Dean Garrett
Mortgage Professional
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104-1995 Cliffe Ave, Courtenay, British Columbia
BROWSE
PARTNERSWelcome to my website!
For more than 10 years now I have been learning what is important to you. Then finding the best solution for you. Many of my clients were not sure if they needed to use my services as a Mortgage Professional, but once they experienced how this helped them with their Home Buying/Re-Financing project, they are happy they did. Mortgages are deceptively simple and endlessly complicated. You can only choose when you have a choice and have been fully informed. Many great Bank Specialists are providing service to their clients, but they can only offer their Banks solutions. As an independent professional, I work for you by informing you on all things mortgage, including who will be your Best Lender. My services are FREE (with OAC) to my clients. The lenders compensate my business to provide them a qualified Client.
I look forward to assisting YOU.
RATES: Here's the thing...I will connect you with the best rate for your BEST mortgage. I Guarantee it.
BLOG / NEWS Updates
Rates are in The Headlines Again,
Let me break this down and shed a better light on the situation.
The Bank of Canada changes to their overnight lending rate do not impact borrowers who have a Fixed Rate Mortgage. Only borrowers with a variable rate mortgage, Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC), and unsecured credit lines will be affected.
In an effort to curb a 30-year inflation high, the Bank of Canada did it again, raising the overnight lending rate by 0.50%. That means prime and variable-rate mortgages will lift by 0.50%. They also indicated that they will continue to increase their rate further as necessary to reach their goals against inflation.
With prime now moving from 3.2% to 3.7%with most lenders, expect approximate payment increases to look like this for variable-rate mortgages IF youre not on a static payment:
$400,000 Mortgage
⬆️$100/ month
$600,000 Mortgage
⬆️ $125 / month
$800,000 Mortgage
⬆️$200 / month
$1,000,000 Mortgage
⬆️$250 / month
DO NOT PANIC!
No really, dont! Variable rates are rising, however, they are still below pre-pandemic times. The variable rate option has proven to be a better choice for most mortgage holders for over thirty years, and your loan will likely be with you for many years to come. The best way to counter any stress or sleepless nights is to review your personal situation and make a plan you are comfortable with. I am happy to help you with that process. The best way to save interest on your loan is to pay down the principal as fast as comfortably possible.
If you are on a static payment, note that more of each payment goes toward the interest. This will extend your amortization out, as it will now take longer to pay off the loan. I recommend increasing your monthly payments accordingly or, planto make a few equivalent lump sum payments throughout the year to keep paying down your principal balance. This will help keep your amortization schedule on track.
Depending on your mortgage balance (see above), this doesnt need to break the bank. Say for a $500,000 mortgage, plan on making an annual lump sum payment of $1500-$2000 ... maybe when you receive your CRA tax refund, or at the time of your next bonus, or next larger commission cheque. Or plan for $500-$1000 per quarter.
HELOCs and unsecured lines of credit rates typically float with prime as well, so you will likely see an increase in interest and payments for these credit facilities as well.
If I can assist you with any action, or questions you may have please reach out.
Home sales plunged as interest rates continued to rise in May
On a seasonally adjusted basis, home sales slumped 8.6% from April to May, bringing the level of sales slightly below its 10-year average for the first time in 24 months. This decline also represents a third consecutive decrease, with sales down a cumulative 23.0% between February and May. The downward trend is now well established in the country as 75% of the markets have seen their number of transactions decrease during the month. We believe this market moderation should continue in the coming months as the tightening of monetary policy should push variable rates higher and make the stress test even more biting for buyers. Indeed, the stress test uses the higher of 5.25% or the contractual interest rate +2%. Until now, only customers opting for a fixed rate had to qualify with a rate of more than 5.25%. With the Bank of Canada policy rate increase expected in July, the qualification for a variable rate will also exceed 5.25%, a development that should cool the market further since over half of new mortgages are at variable rates.
According to CREA, new listings rose 4.5% in May, the first increase in three months. With the reduction in sales and the increase in new properties for sale, the number of months of inventory rose from 2.3 to 2.7 months in May, its highest level since July 2020. Based on the active-listings-to-sales ratio, market conditions loosened in almost every province during the month, but the housing market continued to be tight in the country as a whole. There are now 3 provinces out of 10 in balanced territory; B.C., Saskatchewan, and Alberta (the latter switched this month). The others continued to indicate market conditions favourable to sellers mainly due to lack of supply.
On a year-over-year basis, home sales fell 21.7% compared to the strongest month of May recorded in 2021. For the first five months of 2022, cumulative sales were down 17.8% compared to the same period in 2021.
Housing starts in Canada increased for a second month in a row by 21.SK in May to 287.3K (seasonally adjusted and annualized), the strongest print since November 2021 (at 305.9K). Starts were well above consensus calling for a 255K print in May while building permits remained high on a historical basis and housing supply continues to be tight. As interest rates rise and demand in the resale market declines, we expect housing starts to also moderate in the coming year.
The Teranet-National Bank Composite National House Price Index increased 2.0% in April compared to March and after seasonal adjustment. On a year-over-year basis, home price increased by 18.8% in April. Ten of the 11 markets in the composite index were up during the month, with Edmonton being the exception.
Source: https://www.nbc.ca/content/dam/bnc/en/rates-and-analysis/economic-analysis/economic-news-resale-market.pdf
Canada’s Housing Supply Shortages: Estimating what is needed to solve Canada’s housing affordability crisis by 2030
Were in a housing crisis. This report looks at the overall affordability for the entire housing system in Canada. The report has taken steps to estimate how much additional housing supply is required beyond current trends to restore housing affordability by 2030.
Key Highlights
CMHC projects that if current rates of new construction continue, the housing stock will increase to close to 19 million housing units by 2030. To restore affordability, CMHC projects Canada will need an additional 3.5 million units.
Two-thirds of the 3.5 million housing unit gap is in Ontario and British Columbia where housing markets are least affordable.
Additional supply would also be needed in Quebec, a province once considered affordable. It has seen a marked decline in affordability over the last few years. Other provinces remain largely affordable for a household with the average level of disposable income. However, challenges remain for low-income households in accessing housing that is affordable across Canada.
Source: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/professionals/housing-markets-data-and-research/housing-research/research-reports/accelerate-supply/housing-shortages-canada-solving-affordability-crisis
