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This incredible mortgage rate!

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If you are shopping around for mortgage rates on the internet and notice some huge discrepancies on available “best rates”……beware.

A recent inquiry came from an individual who came across a mortgage brokerage advertising a 1 year fixed rate at 2.29%.   I searched through my rate sheet, as well as other rate sheets I use to compare mortgage rates only to find that there really was no lender offering this rate nor was there any particular mortgage rate special being offered in the mortgage brokerage community.

Why would a mortgage brokerage advertise a rate that is really not available?  The reason is plain and simple.  Companies will sometimes do what it takes to make the phone ring and once they have you really interested in that offer, they might just get your business.  Most mortgage brokerages who are guilty of this practice know exactly what they are doing.  Follow me on an example of how this would be played out……  Once the mortgage brokerage receives a mortgage inquiry that leads to a mortgage application and a corresponding credit check, and receive all the relevant paperwork from the applicant, job letters, pay stubs, a notice of assessment, etc, the applicant is usually then encouraged to “avoid shopping around for a mortgage, as shopping around could negatively affect their credit score”.  At this point, the applicant has fulfilled all of the lender’s requirements to get this “super great advertised mortgage rate” quoted on the website.   But the bad news now comes out…….”oh so sorry, that mortgage rate, you saw, is no longer available as the lender has just changed their rate”.  How can the applicant prove otherwise?  After all, they do not have access to lender rate sheets, that the brokerage has, and there is always that small footnote, at the bottom of the website that you did not see……”mortgage rates are subject to change without notice”.    An applicant who has already invested much time and effort, may just go ahead with the application resenting the thought of going through all of this painful application process again (and this is exactly what steps the brokerage planned to take you through when they advertised that mortgage rate, that really does not exist).

The practice of advertising a product (or a mortgage rate) that really is not available to the consumer is considered a “Bait and Switch” tactic.  The practice of using Bait and Switch is forbidden by the “Canadian Code of Advertising Standards”.  The advertising standards document can be viewed at this link:

http://www.adstandards.com/en/standards/canCodeOfAdStandards.pdf

What can you do to really ensure you are not being deceived by some “amazing rate” that you find that seems too good to be true?  Research it and check it out against some other reliable sources like:

1.   https://www.cannex.com/canada/english/

2.  http://www.financialpost.com/personal-finance/rates/mortgage-closed.html

If you see no other brokerage that is even close to this advertised rate, that is probably a good indication that the rate you see on the website is set up to lure you in.

What can you do, if you think you have found misleading advertising?    You should take the time to file a complaint.   You can find the information and complaint process under the Competition Bureau website:

http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/02776.html

This article written by Elizabeth Blair on August 25, 2010.  Elizabeth is a Licensed Mortgage Agent with Mortgage Edge in Richmond Hill, Ontario.  Elizabeth services mortgage clients in Mississauga and all over the Greater Toronto area.

You can contact Elizabeth directly by phone at (905) 510-5785

by email at eblair@mortgageedge.ca

or you visit any of her websites at:

http://www.missmortgage.ca

http://www.burlington-mortgage.ca

http://www.oakville-mortgage.com

http://www.streetsville-mortgage.ca

Elizabeth is licensed with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario and is also a Member of IMBA (the Independent Mortgage Brokers Association of Ontario) www.imba.ca

Lic # M08005880 / Brokerage Lic # 10680

Head office is located at:  15 Wertheim Court, Suite 210, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.

Land Transfer Tax / Property Transfer Tax in Canada

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If you decide to purchase a property, in Canada, you will be required to pay a tax to the Ministry of Revenue/Finance, in the province where you are buying.

This tax is commonly referred to as the “Land Transfer Tax” or the “Property Transfer Tax”.

The tax is usually paid to the Ministry of Revenue, within the Province and the tax is calculated based on the fair market value of the property, using a certain formula.  The formula used to calculate the land transfer tax portion varies greatly from province to province.  I used Ontario’s formula, as an example.  Here is how the Land Transfer Tax is calculated for a property purchased in Ontario:

The first $55,000 is taxed at 0.5%

The next $195,000 is taxed at 1%

The next $150,000 is taxed at 1.5%

And the remaining $250,000 is taxed at 2%.

