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Don’t Chance It – Ways to Kill Your Home Financing

Jackson Middleton • July 5, 2018

Does this situation sound familiar? You’ve found your forever home, you’ve been approved and completed all your mortgage paperwork. You think you’re done and now you want to buy a whole bunch of furniture for the new abode. Or, perhaps you’ve been eyeing a new car or even a new job at the same time. It seems pretty reasonable to make a life change or purchase, after all, you’ve been approved. What could go wrong you ask? You could sink your mortgage faster than a leaky boat.

People mistakenly believe once they’ve been pre-approved or approved by a lender it’s all done. But they don’t realize that a lender may pull their credit 30 days prior to close. They also don’t realize lenders can request updated documents in that time.

And if some of the original information that got you the mortgage approval in the first places changes – and for the worse – you could lose your financing.

Here’s a short list of changes that could kill your mortgage.

1. DON’T HAVE YOUR CREDIT PULLED BY ANOTHER BROKER OR LENDER – the lender will often pull your credit again right before financing. If the lender sees that other brokers or lenders have pulled your credit the lender views this a credit seeking and can put your funding in jeopardy.

2. DON’T APPLY FOR NEW CREDIT – the lender calculates your debt based on the amount of credit you have. If you are applying for new credit, the obvious assumption is that you are planning on using it. Don’t get any new credit until the closing date is passed.

3. DON’T CLOSE ANY OLD CREDIT ACCOUNTS – Credit is not a bad thing…. unless you are having a hard time managing it. Old credit shows a long history of being able to handle credit. Lenders like that.

4. DON’T MOVE YOUR MONEY AROUND WITHOUT A PAPER TRAIL – When you settle with the bank on the contract of the mortgage, the lender will require bank statements showing your saved money. They look at the history along with the balance. If there are any unusual deposits, you will need to explain where the money comes from. Be prepared to show a paper trail.

5. DON’T INCREASE YOUR DEBTS – The lender always looks at your debt to income ratio. If you increase your debt, you can risk going over the maximum amount of debt compared to your income.

A good mortgage broker will remind you of the pitfalls that can happen if you change your financial situation before closing, but ultimately it’s in your hands. You have to take responsibility and use common sense when they’re in the closing process. Any one of our Canadian Mortgage Experts would love to work with you!


This article was originally published as part of the Dominion Lending Centres monthly Newsletter July 2018.

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RRSP As A Downpayment

By DLC Canadian Mortgage Experts • December 28, 2022
Did you know there’s a program that allows you to use your RRSP to help come up with your downpayment to buy a home? It’s called the Home Buyer’s Plan (or HBP for short), and it’s made possible by the government of Canada. While the program is pretty straightforward, there are a few things you need to know. Your first home (with some exceptions) To qualify, you need to be buying your first home. However, when you look into the fine print, you find that technically, you must not have owned a home in the last four years or have lived in a house that your spouse owned in the previous four years. Another exception is for those with a disability or those helping someone with a disability. In this case, you can withdraw from an RRSP for a home purchase at any time. You have to pay back the RRSP You have 15 years to pay back the RRSP, and you start the second year after the withdrawal. While you won’t pay any tax on this particular withdrawal, it does come with some conditions. You’ll have to pay back the total amount you withdrew over 15 years. The CRA will send you an HBP Statement of Account every year to advise how much you owe the RRSP that year. Your repayments will not count as contributions as you’ve already received the tax break from those funds. Access to funds The funds you withdraw from the RRSP must have been there for at least 90 days. You can still technically withdraw the money from your RRSP and use it for your down-payment, but it won’t be tax-deductible and won’t be part of the HBP. You can access up to $35,000 individually or $70,00 per couple through the HBP. Please connect anytime if you’d like to know more about the HBP and how it could work for you as you plan your downpayment. It would be a pleasure to work with you.

Is There A Difference Between A Deposit And Downpayment

By DLC Canadian Mortgage Experts • December 21, 2022
If you’re new to the home buying process, it’s easy to get confused by some of the terms used. The purpose of this article is to clear up any confusion between the deposit and downpayment. What is a deposit? The deposit is the money included with a purchase contract as a sign of good faith when you offer to purchase a property. It’s the “consideration” that helps make up the contract and binds you to the agreement. Typically, you include a certified cheque or a bank draft that your real estate brokerage holds while negotiations are finalized when you offer to purchase a property. If your offer is accepted, your deposit is held in your Realtor’s trust account. If your offer is accepted and you commit to buying the property, your deposit is transferred to the lawyer’s trust account and included in your downpayment. If you aren’t able to reach an agreement, the deposit is refunded to you. However, if you commit to buying the property and don’t complete the transaction, your deposit could be forfeit to the seller. Your deposit goes ahead of the downpayment but makes up part of the downpayment. The amount you put forward as a deposit when negotiating the terms of a purchase contract is arbitrary, meaning there is no predefined or standard amount. Instead, it’s best to discuss this with your real estate professional as your deposit can be a negotiating factor in and of itself. A larger deposit may give you a better chance of having your offer accepted in a competitive situation. It also puts you on the hook for more if something changes down the line and you cannot complete the purchase. What is a downpayment? Your downpayment refers to the initial payment you make when buying a property through mortgage financing. In Canada, the minimum downpayment amount is 5%, as lenders can only lend up to 95% of the property’s value. Securing mortgage financing with anything less than 20% down is only made possible through mortgage default insurance. You can source your downpayment from your resources, the sale of a property, an RRSP, a gift from a family member, or borrowed funds. Example scenario Let’s say that you are looking to purchase a property worth $400k. You’re planning on making a downpayment of 10% or $40k. When you make the initial offer to buy the property, you put forward $10k as a deposit your real estate brokerage holds in their trust account. If everything checks out with the home inspection and you’re satisfied with financing, you can remove all conditions. Your $10k deposit is transferred to the lawyer’s trust account, where will add the remaining $30k for the downpayment. With your $40k downpayment made, once you sign the mortgage documents and cover the legal and closing costs, the lender will forward the remaining 90% in the form of a mortgage registered to your title, and you have officially purchased the property! If you have any questions about the difference between the deposit and the downpayment or any other mortgage terms, please connect anytime. It would be a pleasure to work with you.
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