How Credit Scores can Affect Your Mortgage

Your credit score is a judgment about your financial health, at a specific point in time. It indicates the risk you represent for lenders, compared with other consumers. 

Your credit file is created when you first borrow money or apply for credit. On a regular basis, companies that lend money or issue credit cards to you — including banks, finance companies, credit unions, retailers — send specific factual information related to the financial transactions they have with you to credit reporting agencies.

When you apply for a new loan, the loan officer will check your credit history first.  Your credit score in most cases influences the amount you can borrow and also your interest rate. Understanding your credit score in a better way enhances your chances to develop a higher score and thus benefit from loans at better terms and conditions.

A credit score is calculated from many different factors: your payment history, your credit card balances, bank accounts, including savings and chequing accounts, and any other form of credit including all outstanding personal loans, mortgage loans, store credit cards, etc. Each credit reporting bureau has its own standards and formulas that they use for the purpose of calculating a consumer’s credit score. The following is a generalized classification of a credit score rating:

Excellent credit rating - No late payments, no collection notices, no bankruptcies or repossessions.

Good credit rating - May contain a late payment within the last two years.

Fair credit rating - More than one late payment, may or may not have a bankruptcy or repossession in the last two to three years.

Poor credit rating - Recent collection attempts, late payments within the last year, bankruptcies, and/or repossessions within the last two to three years.

The reason why a credit score is important is that it will determine your eligibility for a loan. A low credit score may hinder approval, and it will also impact the interest rate you will have to pay for the money that you borrow.

Since individuals with less than perfect credit traditionally present more of a risk of defaulting on a loan, lenders are able to justify charging more interest to those consumers. The extra interest the lender earns on the loan is intended to compensate the lending agency in the event the consumer defaults on the loan. Over the course of a 15 or 30-year mortgage, those extra interest points can add up to an astounding amount of money.

Your credit score is an indication of your financial health. You should do your best to avoid damaging your credit history with late or missing payments, too many outstanding loans, or too many loan requests. Watching your credit score closely especially before you make any major purchases will help you avoid unwanted surprises.

How to Secure Your Basement Windows

Basement windows present a significant security vulnerability for many homes. Although the basement itself may not hold anything of value, often doors or windows leading to the basement are not as well protected as other entry points to the home, and therefore, burglars see it as easy access to the rest of your home.

Here are a few quick tips to guide you through improving the security of your basement windows.

Use good outside lighting
Make sure your basement windows are always well-lit during the evenings and at night. A dark place is always more likely to be broken into.

Keep basement windows visible from the outside
A basement window that is concealed by plants or shrubs is attractive to burglars because it provides them a cover under which they can easily operate.

Install security bars and good locks
Heavy security bars made of iron or steel offer sufficient protection against intruders. However, you must install these bars in such a way that firefighters can still use the window as an exit point, in case of an emergency. Most of these bars can be manipulated from the inside so that the window can provide an escape route.

Use a reliable set of locks and keys for the basement windows, if they do not have secure latches or other locking mechanisms. However, you must be able to open at least one window in the basement without the use of keys, in an emergency situation.

Advertise your home security system
A monitored home security system is one of the most effective ways of preventing break-ins. Make sure any passers-by can clearly see your home security stickers. Your basement windows must be secure and set up in alliance with the security system.

Use shatter-proof glass
To improve the security of your basement windows, it can also be beneficial to have shatter-proof glass installed as a replacement for regular glass. Since basement windows are usually fairly small in size, installing shatter-proof glass can be relatively affordable. Unless you have experience in glass installation, it’s highly recommended that you hire a professional to upgrade the glass in your basement windows. Research professional glass installation services in your area, and choose a highly rated service provider that has positive customer reviews.

Block the view into the basement
Use glass block for your windows, so that any outsider cannot peek in and see what is going on inside your basement. The intruder will not be able to tell if the basement is empty or occupied. Glass block is also extremely strong and difficult to shatter.

