Mortgages

There are generally two ways to get a mortgage in Canada: From a bank or from a licensed mortgage professional.

While a bank only offers the products from their particular institution, licensed mortgage professionals send millions of dollars in mortgage business each year to Canada’s largest banks, credit unions, trust companies, financial institutions and a host of private lenders; offering their clients more choice, and access to hundreds of mortgage products!

As a result, clients benefit from the trust, confidence, and security of knowing they are getting the best mortgage for their needs.

Whether you’re purchasing a home for the first time, taking out equity from your home for investment or pleasure, or your current mortgage is simply up for renewal, it’s important that you are making an educated buying decision with professional unbiased advice.

While most Canadians spend a lot of time, and expend a lot of effort, in shopping for an initial mortgage, the same is generally not the case when looking at mortgage term renewals.

By omitting proper consideration at the time of renewal, this practice costs Canadian citizens thousands of extra dollars every year. Nearly 60% of borrowers simply sign and send back their renewal that is first offered to them by their lender without ever shopping around for a more favourable interest rate.

Homeowners should never accept the first rate offer from their existing lender. Without any negotiation, simply signing up for the market rate on a renewal is unnecessarily costing the homeowner a lot of money on their mortgage.

Generally it is a good idea to start shopping for a new term between four and six months before your current mortgage term expires. Many lenders send out your renewal letter very close to the time that your term expires and this does not give you ample time to arrange for a mortgage term through a different lender. This means that you need to be tracking your own mortgage term time frame and know when it is time to start shopping for a good mortgage renewal rate. We suggest 90 days prior to expiry.

Before you ever hear from your lender about renewing your mortgage term, have a licensed mortgage professional shop around for you, you will be amazed at what they can accomplish on your behalf! It’s free and a educational benefit to you.

Your mortgage is one of your biggest expenses. For this reason it is imperative to find the best interest rates and mortgage terms you possibly can. By shopping around at renewal time you can save substantial amounts of money over the life of your mortgage loan. Don’t be one of the 60% who just simply sign their renewal letter and send it back. Use the services of a licensed Altra Lending mortgage professional to ensure the lenders compete for your business.

Many people find that one of the easiest and most affordable ways to access money is through the equity that they have accumulated in their home. This is a very popular option, especially when you have an excellent first mortgage in place.

Canadians purchase homes for a variety of reasons. Some want the stability of owning their own home, while others also look at home ownership as an investment vehicle. No matter what the reason, the truth is that home ownership has proven itself to be a good stable investment over time, and one which many Canadians are profiting from.

While many people have chosen to purchase their first home during these times of lower interest rates, there has also been a large movement to refinance home loans and pull out equity for home improvements, investments, college expenses, and even high interest debt consolidation. Canadians have been borrowing against their home’s equity in record numbers, taking out billions of dollars in cash each year.

In years past, many saw their homes as a shelter of safety, yet today, they are more than ever before, willing to borrow against the equity owned in their homes to further their investment portfolios, get out of debt, send their children to university, make improvements to their home, or even boost their RRSP contributions. Where home equity was once sat upon, today it is often used to one’s advantage.

While removing equity from your home can be a good idea, you should do so with caution and fully understand the benefits and possible risks. The best thing you can do is to consult a licensed mortgage professional and financial planner to discuss opportunities to make your home’s equity work for you

Mortgage Insurance Provides a Quick, Easy And Affordable Solution to Protect Your Investment.

Buying a home is one of the single largest purchases you will make in your lifetime. At Altra Lending we also believe it is an investment in you and your family’s financial future… an investment that needs to be protected.

45% of uninsured Canadians included life insurance among their top five financial priorities and 21% ranked it in their top three – yet they still have no coverage.

76% of parents said they worry about their family’s financial situation in case of their death according to a recent Ipsos Reid reports.

What would your family do if something unfortunate happened and they were left to make the mortgage payments on their own?

Mortgage Protection Insurance protects your investment while helping secure your family’s financial well being in the event of death of you and/or your spouse. Should something tragic result in the passing of you or your spouse, the mortgage on your home would be paid off, allowing surviving family members to use other existing insurance to carry on with life, maintain their lifestyle and recover from your loss.
The mortgage insurance offered through Altra Lending has some great features that traditional bank mortgage insurance doesn’t provide. That includes portability – so when it is time to renew your mortgage you won’t lose your coverage (or have to re-qualify) no matter how many times you change homes or lenders in the future – and premiums don’t increase with changes in health or as you get older.

In addition, Mortgage Protection Plan includes two vital insurance products for your mortgage protection: Life Insurance and Total Disability Insurance.

With this coverage in place, your mortgage is protected not just in the event of death, but also if a serious accident or illness leaves you unable to work. Most traditional term life policies only cover you in the event of death.

Is it likely to pass away during the life of the mortgage? We hope not, but the possibility of being off work during the life of the mortgage is high. We strongly recommend you look at the option before you simply decline. Ask your professional for the “Top seventeen reasons to consider life and disabilty”.

HOW TO APPLY
Your Altra Lending mortgage professional can walk you through the ins-and-outs of mortgage life insurance, the applicable costs, as well as provide you with instant coverage and a money back guarantee, just in case you choose alternative coverage and cancel your policy within 60 days.

Talk to your Altra Lending Broker or Agent today, and make the simple choice to protect your mortgage with life and disability insurance today.