So whether you're buying a home, renewing your mortgage, refinancing, renovating, investing, or consolidating your debts — I’m the VERICO Mortgage Advisor who can help you get the right financing, from the right lender, at the right rate.
What You need to Know about a Reverse Mortgage for Seniors
If you are a homeowner or aspiring to be one in the coming months, then the term mortgage may not be a new concept to you. It is a form of a loan that is mainly issued to either buy or construct a home whose ownership entirely passes to you after you have paid to your last installment. A reversed mortgage in Canada is no different, only that it comes with some exceptions that make it somehow different. Some of these exceptions include no monthly installments which mean that no credit or income/debt requirements, only accessible to seniors ( 55 years and above) and the borrowers ability to settle the loan are not a primary concern. Lets take a closer look at the requirement of a Reverse Mortgage and emphasize on what you ought to know.
Monthly repayment of mortgage: The Canadian law on a reverse mortgage is very clear, no monthly payments of the mortgage. Nobody should mislead you out there, not even the internet that most people trust to give them perfect information. Note that in Canada, we deal with reverse mortgage differently from other countries. Therefore, if you have to do any research or seek clarification on the same, ensure you base your findings within the Canadian context to avoid getting the wrong information. Unlike other forms of mortgage, with a conventional mortgage on your home, the borrower owes more that he initially borrowed as the interest is added back to the outstanding amount. If you are willing, you have the option of paying some or all interest once in a year; although it is not a MUST.
What makes reverse mortgages attractive is its flexible requirement. Where else will you find a mortgage that allows you to hold it for 5 to even 25 years without any monthly installments? The good thing about such terms is that in as far as the reverse mortgage in Canada loan accrues over time, the value of the house in Canada also tends to increase with time which gives you a win-win situation.
Apart from that, we all know that the Canadian money market is subjected to a lot fluctuation in interest rates which may end causing the borrower to spend more than the fair market value of the common loans but not with Canada reverse mortgage. Therefore, as a senior, you dont have to worry about your debt exceeding the fair market value in future due to such external factors which are very normal.
Finally, reverse loan mortgage in Canada is only given by one institution in Canada which means that there will be no need for the rate on shopping. However, note that unlike in regular mortgage, the rate in reverse mortgage is slightly higher due to the long duration involved.
CREA Updates Resale Housing Market Forecast
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) has updated its forecast for home sales activity via the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Systems of Canadian real estate Boards and Associations in 2018 and 2019. Housing market fundamentals remain strong in many parts of the country. Nonetheless, many housing markets continue to struggle in the face of policy headwinds.
The new mortgage stress test announced last October had been expected to cause homebuyers to rush purchases in advance of the new rules coming into effect in January and for the pull-forward of sales activity to result in fewer transactions in the first half of 2018.
Evidence suggests the policy response was stronger than expected, with seasonally adjusted national home sales last December having surged to the highest level ever recorded before dropping sharply in early 2018.
Actual (not seasonally adjusted) national sales figures for March, April and May are typically among the most active months in any given year. Combined sales fell to a nine-year low for the three-month period. The seasonally adjusted trend suggests sales momentum has not yet begun to rally.
Interest rates are widely expected to rise further this year and next. Home sales activity is nonetheless still expected to strengthen modestly in the second half of 2018 as housing market uncertainty diminishes.
Taking these factors into account, the national sales forecast has been revised downward and is now projected to decline by 11% to 459,900 units this year. The decrease almost entirely reflects weaker sales in B.C. and Ontario amid heightened housing market uncertainty, provincial policy measures, high home prices, ongoing supply shortages and this years new mortgage stress test.
Bank of Canada maintains overnight rate target at 1¼ per cent
The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 1 per cent and the deposit rate is 1 per cent.
Global economic activity remains broadly on track with the Banks April Monetary Policy Report (MPR) forecast. Recent data point to some upside to the outlook for the US economy. At the same time, ongoing uncertainty about trade policies is dampening global business investment and stresses are developing in some emerging market economies. Global oil prices have been higher than assumed in April, in part reflecting geopolitical developments.
Inflation in Canada has been close to the 2 per cent target and will likely be a bit higher in the near term than forecast in April, largely because of recent increases in gasoline prices. Core measures of inflation remain near 2 per cent, consistent with an economy operating close to potential. As usual, the Bank will look through the transitory impact of fluctuations in gasoline prices.
In Canada, economic data since the April MPR have, on balance, supported the Banks outlook for growth around 2 per cent in the first half of 2018. Activity in the first quarter appears to have been a little stronger than projected. Exports of goods were more robust than forecast, and data on imports of machinery and equipment suggest continued recovery in investment. Housing resale activity has remained soft into the second quarter, as the housing market continues to adjust to new mortgage guidelines and higher borrowing rates. Going forward, solid labour income growth supports the expectation that housing activity will pick up and consumption will continue to contribute importantly to growth in 2018.