So if you purchased a home for $300,000 in Ontario, your Land Transfer Taxes payable would be calculated as follows:

The first $55,000 is taxed at 0.5% or 0.005 * $55,000 = $275

The next $195,000 is taxed at 1% or 0.01% * $195,000 = $1,950

The next $150,000 is taxed at 1.5% or 0.015 * $50,000 = $750

And the remaining $250,000 is taxed at 2% or 0.02 * $0 = $0

The total Land Transfer tax payable is:   $275 + $1,950 + $750 = $2,975

If you decide to purchase a property in Ontario, and within the City of Toronto, you will be required to pay an additional tax, called the Toronto Municipal Land Transfer Tax and this is calculated as follows:

The first $55,000 is taxed at 0.5%

The next $345,000 is taxed at 1%

And 2% on the entire portion over $400,000.

So using the above formula, a home valued at $300,000 will result in an additional tax of:

The first $55,000 is taxed at 0.5% or 0.005 * $55,000 = $275

The next $345,000 is taxed at 1% or 0.01% * $245,000 = $2,450

And 2% on the entire portion over $400,000 is taxed at 0.02 * $0 = $0

The total Toronto Municipal Land Transfer Tax payable is:   $275 + $2,450 = $2,725

Land Transfer tax payable $2,975 + Toronto Municipal Land Transfer Tax payable is $2,725 = $5,700 !!

I decided to do some research to just compare all of the provinces and territories to see which provinces/territories had the highest and which provinces/territories had the lowest land transfer taxes.

The table below is based on a $300,000 purchase price and the data was collected as of July 31, 2010.

I was very surprised (well actually not) that the results show Ontario (Toronto buyers) are paying the HIGHEST land transfer taxes, compared to any other city in the country!!

Provinces and Territories Estimated Land Transfer Tax Payable
Home Purchase Price = $300,000
Ontario (city of Toronto area*) $5,700
Nova Scotia (Halifax county) $4,500
British Columbia $4,000
Manitoba $3,150
Prince Edward Island $3,000
Quebec $3,000
Ontario (not the city of Toronto) $2,975
Newfoundland $1,250
Saskatchewan $915
New Brunswick $805
Yukon $750
Northwest Territories $490
Alberta $335
Nova Scotia (not Halifax county) $150

Information gathered as of July 31, 2010.  This information is not guaranteed and therefore should not be relied upon without verification.  E.&O.E.  * Those who purchase in the City of Toronto, are also required to pay the Toronto Municipal Land Transfer Tax

This article written by Elizabeth Blair on July 31, 2010.  Elizabeth is a Licensed Mortgage Agent with Mortgage Edge in Richmond Hill, Ontario.  Elizabeth services mortgage clients in Mississauga and all over the Greater Toronto area.

You can contact Elizabeth directly by phone at (905) 510-5785

by email at eblair@mortgageedge.ca

or you visit any of her active websites at:

http://www.missmortgage.ca

http://www.burlington-mortgage.ca

http://www.oakville-mortgage.com

http://www.streetsville-mortgage.ca

Elizabeth is licensed with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario and is also a Member of IMBA (the Independent Mortgage Brokers Association of Ontario) www.imba.ca

Lic # M08005880 / Brokerage Lic # 10680

Head office is located at:  15 Wertheim Court, Suite 210, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.

Changes to Insured Stated Income programs

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Borrowing Guidelines for Insured Stated Income Programs in Canada are about to change

The borrowing guidelines for insured Stated Income Programs are about to undergo some major changes and these changes will be implemented effective April 9, 2010.

The changes are being announced by CMHC (also known as Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation).    CMHC’s changes, as well as those announced by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty effective on April 19, 2010 are all attempts to help cool off the heated housing market which is now being driven by record-low interest rates.   More importantly, these new measures are required to protect borrowers from taking on more debt than they can afford especially as interest rate hikes are imminent.  While Canada still allows Stated Income programs here, they are becoming very rare in the U.S.  The massive number of defaults and foreclosures reported by the U.S. after the 2008 credit crisis were attributed mostly to Stated Income programs that were used to place under-qualified borrowers into mortgage loans that they could not afford.

While Canadian lenders continue to use the Stated Income programs here, customized for commissioned and self-employed borrowers, CMHC will now be scrutinizing those same applications using tighter underwriting criteria making the CMHC Self-Employed mortgage insurance program a little harder to access.

What exactly does Stated Income mean?

