BROKERAGE LICENSE ID
#10280
Karen Matthey
Co-Owner / Mortgage Agent
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Address:
775 Blackburn Mews, Kingston, Ontario
BROWSE
PARTNERS
Welcome to a new way of getting a mortgage! My job is to work with your realtor and lawyer to make the mortgage process as straightfoward and stress-free as possible.
I bring over 10 years of experience in finance to the job, having started my career in Europe and Asia as an Investment Banker before returning to Canada in 2011 to become a Mortgage Agent.
I was raised in Kingston and attended Queen's University, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree in 2003. Both my father and brother work as Mortgage Agents and together we form the Matthey Mortgage Team, with a combined 60+ years of mortgage and finance experience.
Phone: 613 384 4000 ext 248
Email: karen@mtgprof.com
BLOG / NEWS Updates
5 Things You Need to Know about Investors Group’s 1.99% Mortgage
Investors Groups 3 year variable mortage at Prime 1.01% captured a great deal of attention this week. The fact is, this mortgage could be right for some borrowers, as long as they fully understand the terms and conditions. For a $250,000 mortgage, the interest savings versus a 5-year variable rate are approximately $3,000 over 3 years, which is pretty compelling.
Here are 5 things you should consider about IGs 1.99% Mortgage Deal:
Be very certain that you will not need to refinance within the term. You cannot refinance or add to this mortgage unless you sell your home and pay a penalty. So if there is a risk that your financial circumstances could change (loss of income, retirement, financial assistance for a child in post-secondary education, etc.) this may not be the right product for you.
Ensure that the 3.75% monthly payment is affordable payments are based on this much higher rate although your mortgage interest is 1.99%. This is a higher monthly payment than almost any other 3 or 5-year mortgage out there.
Understand what the penalty could be if you do sell your home. The penalty for this mortgage is not clearly stated on the website, which could mean it is pricier than the market average. Most likely it is 3 months interest based on the 3.75% interest rate, which is more expensive than the majority of variable rate mortgage penalties out there.
Check that you qualify at the qualifying rate of 4.79%. Yes thats right. The interest rate is 1.99%, the payments are based on 3.75% but you must qualify for this mortgage at the Bank of Canada qualifying rate of 4.79%. Talk about confusing!
Understand the fees you could be charged at renewal if you do not renew with Investors Group. They are likely to offer to renew you at their rates, but currently their 5 year fixed rate special offer is 3.35% and 5-year variable is 2.75% or Prime 0.25%. These rates are above market, and if you choose to leave Investors Group it is likely you will have to pay upwards of $1,300 in legal and appraisal fees to switch to another Lender. This is due to the way that Investors Group will register this mortgage, making it harder for you to switch without paying fees.
In summary, weigh the interest savings versus the potential fees and costs before you make your decision. Dont be afraid to ask questions to your banker or mortgage broker asking them to clearly define the penalties, fees and special conditions of any mortgage that you enter into. The rate can be a great deal paying thousands more in penalty or fees may wipe out that gain.
Feel free to give me a call or send an email with any questions.
Karen Matthey
Mortgage Agent, Lic: #M12001008
613 893 4139
karen@mtgprof.com
Bank of Canada increases policy interest rate by 75 basis points, continues quantitative tightening
The Bank of Canada today increased its target for the overnight rate to 3%, with the Bank Rate at 3% and the deposit rate at 3%. The Bank is also continuing its policy of quantitative tightening.
The global and Canadian economies are evolving broadly in line with the Banks July projection. The effects of COVID-19 outbreaks, ongoing supply disruptions, and the war in Ukraine continue to dampen growth and boost prices.
Global inflation remains high and measures of core inflation are moving up in most countries. In response, central banks around the world continue to tighten monetary policy. Economic activity in the United States has moderated, although the US labour market remains tight. China is facing ongoing challenges from COVID shutdowns. Commodity prices have been volatile: oil, wheat and lumber prices have moderated while natural gas prices have risen.
Prices have come down from their peak in July
From the National Bank of Canada
Declining transactions in the resale market and rising interest rates continue to weigh on property prices, with the Teranet-National Bank Composite House Price Index falling 0.2% from June to July after seasonal adjustments. This is the first monthly decline since the one seen at the beginning of the pandemic in June 2020. Using the unsmoothed seasonally adjusted index, which is more sensitive to market fluctuations, the decline is even more pronounced, with property prices falling 1.4% from June to July. Moreover, price decreases continue to be widespread across the country. In fact, for all 32 markets where the seasonally adjusted unsmoothed index was available in July, 58% experienced a decline during the month, the same proportion as observed in June, but much higher than those recorded since the beginning of the year. You have to go back to May 2020, at the very beginning of the pandemic when uncertainty was at its peak, to find such a large proportion of markets down. While the Bank of Canada has indicated that it will continue to raise its policy rate and that transactions in the real estate market should continue to decline, we anticipate that the composite index should decrease by 10% by the end of 2023.
https://www.nbc.ca/content/dam/bnc/en/rates-and-analysis/economic-analysis/economic-news-teranet.pdf
