to speak with an experienced mortgage planner who can
help you make a realistic assessment of your situation.
It’s worth a professional mortgage analysis to determine
which option is the most beneficial to you. There’s no
cost or obligation. We’re up-to-date on current rates
and all of the new opportunities available – from a wide
range of lenders – so we can help you with all of your
mortgage details when you sell your home.
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