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.