Stated Income means exactly that.   When a mortgage application is created, for a self-employed or commissioned applicant, and the entire income amount is not verifiable in traditional documents, for example a Notice of Assessment, the applicant may apply under the Stated Income program to allow an income adjustment to help qualify them for a home purchase or re-finance.   A real example might look something like this:

Mr.Thomas works as a Systems Analyst in Toronto.  He is purchasing a house based on his earnings alone as his wife is currently not working.  He earns $77,000 gross annually and his employment status is considered self-employed as he works as an independent contractor and bills the company directly for his time.  He is not on payroll.  He has worked in various departments for this same government organization, as a Systems Analyst, for the last two years.   To buy the home they want, this couple would need an income of $85,000 to qualify for the purchase.   On a traditional mortgage application, the couple would be declined and would not be able to purchase the home.   However, by utilizing the Stated Income program, the couple can qualify to buy this home with a 5% down payment and the income placed on the application would be “stated” on the application at a higher amount.  The couple has no other savings or funds available to them.  The income to qualify the applicants, would be entered at the amount of $85,000 instead of his actual income of $77,000, in order to qualify the buyers.

Here is an outline of the changes that will be implemented on any applications called Stated Income applications which pass through CMHC as an “insured” mortgage AFTER April 9, 2010 and how these changes would affect the particular applicants described above:

1.   Downpayment:  those who are purchasing a home, and who have applications classified as a Stated Income application, will be required to put down 10% rather than the 5% minimum required today.

Mr.Thomas and his wife, after April 9, 2010 must have a down payment equal to 10% of the purchase price, along with enough funds to cover closing costs.

2.  Tenure:   those who have been working in the same business for greater than three years, would not be eligible for the Stated Income program and therefore those in this category would have to provide proof of their income, for example, a Notice of Assessment.

Because Mr.Thomas had only been working as a Systems Analyst for the past two years in total, they could still apply under the Stated Income program and be eligible.   Had Mr.Thomas been working three years and 6 months, as a Systems Analyst, they could not qualify for the home they wanted.

3.  Documents:    documents will be requested and viewed by the lender to help determine the length of self-employed which are not always requested today.   The documents a lender may ask for:    a business license, proof of GST registration, articles of incorporation (if incorporated).

4.  Commission:     those who are collecting commission would no longer be eligible for the Self-Employed program.

Mr.Thomas is not paid on a commission basis, therefore, after April 9, 2010, he could still utilize the Stated Income program.

5.  Limits:   a re-finance will be limited to 85% loan-to-value instead of the current limit of 90% used today.

If Mr.Thomas decides to re-finance his home, in the coming years, while he is within the insured status range and assuming self-employed income is still their primary income, they will only be able to re-finance up to 85% of the value of their property.

It is important to mention that these program changes only affect those mortgages that are “insured” by the lender therefore, those mortgages that are not insured, could be reviewed differently from lender to lender and each lender would specify their underwriting criteria on a case-by-case basis.

© 2010 This article was written by Elizabeth Blair at Mortgage Edge on March 11, 2010. Elizabeth Blair services mortgage clients primarily in Mississauga and all over the Greater Toronto area

You can contact Elizabeth directly by phone at (905) 510-5785

by email at eblair@mortgageedge.ca

or you visit her website at:    http://www.missmortgage.ca

Elizabeth is licensed with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario and is also a Member of IMBA (the Independent Mortgage Brokers Association of Ontario) http://www.imba.ca

Lic # M08005880 / Brokerage Lic # 10680.  Head Office: Park Place Corporate Centre, 15 Wertheim Court, Suite 210, Richmond Hill, ON, L4B 3H7, Canada.

Value of Home Improvements

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You may be thinking about those spring-time projects that you will need to tackle this year, like landscaping the garden, rebuilding a patio or fence, changing older windows and doors, a new roof, or even remodeling your basement, kitchen or bathroom.  If you tune in to some recent popular TV programs like “Extreme Makeover – Home Edition”, you will surely catch the home makeover bug.    If you live in a freehold house, you should be spending an average of 1% of your home value annually, on maintenance, just to keep it in good repair and to prevent it from declining in value, according to “Home Buying for Dummies” by Eric Tyson and Ray Brown.

Renovating a home, may also be an important consideration for you in 2010, if you are thinking of listing your home for sale.  Remember that the right renovations can help you to maximize the resale value of your home.    The renovation payback statistics were extracted directly from the Appraisal Institute of Canada’s website and the data is current as of January 2010:

To see the table, please click on the link:

renovations table

You can check your renovation investment plans using the Appraisal Institute of Canada’s on-line tool.   The name of this tool is RENOVA and it is an excellent resource for homeowners.   You may visit the site by going to this website:

http://component.aicanada.ca/e/resourcecenter_renova_all.cfm

Remember that the referenced website link is only a guide, and you should always carefully consider that proper appraisal values and returns can be provided by an accredited appraiser holding a CRA or AACI designation.  It is also important to mention that an appraiser will also assess other factors, about the home to complete accurate appraisal results, for example, the neighborhood, recent real estate activity, lot, location, etc.

