https://www.wealthprofessional.ca/news/industry-news/doors-open-for-stronger-reverse-mortgage-use-in-canada/324942 The costs of taking on a reverse mortgage may also be unclear to seniors. “When they think of their cash flow, they’re not going to get kicked out of their house, but in reality, it really has the ability to erode the asset of the borrower,” Shawn Stillman, a broker at Toronto-based Mortgage […]

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/don-t-pay-til-you-die-reverse-mortgages-are-booming-in-canada-1.1316615 Canada’s big five banks have so far shied away from the product. Only two lenders offer them in Canada. HomeEquity Bank, whose reverse mortgage has been on the market for 30 years, dominates the space with $3.11 billion on its books. Equitable Bank, a relatively new player, has $10.1 million. Shares in parent Equitable […]

  https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/household-finances/article-ottawas-first-time-home-buyer-incentive-who-wins-and-who-loses/ It’s an especially good tactic for short-term homeowners to save interest and premiums, on the backs of taxpayers. “That’s gaming the system,” says mortgage broker Shawn Stillman of Toronto-based Mortgage Outlet Inc. “But that’s not what the government wants. It wants people in their houses long term because it’s losing money if they’re […]

  https://www.mortgagebrokernews.ca/news/toronto-real-estate-ripe-for-laundering-money-255966.aspx In the broker channel, Shawn Stillman, says there are more measures in place to parry suspicious activity, but, like Smith, he noted A lenders are more susceptible fraudulent activity.  “Most of our lenders don’t allow us to do mortgages through corporate entities and it has to be held in a personal name, so […]

  https://www.mortgagebrokernews.ca/news/boc-touts-longterm-mortgages-to-open-mbs-market-257119.aspx Lenders are chary about propagating the advantages of long-term mortgages because they don’t want to be exposed to the market for that long, but Sammut says that the MBS market would free capital for long-term mortgage loans, which banks would then price aggressively. But is a long-term mortgage really the best thing for […]

So you need a mortgage.  The bad news is that mortgages have become more complex than ever!  So here are our Top 10 Mortgage Mistakes made by Canadians: 10 – Believing that FIXED rates are “safer” and VARIABLE rates are “riskier”.  This is a HUGE misconception, which I explain here. : http://leahsmortgages.ca/fixed-versus-variable-the-mortgage-question 9 – Assuming […]

  https://www.mpamag.com/ca/news/general/treb-joins-chorus-demanding-b-20-repeal/284841 “The most important thing to consider with the stress test is the intentions are pure—and that’s to protect the financial system and the housing market,” said Elan Weintraub, director of Mortgage Outlet. “The problem comes in the disjointed way in which it was executed because you have three government agencies—the Ontario government implemented […]

  https://www.livabl.com/2019/01/canadian-mortgage-rates-2019-experts.html While that may still be a majority consensus among market watchers, mortgage broker Elan Weintraub is hearing conflicting viewpoints these days. “I think there’s a lot of uncertainty in the marketplace right now,” he tells Livabl. “If you rewind to maybe six months ago, the Bank of Canada was pretty clear that they […]

I’ve been meaning to write this blog post for many, many months – and I’m thrilled that I’m finally sitting down to do it. The good news is there is a simple answer to the fixed vs. variable debate.  Are you ready? The answer is… It depends. Ok, so that answer isn’t so simple, so […]

  https://www.mortgagebrokernews.ca/news/alternative-lending/unique-partnership-expedites-turnaround-times-251338.aspx Ultimately, forging indomitable relationships with up-and-coming as well as established brokers is XMC’s objective. One of the latter is Shawn Stillman, Mortgage Outlet’s principal broker, for whom XMC approved a deal four hours after submission last week. The deal will close in only six days. “They’re picky with who they work with and […]