How To Improve Your Credit Score

  
Are you being denied for all types of credit? Has that cell phone bill come back to haunt you? Now is the time to finally face it head on and deal with your credit score.  A very daunting task but a task that must be done.

 First you need to know what is in your credit score is all about:
payment history
amount owed
length of credit history
new credit
types of credit used

What can you do to improve it?

Whatever you do it will take some time. It will take patience as you plow away at those credit cards, getting them down to a much lower balance.  All that money just disappearing into those credit cards.  But, in the end you will see it will be worth while and no one will deny you a car loan  or even a mortgage ever again.

A little secret that not many people do not know is that whatever your limit is on your credit card, you should not owe more than 50% of that limit.  So if your limit is $1000.00, the card should never have more of a balance than $500.00. In fact it is better to have 2 credit cards with no more than 50% owed on them than have 1 credit card maxed out.  Go figure.

 What else can you do?

 Make sure you make your payments on time.  Credit companies record when you have late payments.  This is very important. Set up payment reminders.

 Don't close your unused credit cards.  If you must close a credit card close the one that is the newest. It is all about having and managing long term credit is what the lenders want to see,

Check your credit report.  They do make mistakes. Birthdates seem to be a popular one that they input wrong. If you are being denied credit and you believe your credit rating is great order a free report, go over it, making sure all the information is correct.

Store credit cards are not as good as mastercard,visa or american express.  Also store credit cards usually charge you a higher interest. To get a mortgage the lenders/banks like to see at least 2 credit lines in good standing.

Remember , it is all about managing your credit.  Everyone hits a point in their life when for whatever reason the credit managing slides. Could be a divorce, job loss, moving, marriage, etc.

Do you have questions about your credit score. Contact me and I will help you sort it out.


    

Angela Kroemer, AMP

Mortgage Professional

TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.

TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team

Local: 1.250.650.4182

TFP: 1.888.679.0190

Fax: 1.888.679.0192

akroemer@mortgagegroup.com

www.KROEMERmortgages.com

 

10 Great Reasons For Using A Mortgage Professional

Thanks for viewing.


Angela Kroemer,AMP
Mortgage Professional
TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.
TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team
1.250.650.4182
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
www.KROEMERmortgages.com
Your Mobile Mortgage Professional in The Comox Valley

Long-term mortgage rates have dropped to the lowest point in Canadian history

Lock in your Rates !!!!!

Note: 10 year fixed rates also lowest in history. Mortgage brokers have the lowest rates for the 10 year as banks will not do them at a great rate.

Long-term mortgage rates have dropped to the lowest point in Canadian history — and the stampede to lock in is expected to pick up.

Bank of Montreal became the first major Canadian financial institution to bust through 3%, with its 2.99% closed fixed rate mortgage for five years. Others are sure to follow.

If five years isn’t long enough for you, ING Direct has weighed into the current mortgage discussion with a 10-year fixed rate product at 3.89%. The added bonus of going longer than five years is that under Canadian law after half a decade you can break your mortgage for as little as three months’ interest.

TD Canada Trust, which had already lowered rates on six and seven-year fixed rate terms, now has lowered the four-year fixed rate to 2.99%. Farhaneh Haque, director of mortgage advice and real estate-secured lending at the bank, says the argument has never been stronger because there is no guarantee these deals will be available in two years. The two new deals from TD and BMO are limited time offers.

“Buyers have to evaluate if they want to stay in variable,” says Ms. Haque, suggesting even those with deep discounts might want to consider scrapping those deals to take advantage of the historical bargains.

It’s hard to argue against locking in, unless you are one of the lucky people with a variable rate mortgage tied to prime that came with a whopping discount. Some consumers have deals with as much 90 basis points off prime, meaning they are borrowing at 2.1%. That’s not the same as negotiating today when you’re only get 10 basis points off or 2.9%.

“You’ve got a dinosaur, you are living in Jurassic Park with something that doesn’t exist anymore. You can’t get that again,” says Vince Gaetano, a principal broker at Monster Mortgage, who suggests you keep the low rate and use the savings to pay down your mortgage as fast as possible. “You cut your mortgage in half and you don’t care as much what the interest rate is when you renew.”

Mr. Gaetano says keep on eye on some of the new products and stipulations that might include things like prepayment terms and amortizations.

Bank of Montreal’s new product demands you get a 25-year amortization, instead of the maximum 30 years, and will only let you pay 10% per year of the original mortgage amount. TD Canada Trust’s new four-year product will let you prepay 15% while ING Direct goes as high as 25% prepayment.


Garry Marr Jan 15, 2012 – 7:00 AM ET |

Please call me for rates as they are changing daily.



