Summary: Three steps to successful mortgage shopping

Before you start shopping around for a home or a mortgage, understand the following:

• the minimum down payment required to buy a home
• the down payment amount that you will need to avoid having to pay for mortgage default insurance
• how the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) can help you make the down payment on your home
• the difference between:
  • open and closed mortgages
  • shorter and longer terms
  • term and amortization period
  • fixed, variable and hybrid interest rate mortgages
  • standard or collateral charge mortgages
• how accelerated payment options can help you save money in interest and shorten the time it will take you to pay off your mortgage
• the prepayment privileges you might like to have on a mortgage and the prepayment charges you could be required to pay
• optional insurance available on mortgages, such as:
  • mortgage life insurance
  • mortgage disability or critical illness insurance
  • title insurance.

Step 2: Shop around and get pre-approved

Before shopping around:

• Check your credit report. Make sure it does not contain any errors. Lenders will check your use of credit.
• Take stock of your financial situation. Determine how much you can afford for the down payment and regular mortgage payments.

Key tips while you are mortgage shopping:

• Shop around at a few different lenders and brokers to obtain pre-approvals for a mortgage before you start looking for a home. Keep in mind that the pre-approved amounts can overestimate what you can comfortably afford to pay.
• Bring all the information that you may need during the pre-approval interview with a lender.
• Know how much you can afford to borrow by calculating the maximum home costs based on your income and current debts. Use the GDS and TDS formulas.
• Don’t accept the first offer made to you—explore your options.
• Ask whether the mortgage on offer will be registered with a standard charge or collateral charge.
• Be sure that the pre-approval contains the terms that you want. For example, the prepayment privileges that you want to be able to use to pay off your mortgage faster.
• Remember that a small difference in interest rates can have a major impact on the amount of interest you will have to pay over the lifetime of your mortgage.

Step 3: Make the right decision for your needs

Before signing a mortgage agreement:

• Budget realistically for the extra costs that you must pay when you buy a home, including closing costs, moving costs and other costs related to owning and maintaining a home.
• Read the terms and conditions carefully. Ask questions about anything you don’t understand.
• Don’t forget that federally regulated financial institutions (such as banks) cannot use coercive tied selling to force you to get another product.