You know, when you talk to professionals in any trade or business, you always get more. You get more information, more choices and more service.

And you know what, the best part is that, real estate agents, and mortgage brokers give you all this great service and information for FREE!!!

Halooo! Are you too proud to ask?  You think you know everything?

I have continuously saved money for my Buyer's and got better prices for my Seller's by using the latest marketing techniques and knowledge.

The same goes for mortgage brokers. They don't charge you anything but can provide you with a lot of good information and guide you the the best mortgage products available. All for FREE!

Here is an example. Even I didn't know much about these 50/50 mortgages. But my broker does.

Here is what he has to say about it.

"Up until the last couple of weeks I haven't been a fan of the 50/50 mortgage (details below). However every mortgage type has it's place and time. If it wasn't for the Bank of Canada's re-affirmation that Prime rate will stay where it is until mid 2010 (a whole other topic) and the fact that after a recent bump in rates from historical lows at the beginning of June (3.79 to 4.49% in 2 weeks) and now a bit of a downward trend, for the moment a 50/50 can make sense... IF you have someone that will tell you when to pull the trigger to lock-in the variable portion.

Hybrid mortgages - also known as 50/50 mortgage products - include an equal mix of fixed-rate and variable-rate components within your single mortgage. This means you get the best of both worlds - the security of fixed repayments with the flexibility of a variable rate.

Although there was a time in recent years when mortgage experts considered a variable rate mortgage as the obvious choice to save mortgage consumers money over the long term, with fixed rates remaining near historic lows, fixed makes more sense to me. But with prime said to stay low for the better part of a year, a 50/50 mortgage may be a great alternative for you.

In essence, since it's extremely difficult to accurately predict rates over the long term, a 50/50 mortgage offers interest rate diversification, which can help reduce your level of risk.

If you opt for the Dominion Lending Centres 50/50 Balanced Mortgage, half of your mortgage is locked into a five-year fixed rate and half is at a five-year variable rate. You can lock in your variable-rate portion at any time without paying a penalty. As well, each portion of the 50/50 mortgage operates independently - like two separate mortgages - yet the product is registered as only one collateral charge.

The 50/50 mortgage product is well-suited to a variety of borrowers, including those who:

• Would normally go fully variable but are afraid prime rate is at its bottom
• Aren't comfortable being locked into a fully fixed rate
• Can't decide between a fixed or variable mortgage

Some features of the 50/50 mortgage include:

• 20% annual lump-sum pre-payment privileges
• 20% annual payment increase ability
• Portability (the option to transfer your existing loan amount to a new property without penalty)

As the 50/50 option is a fairly new offering, according to a recent study by the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals (CAAMP), 5% of Canadian mortgage holders have 50/50 mortgages compared to 28% with variable-rate mortgages and 68% with fixed-rate mortgages. But many experts believe the 50/50 mortgage is quickly gaining momentum.

As of today, someone going with a 50/50 mortgage would save about $890 per $100,000 of mortgage per year with little risk.

If you have any questions about the 50/50 mortgage product and whether it's right for you, feel free to give me a call so we can discuss your options. If you know anyone purchasing a home, refinancing or renewing their mortgage, suggest they give me a call for a brief chat to determine if a 50/50 mortgage makes sense for them.

As my variable rate clients know, they get the calls to pull the trigger and the advice to consider every time rates look like they are going to make a major move upward. This advice is key to being successful with any mortgage that is variable. Few brokers and NO banks offer this level of commitment.

Greg

If you want more information or want to talk to a mortgage broker about all the available options, just give me a call at
604-506-8481

If you are looking to Buy or to Sell real estate in Vancouver area, give me a call. My consultations are FREE. The benefits to You, may be worth a lot of money.
Call Jeff Stark at 604-506-8481 or email me at jeff@jeffreystark.net