Canada AM has been running an informative real estate market series that commenced on January 25, 2010.  Featured on Tuesday’s program was Mr. Ed Saxe of Edjline Appraisal Services.  Mr. Saxe is a certified Canadian Residential Appraiser as well as the President of the Ontario Association of the Appraisal Institute of Canada.    Mr. Saxe discusses that the number one investment returns come from kitchen and bathroom renovations, however, as a homeowner, he advises that discretion is required when spending.   Mr. Saxe advises homeowners to carefully consider just how much they are spending and where they are spending.   For example, he mentions that you would not be wise to spend $50,000 on a kitchen renovation if you are living in a home that is only worth $200,000.  A home renovation should be relative to the market and the neighborhood in which you live.   You can view the current live video clip at the following link:

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/top-picks/added-value/#clip259603

This blog was written by Elizabeth Blair of Mortgage Edge.

Elizabeth services mortgage clients in Mississauga and all over the Greater Toronto area.

You can contact Elizabeth directly by phone at (905) 510-5785

by email at eblair@mortgageedge.ca

or you visit her website at:    http://www.missmortgage.ca

Lic # M08005880 / Brokerage Lic # 10680

What is a “closed” or “open” mortgage?

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When you are shopping for a mortgage, you may hear the terms, CLOSED or OPEN mortgage.    Let me explain the difference between these two options so you can determine which one is better for you.

OPEN MORTGAGE An “open” mortgage means that the mortgagor (the borrower) can pay the mortgage off, fully, at any time, without a mortgage penalty.   A fully open mortgage is suitable for the following types of borrowers:

a) a property investor buys a property and has intention of selling it in a very short timeframe;

b) a borrower sets up this mortgage because they are expecting a large sum of money (for example, an inheritance or a work bonus) and will use that money to pay off the full mortgage loan amount;

c) a borrower who might be required to move on notice (perhaps due to a work relocation requirement) and would need to pay the mortgage off in full when the house sells.

d) you receive regular large bonus amounts, as an employee of your company, and you wish to apply these amounts to your mortgage anytime without the restrictions that might come on a lender’s regular pre-payment terms.

e)  or perhaps you do not want to be locked into any term, for your mortgage loan.

Note that, the mortgage rates, for fully OPEN mortgages are higher than those given for  “closed” mortgages.   For example, effective today November 24, 2009, a fully open variable mortgage rate, is available at Prime Rate Plus 0.80% = 3.05%

CLOSED MORTGAGE A closed mortgage means that the mortgagor (the borrower) is given a contract “term”.     If the borrower breaks the mortgage, before that contract term is up (known as the renewal date), the borrower must pay the mortgagee (lender) a full three months of interest penalty to get out of the contract (or IRD penalty).    Variable mortgage contract terms are available for 3 year terms and 5 year terms, right now.   A closed variable, 5 year term, mortgage rate is priced right now at between Prime Rate Minus 0.10% = 2.15% up to Prime Rate Plus 0.10% = 2.25%.   A closed variable, 3 year term, mortgage rate is priced at Prime Rate Minus 0.25% = 2.00%.

So you can see that there are specific reasons why a borrower would choose a closed mortgage over an open mortgage.

This post was written by Elizabeth Blair on November 24, 2009, a Licensed Mortgage Agent with Mortgage Edge in Richmond Hill, Ontario.  Elizabeth services mortgage clients all over the Greater Toronto Area.

You can contact Elizabeth by phone:  (905) 510-5785

Or email:    eblair@mortgageedge.ca

Visit her website at:     http://www.missmortgage.ca

Elizabeth Blair is licensed with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario and is also a Member of IMBA (the Independent Mortgage Brokers Association of Ontario) http://www.imba.ca

Lic # M08005880 / Brokerage Lic # 10680

Head office is located at:     15 Wertheim Court, Suite 210, Richmond Hill, Ontario, L4B 3H7

HOT News: Lenders slashing variable discounts

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Hot news for those who are looking for variable rate mortgages.   Here is the best deal available today:

Prime Rate plus 0.15%.  —> 2.40%

Wow, this is an excellent rate and is only available for mortgage terms of less than 3 years.