Plant tactical landscaping
To help limit access to your basement windows, you can also use tactical landscaping methods. Plant low, thorny bushes around your basement windows, making them difficult or nearly impossible for an intruder to access. If you are worried about the appearance of your home, you can use Hawthorne, Rosebushes or Barberry bushes to create a visually pleasing “barrier” around your basement window area. If you need to have access to your basement windows, you can also use thick, thorn-free shrubbery that still provides limited access.

The most effective home security strategies are those devised with your home's particular layout and weaknesses in mind. Always remember to protect every potential entry into your home, not just the ones you use every day.

Types of Home Water Filtration Systems

Water filtration devices can improve the taste, smell and appearance of drinking water and reduce contaminants or chemical that may be present in your home drinking water. These systems, which are used mainly for drinking and cooking purposes, are inexpensive and are easily available method of water purification.

In general, water filtration systems remove certain types of impurities and are usually labelled for what they will remove, such as chlorine or lead. Water filters do not remove microorganisms; and, are intended for use with water that is known to be microbiologically safe. No single water filter can be used to remove all types of substances from water.

There are many types of water filter models on the market. Different drinking water treatment systems have their own advantages and disadvantages and must be investigated individually to identify the unit or combination of units best suited for your household.

There are three main types of filters used in water filtration systems that include:

Particle Filter: This type of filter uses a membrane to trap particles or screen out impurities based on their size. The pore size of the membrane is used to determine a rating for the filters. It is measured in microns. More efficient water filters have a smaller pore size. For instance, a filter that removes particles that are 0.5 microns in size will result in cleaner water being produced than when using a filter that removes particles that are 5 microns in size.

Activated Carbon (AC) Filter: This type of filter is effective at removing organic contaminants from water which means you will have water that is not only healthy, but also tastes and smells good. The water will also be clear. When water flows through this filter, the carbon block attracts and removes contaminants such as heavy metals like copper, lead, and chlorine and dissolved substances such as hydrogen sulphide.

Resin Filter: These filters contain resins that remove such contaminants as heavy metals. They also remove minerals that create deposits. These types of impurities have an electrical charge. They are removed from the water when they attach to an opposite charge that is contained on the resin. Resin filters can be used along with activated carbon filters to remove dissolved substances and various types of impurities.

Filtered Water Pitcher: This type of filtration is the most affordable method of purifying water, but these devices do not always completely purify the water as it depends on the type of filtration system used.

Water treatment systems are a great method of improving household water. You can buy filtration systems that range from drinking water pitchers up to large house water filtration systems at a wide range of prices. They make drinking water healthier and improve its colour, taste and odour while removing impurities that can be harmful to people. They can also remove water hardness which is caused by minerals. Using a water filtration system will ensure that you and your loved ones are drinking safe and great tasting water.

Ways to Build Equity in Your Home

One of the primary goals of home ownership should be the building of equity in your home. Equity is simply the difference between the current value of a property and the balance of all mortgage obligations.

For example, if you have a home that is valued at $375,000 (based on an appraisal or a Comparative Market Analysis) and a mortgage balance of $175,000, you have $200,000 ($375,000 -$175,000) equity in your home. As long as the market remains stable, this is like money in the bank. As your house value increases over time and mortgage payments you make reduces the level of your debt, your home equity increases.

Why Equity in a Home is Important?

Simply stated, the appreciation of equity in a home is one of the easiest and most successful paths to wealth that is available to you. To a large degree, it is almost painless—you make the mortgage payment that you would have to make anyhow and the balance is reduced. The value of the home, meanwhile, is rising. As a result, your nest egg should be growing. The quicker you find yourself at 100% equity—owning nothing on your home—the quicker the route to less financial stress and true wealth.

How to Build Additional Equity?

There are a number of ways to build additional equity in a home, some easier than others but all effective:

1) Higher initial down payment
The most obvious way to build additional equity is at the first opportunity—making a larger down payment at the time of purchase. This extra money is immediately "banked" in the home, making it much less tempting to spend.

