While the mortgage industry slows down around Christmas, it doesn’t quite slow to a standstill. For those that are shopping for a new house, or looking to do a refinance (or even just a simple mortgage renewal), rates and numbers are an important part of the mortgage equation. When rates change even the slightest of percentage points, it could cost or save you thousands of dollars. Every once in a while, here on the Mortgage Monday posts, I’ll update you on what’s going on in the world of mortgage rates. If this kind of stuff doesn’t really interest you, I won’t be offended if you just skim through it – I’ll try to make it as painless as possible. 😉
- The Bank of Canada interest rate continues to hang out at 1.00%. The next meeting is scheduled for January 23rd, 2013.
- The Bank of Canada prime lending rate is also holding steady at 3.00%. It has also been holding steady since Fall 2010 – if the bank rate goes up, the prime lending rate will follow. We probably won’t see this start to move up well into 2013 or even later.
- The qualifying rate (the rate you would need to qualify at for a variable mortgage) for a 5-year mortgage is still at 5.24%. Not many folks are getting into a variable mortgage these days (though we’re starting to see some better rates in the variable department now).
- The current best variable rate (changes daily) is in the prime-0.35% (2.65%) ballpark, though many lenders are still currently offering ‘prime’ as their variable rate.
- The current best 5-year fixed mortgage rate (changes daily) hasn’t really moved around much and is still in the area of 2.99%-3.09% – again, always contact your mortgage broker for current best rates for your situation (and as we’ve talked about previously, The Best Mortgage Rate is Not Always the Best Option). Be careful when looking at some of the heavily discounted rates – many of them are considered “no-frills” mortgages and can come with restrictive options which could end up costing you $1,000’s.
- The “hot term” in Canada these days is still the full-featured, 10-year fixed mortgage with rates as low as 3.89% (check out my post from a couple of months ago on the 10-Year Mortgage Below 4% and a more recent one: Should You Consider a 10-Year Mortgage?). If you want to lock in for a decade and record-low rates, definitely take a look at locking in for 10 years at less than 4%. I have more clients moving into 10-year terms than any other term this month.
If you’ve been following along with my rate updates, they are probably starting to sound pretty repetative. Very few of the numbers have changed for the past several months. While I’m happy to provide an update on what’s going on as rates, if you’re interested on getting personalized mortgage advice, speak to your favorite mortgage broker who can help you decide the best rates and options for you.