Thank you
Angela Kroemer, AMP
Mortgage Professional
1.888.679.0190
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
www.ComoxValleyMortgagesToday.com

TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.

Fixed Rate or Variable Rate......has the choice become easier?

September 29th 2011

The age old question facing consumers, do I take a fixed rate or variable rate......and a similar dilemma facing mortgage brokers as their clients ask them for advice on which option to take. We all know it depends on the client’s appetite for risk, affordability, cash flow stability, etc. however statistics have shown that taking a short term or variable rate has predominantly, but not always, been cheaper than take a longer fixed rate mortgage.

We maybe in or coming to an interest rate environment when taking a fixed rate or a hybrid mortgage (50/50) may actually be cheaper than staying in a variable rate. Why you ask.....let’s look at the facts as to why this maybe a good time to take a fixed rate or hybrid mortgage.

1. 5 year fixed rates are at the lowest levels in history, we have never been this low.....3.39% are available through many lenders and 2.99% for a 4 year is very attractive.

2. The gap between a prime - 0.40% (2.60%) and 5 year fixed rate (3.39%) is 0.79% and (in some cases even lower), this is down significantly from 3 to 4 months ago when the gap between a 5 year ARM and 5 year fixed rate was as high as 2.00%. If we consider a 4 year fixed rate at 2.99% versus ARM of 2.60% the gap is only 0.49% or two quarter point increases in prime.

3. You can’t predict when to time a conversion from ARM to Fixed rate, especially in a volatile market. Fixed rates have a tendency to move ahead of variable rates....when variable rates begin to rise the fixed rate has already gone up and if you convert you maybe converting at a much higher fixed rate than today’s rates.

No position is complete without looking at the counter arguments’, in other words why a client should consider a variable rate versus fixed rate mortgage. Once again let’s look at the facts.

1. Bank of Canada has indicated it is not looking at raising the overnight anytime soon or at least will hold off until such time as it sees the economy improving

2. There is no indication that inflation is increasing, therefore supports point 1 above.

3. U.S. has no plans to increase rates for the next two years making it more difficult for Canada to raise rates unless the Canadian economy is growing in spite of the U.S. being sluggish

4. Canada is becoming a safe haven for investors’ thus larger demand for Canadian bonds. This demand is keeping bond yields down thus lower fixed rates on mortgages.

Both positions have merit and no one has a crystal ball, however, if we continue to see the gap between fixed rate and ARM rates shrink then the risks of taking a variable rate versus fixed rate increases substantially. The risk being that ARM rates could increase higher than .79% % over the next 18 months to 24 months, therefore over the course of a 5 year term the fixed rate may actually be less costly than the ARM rate. If the gap between ARM and fixed gets is 1% or less, I believe the smart money would go to fixed rate versus ARM. If the gap between ARM rate and fixed rate is between 1% and 1.50% then a 50/50 mortgage maybe the best bet. If the gap between ARM and fixed rate is in the 1.50% to 2.00% range then ARM rate maybe the way to go. Based on the present volatile market conditions it is hard to predict or say what will happen, this volatility, is the biggest wild card and probably the main reason I personally would be taking a fixed rate or 50/50 versus an ARM, a bird in the hand (fixed rate) is better than two in the bush (ARM rate).

Fixed Rate to ARM Gap *	Primary Product Selection
less than 1.00%	5 year fixed rate
1.00% to 1.50%	50/50
1.51% or higher	5 Year ARM

* difference in rate between a 5 year fixed rate and 5 year ARM rate

 John Bordignon
EVP, Strategic Development, Paradigm Quest Inc.
Office: (416) 366-8606 ext 2294
Thank you
Angela Kroemer Mortgage Professional
1.888.679.0190
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
www.ComoxValleyMortgagesToday.com
TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.

Down Payment not Required

You read the ads. No Down Payment.  What does this mean?

First of all, in most cases to not have a down payment you need a excellent credit history.  Which means you pay your bills on time and have income.

Next step is you need to be able to borrow the down payment.  The ways in which you can borrow are:
personal loans
lines of credit
credit cards
grants as long as not involved property purchase transaction. Example cannot be a builder loan.

The easy step is to call or email so we can set up a time to go through an application and see if you qualify.  This can be done over the phone or person to person.  Which ever is more comfortable for you.
If it is person to person then I usually meet with you at your home, but it can be at the library, coffee shop, your office, restaurant, etc.

If you are an outdoor type of person I enjoy meeting my clients at a park. Especially on a nice day.  I even bring the coffee. 


Angela Kroemer Mortgage Professional
1.888.679.0190
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
www.comoxvalleymortgagestoday.com

Why Refinance and go Through all that Hassel?

