Mortgage blog.
Articles that answer the common questions, and case studies that work the same decisions through with real numbers.
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Posted rate or negotiated rate: how to read today’s rates
The posted rate is a reference, not a price. The gap with the negotiated rate changes your payment, and it also feeds into the penalty.
Top 10 mistakes to avoid at mortgage renewal
Ten common renewal mistakes: the offer signed without comparing, the forgotten penalty, the term picked without a plan.
Mortgage penalty: interest rate differential or three months’ interest?
A variable rate usually costs three months’ interest; a fixed rate, the higher of two calculations. One loan, three ways to calculate, three amounts.
When should you start comparing a mortgage renewal?
Open the envelope right away. The time left before maturity is what gives you negotiating room.
Choose a term around your plans, not only the rate
A sale, a move, a repayment: choose your term to fit your calendar as much as the posted rate.
Mortgage penalty: calculate the cost before making a change
Before you sell, switch, or refinance: get a written amount, with a date on it, and add it to your costs.
Fixed or variable: what your budget can handle
Nobody knows where rates are going. Look at what your budget can absorb and what the contract allows.
Renewal compared before maturity
Your lender sends you an offer. We put it on the same footing as the others: balance, term, privileges, and switching costs included.