You pick a renewal date between March 19, 2012 and May 31, 2012.

This blog post was written by Elizabeth Blair, a Licensed Mortgage Agent with Mortgage Edge in Richmond Hill, Ontario.   Elizabeth services mortgage clients in Mississauga and all over the Greater Toronto area.

You can contact Elizabeth directly by phone at (905) 510-5785

by email at eblair@mortgageedge.ca

or you visit her website at: http://www.missmortgage.ca

Elizabeth is licensed with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario and is also a Member of IMBA (the Independent Mortgage Brokers Association of Ontario) http://www.imba.ca Lic # M08005880 Brokerage Lic # 10680 Head office is located at: 15 Wertheim Court, Suite 210, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.

First time home buyers :: Get a break on Closing Costs and Land Transfer Taxes

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Recognizing that the Canadian housing industry is a significant contributor to our economy and its growth and stability, the Canadian Government has now sweetened the deal to stimulate the housing industry and help Canadians with the costs of purchasing a home.

There are now 2 ways you can get a break on your closing costs and land transfer taxes.

1. CLOSING COSTS

The federal budget tabled in the House of Commons, by the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance on January 27, 2009 entitled “Canada’s Economic Action Plan – Budget 2009” now contains a $750 tax credit to offset closing costs. The tax relief will be extended to those first time buyers who acquired a home after January 27, 2009.

You may view a copy of Budget 2009 at the following link:

http://www.budget.gc.ca/2009/pdf/budget-planbugetaire-eng.pdf

2. LAND TRANSFER TAXES

The land transfer tax makes up the largest portion of a buyer’s closing costs. In December 2007, the Ministry of Revenue extended its Land Transfer Tax Refund to buyers of RESALE homes. This refund could be accessed by first time buyers who entered into agreements of purchase and sale after December 13, 2007. First-time home buyers can now apply for a refund, for up to a maximum of up to $2,000 on the land transfer taxes that they have paid. Details on this previous notice can be found at the following link:

http://www.rev.gov.on.ca/english/taxes/ltt/

This notice was written by Elizabeth Blair, a Licensed Mortgage Agent with Mortgage Edge in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Elizabeth services mortgage clients in Mississauga and all over the Greater Toronto area.

You can contact Elizabeth directly by phone at (905) 510-5785

by email at eblair@mortgageedge.ca

or you visit her website at: http://www.missmortgage.ca

Elizabeth is licensed with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario and is also a Member of IMBA (the Independent Mortgage Brokers Association of Ontario) http://www.imba.ca

Lic # M08005880  / Brokerage Lic # 10680

Head office is located at: 15 Wertheim Court, Suite 210, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.

What is a mortgage discharge fee?

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I received an email from someone who found my website on the internet, asking me why they were charged a discharge fee, by their bank, when they paid off the full balance of their mortgage. This was a fee that they were surprised to see and they were checking with me to see if that was a valid charge that they had to pay.

I explained to this person that this was most definitely a valid fee and that they should go back to their original mortgage contract/mortgage commitment to read the fine print, listed somewhere in their document. If you refer to the fine-print of your mortgage agreement/commitment, you will see it there listed under a “fees” section and it will list all standard fees borrowers will pay in certain situations, for example, service fees, assignment/transfer fee, processing fee, default charges/missed payment fee, as well as the discharge fee, as well as other possible fees related to the mortgage.

Here are a few situations where you would be required to pay a discharge fee:

1) if you pay off your entire mortgage balance;

2) if you switch from your current bank, to another bank, and register a new mortgage with the new bank.

3) if you sell your home and switch from your current bank to another bank.

The discharge fee is worked out, by your bank, on a simple one page form and it really does seem to be a very excessive fee to pay, for a simple form that may have taken your bank a short time to prepare. Interestingly, the mortgage discharge fee varies from province to province and from lender to lender. Did you know, for example, that in the province of British Columbia, The Financial Institutions Commission (FICOM) which regulates the financial services industry, has stated that a mortgage discharge fee must not exceed $75. You can read about their position at this following link:

http://www.fic.gov.bc.ca/pdf/mortgagebrokers/mb-07-003.pdf

Unfortunately, the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) has not created a similar cap on the bank’s mortgage discharge fee in Ontario. While every bank must disclose the discharge fee, in the mortgage contract provided to you, you can also go on-line to see what current published discharge fees are, at any time. Remember, however, that the discharge fee that you see in the mortgage contract you signed, is the fee that you will be charged once there is a need to have a mortgage discharge statement prepared. Bank’s published discharge fees can be viewed at this following link:

http://www.fiscalagents.com/thestar/mtg_disx_sort.shtml

This blog was written by Elizabeth Blair, a Licensed Mortgage Agent with Mortgage Edge in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Elizabeth services mortgage clients in Mississauga and all over the Greater Toronto area.