Very good question !!!  This article will answer questions as to refinancing to save money on your mortgage payments.

To alot of us refinancing is a major headache.  You start off checking all the banks rates and then the credit unions and then private lenders rates and by the time you decide on one lender all the rates have changed and you start all over again.
But, usually you give up and try again in 6 months or a year later, or when the 6 pm news tells you rates are down again.

If you contact a Mortgage Broker they do all that work for you and it is at no cost and no obligation.  The lender pays the mortgage broker.
Your broker will let you know if  you should refinance or stay at the rates you are at now.
The service is fast and takes all the stress away from you.  You know the saying "work smarter , not harder".   Mortgage brokers allow you to do this.

Why should you refinance:

There are a few reasons why you should look into refinancing.  The reason most people know is if the rates go down enough it is better for you to refinance.  You can have a lower mortgage payment, saving you money, or you may want to keep your mortgage payment at what you were paying and then pay off your house sooner.

Another reason not so well known is when you bought your house your credit rating was not perfect, which means to get your mortgage you had to pay alittle extra because you could not get the best interest rate.  But now since you have been paying on the mortgage and all your other bills on time your credit rating is much better, now you can qualify for the best rate.  Saving you money.

When buying your house you just went with what the bank offered you as the interest rate.  Most banks will offer you a higher rate because they know that you will go along with it because you are not a seasoned home buyer.  You were just happy to get a mortgage and questioned nothing. Taking a good look at your mortgage may reveal this and now because you have a mortgage broker on your side you can get better rates, saving you money.

If you fit into any of the above categories, contact me.  I will go over your mortgage and let you know if you should refinance or stay where you are.  No cost--No obligation.

There are other reasons to refinance so that you can buy something in return using the equity that you have built up in your home.
Such as :
to buy investments
to go back to school
to buy another property
debt consolidation
financing a renovation
Combining 2 mortgage payments into 1


Angela Kroemer Mortgage Professional
1.888.679.0190
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com

CMHC Survey about Home Owners

A recent survey from CMHC says the vast majority of Canadians renew their mortgages with their original lender, but you can save thousands over the life of a mortgage by looking at competing rates from competing institutions and mortgage brokers.



I am a mortgage broker and may be able to save you money.
Contact me for a free check up on your mortgage.

akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
1.250.650.4182

Business and Computers

No one tells you that when you start up a business that you need a couple of weeks just to start up all those computer sites that is needed for you to network.

So I start up my new business. Perfect. I am so happy.
After all those months of studying.  All that time dreading the final exam. I am finally homefree.

Then people tell me I have got to start networking on the computer as well as face to face.
So I start on the computer.

Facebook was easy. Did that pretty fast.

I opened a web site, then came a blog, then twitter and I needed to buy domains.  I bought way too many domains but it was fun shopping for names and heck they were so cheap.

So next I was reading about adsense.  I need that for my blog and website, I tell myself.  Off to the adsense website I go. Get all signed up and everything is great.

Oh oh, something popped up about adwords. Get your message out there. I have a coupon for adwords-- I should use it I thought.  Adwords were alittle harder to start up, but yes I got it done.

It is a huge mistake to read stuff on google.  Cause linkedin.com showed up. If you want to be somebody then you got to sign up and fill out your profile.  There goes another couple of hours of my life.

Sending out emails I noticed I needed a signature.  So went to read how to get a signature done and did it.  Although with gmail that function doesn't work great when you want to reply or forward something but yet, I figured out how to get this done and work around that problem.

Got professional pictures done a alittle while ago.  I needed to send a picture out for my business cards.  Got a reply back that the resolution was not high enough. Spent a few hours trying to get the resolution up to 300 dpi without distorting the picture, cause I had to also make the picture smaller.  Paint the program just won't cut it. I had to down load another program and learn how to work it. Photoscape worked pretty good, but I wish their measurments were in inches.

I still need to work on my professional website and I did sign up for a course cause I thought I would be a little bored. Thank goodness I have 4 months to do it, I may need it if I find anymore web sites to join.

Now on to joining all the network clubs I should belong to.

Interesting fact about home mortgage interest

Home mortgage interest has never been tax-deductible in Canada.
Interestingly, even without any tax advantage for home ownership, the Canadian homeownership rate (69 percent) is actually higher than in the U.S. (67.2 percent).

Mark J. Perry

It's the weekend

It's the weekend and your downtime from work.  You are driving past some "open houses" and you think to yourself -- can I afford to buy a house? 
Wonder no more.  Give me a call or email me.
I work weekends as well as evenings.

akroemer@mortgagegroup.com
angelakroemermortgageprofessional.ca
1.250.650.4182