2) Extra principal payments
Making extra payments of principal (or just adding money to your monthly payment designated to go to principal) has a double effect on your equity. First, every dollar you contribute reduces your debt by the same amount. Second, reduced debt means less interest paid, which means that each month more of your payment goes to principal and less goes to interest.

NOTE: Although most loans allow it, check with your lender to see if they accept extra payments of principal with no penalty.

3) Shorter mortgage term
The lower mortgage interest rates that we have seen recently means that for many buyers, they are able to either initially secure a mortgage with a shorter term or, if the are currently in a long term mortgage (such as 30 years) refinance and get a shorter term. Shorter mortgage terms mean that you will be paying down your principal much quicker and therefore gaining additional equity at a much faster rate.

4) Home improvements
When you improve the quality or size of your home, you also increase its value and thus your equity. Be aware, though, that although virtually all home improvement projects will bring some return, some are much more advantageous than others. For example, remodelling kitchens or bathrooms traditionally have brought a greater return than adding leisure amenities such as pools or whirlpools. To get the maximum equity enhancement, make certain that the kind of improvements you want to make will increase the home’s value appreciably.

Higher Interest Rates Causing a Slowdown in Home Sales in Waterloo Region

WATERLOO REGION, ON (August 5, 2022) — 550 residential homes were sold through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System of the Waterloo Region Association of REALTORS® (WRAR) in July, a decrease of 32.8 per cent compared to July 2021, and 32.3 per cent below the previous 5-year average for the month.

“In the wake of July’s interest rate hike, home sales in Waterloo Region continued to slow,” says Megan Bell, President of WRAR. “We’re seeing a clear shift in the market and what people can afford to purchase or are willing to pay. On the bright side for buyers, it’s not the extreme sellers’ market it was.”

Total residential sales in July included 337 detached (down 30.4 per cent from July 2021), and 112 townhouses (down 32.9 per cent). Sales also included 65 condominium units (down 39.3 per cent) and 36 semi-detached homes (down 41.0 per cent).

In July, the average sale price for all residential properties in Waterloo Region was $752,301. This represents a 1.2 per cent decrease compared to July 2021 and a 4.9 per cent decrease compared to June 2022.

• The average price of a detached home was $842,241. This represents a 6.0 per cent decrease from July 2021 and a decrease of 7.0 per cent compared to June 2022.
• The average sale price for a townhouse was $642,750. This represents a 3.6 per cent increase from July 2021 and a decrease of 3.3 per cent compared to June 2022.
• The average sale price for an apartment-style condominium was $521,731. This represents an increase of 20.4 per cent from July 2021 and an increase of 4.1 per cent compared to June 2022.
• The average sale price for a semi was $661,087. This represents an increase of 1.0 per cent compared to July 2021 and a decrease of 5.4 per cent compared to June 2022.

“The real estate market is cooling across the province, and we are seeing significantly fewer buyers from the GTA, which is also impacting prices,” reports Bell. “However, this is not entirely bad news since the previous market was not sustainable. We are all keenly aware of the issues relating to affordability of not just purchasing a home, but rentals as well, and there is clearly more work to be done.”

There were 1,174 new listings added to the MLS® System in the Waterloo Region last month, an increase of 34.0 per cent compared to July of last year, and a 9.2 per cent increase compared to the previous ten-year average for July.

The total number of homes available for sale in active status at the end of July was 1,283, an increase of 215.2 per cent compared to July of last year, and 19.5 per cent below the previous ten-year average of 1593 listings for July.

The number of months of inventory was 1.7 months in July, as it was in June. While this is still at historic lows, the last time it was near this range was September of 2019 when it was 1.6 months.  The number of months of inventory represents how long it would take to sell off current inventories at the current sales rate.  

The average number of days to sell in July was 18, compared to 11 days in July 2021. The previous 5-year average is 17 days.