You can contact Elizabeth directly by phone at (905) 510-5785

by email at eblair@mortgageedge.ca

or you visit her website at: http://www.missmortgage.ca

Elizabeth is licensed with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario and is also a Member of IMBA (the Independent Mortgage Brokers Association of Ontario) http://www.imba.ca

Lic # M08005880

Brokerage Lic # 10680

Head office is located at: 15 Wertheim Court, Suite 210, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.

Useful website links for home buyers

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Tired of navigating through countless websites to find the exact information that you need? I am too so I decided to put together a list of useful links that you can use yourself. The subject areas covered are, buying a home and mortgage loan insurance premiums, information on the Ontario land transfer tax and refund, enrolling in your city’s pre-authorized payment plan, a link to ordering your own personal credit report as well as a link to the government website listing grants available to home owners who make their homes more energy efficient. Please let me know if these are helpful and if you happen to think of any new links that you would like to see listed here, please pass along your ideas to me and I will attempt to add them. I sincerely hope that these links can save you some time.

Do you need to check if a Mortgage Brokerage, Administrator, Mortgage Agent, or Mortgage Broker is registered and properly licensed in Ontario

Visit the Financial Services Commission of Ontario website at:

http://www2.fsco.gov.on.ca/mbslist/agents.mbl

Do you want to look up the Mortgage Loan Insurance premiums with

Genworth Financial Canada

Mortgage Loan Insurance premiums are available at:

http://www.genworth.ca/mi/eng/product_solutions/premiumRateTable.html

Do you want to look up the Mortgage Loan Insurance premiums with

AIG United Guaranty

Mortgage Loan Insurance premiums are available at:

http://www.aigug.ca/products/premium-rate-chart.pdf

Do you want to look up the Mortgage Loan Insurance premiums with

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation or CMHC

Mortgage Loan Insurance premiums are available at:

http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/moloin/moloin_005.cfm

Do you need to know anything about the Ontario Land Transfer Tax

Or apply for the land transfer tax rebate

Visit the Government of Ontario, Ministry of Revenue website at:

http://www.rev.gov.on.ca/english/taxes/ltt/

Do you need to enrol in the City of Mississauga’s Pre-authorized Tax Payment Plan

Visit the City of Mississauga website at:

http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/taxformscentre

Do you need to enrol in the City of Oakville’s Pre-authorized Tax Payment Plan

Visit the City of Oakville website at:

http://www.oakville.ca/taxpayment.htm

Do you need to enrol in the City of Milton’s Pre-authorized Tax Payment Plan

Visit the City of Milton website at:

http://www.milton.ca/residents/tax/taxpayment.htm

Do you need to enrol in the City of Toronto’s Pre-authorized Tax Payment Plan

Visit the City of Toronto website at:

http://www.toronto.ca/taxes/property_tax/forms.htm#plan

For an in-depth document of the ABCs of mortgages, you can

Visit the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada or FCAC website to read it:

http://www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca/eng/publications/mortgages/Amortization_e.asp

Genworth Financial publishes daily mortgage rates on their website at:

http://www.genworth.ca/mi/eng/misc_pages/interest_rates.asp

Equifax Canada

Order a copy of your consumer credit report:

http://www.equifax.com/home/en_ca

Do you wnt your home assessed for its energy efficiency?

The Energuy

http://energuy.ca/ecoenergy/

Do you want to see what grants, rebates, discounts and incentives are available

If you make your home more energy efficient?

Please visit the Natural Resources Canada website at:

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/corporate/incentives.cfm

This blog was written by Elizabeth Blair, a Licensed Mortgage Agent with Mortgage Edge in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Elizabeth services mortgage clients in Mississauga and all over the Greater Toronto area.

You can contact Elizabeth directly by phone at (905) 510-5785

by email at eblair@mortgageedge.ca

or you visit her website at: http://www.missmortgage.ca

Elizabeth is licensed with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario and is also a Member of IMBA (the Independent Mortgage Brokers Association of Ontario) www.imba.ca