Marla Janzen is an award-winning Saskatoon Realtor she takes action to sell her client's homes and find them the perfect new place to live while negotiating the best terms and price possible. She loves what she does and takes great pride in providing excellence in customer service to all of her clients. Marla Janzen is a Trusted Saskatoon, Warman and area Real Estate Expert listed on the Saskatoon Real Estate Category on the Saskatoon Directory and she loves to provide Saskatoon real estate Tips that help and assist the public! In the latest news from Marla Janzen, Trusted Saskatoon Realtor® shares a tip about negotiation advantages

Gain Negotiating Advantage When Buying

Buying a property requires good knowledge of market conditions, personal finances and the ability to judge what a good investment is. Being able to negotiate realistically is equally important when you decide to make an offer. You should be well prepared before you are actually in the position of preparing a formal offer to purchase.

Market Conditions

Look at the long-range prospects of your borrowing commitment. During a period of low interest rates, you should take into consideration whether or not prices are expected to increase in the future. Consider locking in at a reasonable rate for the opportunity of a significant gain in the future.

How Much Can You Afford?

Before you go into the market to look for a house, review your current spending and loan commitments. A mortgage lender will use a ration of about 30% of gross income as the amount of mortgage you can carry. If you review your finances beforehand, you will have a good idea of your own capacity. Property tax is an additional cost that must be factored into the equation.

Once a price range for your prospective home purchase has been settled, the next step may be locking in a mortgage interest rate with a pre-approved mortgage. When you know you are already approved for a mortgage, this will increase your comfort level at the negotiating table. To arrange a pre-approved mortgage, you meet with a lender who will confirm your borrowing capacity, perform the required credit review and make an agreement to honour a particular interest rate for a specified time.

Existing Mortgage

If there is an existing mortgage on a property you are selling, or on the one you are looking at, there is more to consider than the balance outstanding and the interest rate. Be aware of any pre-payment terms. If your mortgage is open, you can repay it at any time without penalty. However, your lender may have "lock-in" clauses. These may include payment of a bonus or the lender's interest revenue loss for the balance of the term should you repay early. Clarify all of this with your lender.

Portability

One very important feature is mortgage portability. That means you can transfer your existing interest rate, loan balance and remaining term to new mortgage without penalty, although there may be some restrictions. Be sure you understand what they are before you get into negotiations. Your REALTOR® has the expertise to help guide you through the negotiation process, keeping your best interest in mind.

Contact me I am one of just 3 Trusted Saskatoon REALTORS ®. I am looking forward to helping you sell or buy your home! I love what I do and I take great pride in providing excellence in customer service to all of my clients. I strive to find them the perfect new place to live while negotiating the best terms and price possible.

Find Marla Janzen Online at www.marlajanzen.com she is a Century 21 Fusion Realtor and Marla Janzen is Trusted Saskatoon Realtor.

Is Your Mortgage Coming Up for Renewal?

Did you know… Over the next 1-2 years, half of all Canadian mortgages will be up for renewal?

If you’re unsure about your renewal date, now’s the perfect time to find out. But, whatever you do, be sure to have an experienced mortgage broker negotiate on your mortgage at renewal with multiple lenders – including banks, credit unions, and trust companies – to ensure you secure the best mortgage product and rate based on your specific needs.

Brokers can pull one credit report and shop your deal with numerous lenders. If you try to do this yourself, each lender will pull a report, which will negatively impact your credit score and could prevent you from qualifying for the best possible mortgage.

Too many people simply sign the renewal form sent by their bank/lender up to six months prior to the renewal date without shopping their options. In fact, this is one of the biggest mistakes a homeowner can make.

Accepting this offer most often means you’ll be paying way too much for your mortgage – on average, 1-1.5% higher than you should be paying – and/or your new mortgage won’t adapt to your changing needs as a borrower. It’s important to remember that lenders are in the business of making money, so they won’t often offer the best rate in the renewal letter.

On a $300,000 mortgage, this higher interest rate could translate into a difference of more than $250.00 per month… and over five years you would have paid $15,000+ in additional interest! That’s a lot of money that could have been paid towards the principal balance and helped pay down your mortgage faster.

Mortgage renewal is also the perfect time to take out equity in your home to renovate, pay down debt, send a child to school, take a dream vacation or use however you choose. The benefit of taking money out during renewal is you don’t have to pay any fees to break your mortgage early.

And if your mortgage isn’t up for renewal just yet, it may also be beneficial to have a mortgage broker conduct a free annual mortgage checkup to ensure your mortgage is working for you and keeping more of your hard-earned money in your bank account each month. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain from staying on top of both your short- and long-term mortgage needs.