The Benefits and Risks of Co-Signing for a Mortgage

Thanks to tighter mortgage qualification rules and higher-priced real estate—particularly in the greater Vancouver and Toronto areas—it’s not always easy to qualify for a mortgage on your own merits.

You may very well have a great job, a decent income, a husky down payment and perfect credit, but that still may not be enough.

When a lender crunches the numbers, their calculations may indicate too much of your income is needed to service core homeownership expenses such as your mortgage payment, property taxes, heating and condo maintenance fees (if applicable).

In mortgage-speak, this means your debt service ratios are too high and you will need some extra help to qualify. But you do have options.

A co-signer can make all the difference

A mortgage co-signer can come in handy for many reasons, including when applicants have a soft or blemished credit history. But these days, it seems insufficient income supporting the mortgage application is the primary culprit.

We naturally tend to think of co-signers as parents. But there are also instances where children co-sign for their retired/unemployed parents. Siblings and spouses often help out too. It’s also possible for more than one person to co-sign a mortgage. A co-signer is likely to be approved when the lender is satisfied he/she will help lessen the risk associated with loan repayment.

Under the microscope

When you bring a co-signer into the picture, you are also taking their entire personal finances into consideration. It’s not just a simple matter of checking their credit.

Your mortgage lender is going to need a full application from them in order to grasp their financial picture, including information on all properties they own, any debts they are servicing and all of their own housing obligations. Your co-signer will go through the wringer much like you have.

What makes a strong co-signer?

The lender’s focus is mainly centred around a co-signer’s income coupled with a decent credit history. Some people think that if they have tons of equity in their home (high net worth) they will be great co-signers. But if they are primarily relying on CPP and OAS while living mortgage free, this is not going to help you qualify for a mortgage.

The best co-signer will offer strengths you currently lack when filling out a mortgage application on your own. For instance, if your income is preventing you from qualifying, find a co-signer with strong income. Or, if your issue is insufficient credit, bring a co-signer on board who has healthy credit.

Co-signer options

There are typically two different ways a co-signer can take shape:

1. The co-signer becomes a co-borrower. This is like having a partner or spouse buy the home alongside a primary applicant. This involves adding the support of another person’s credit history and income to the application. The co-signer is placed on the title of the home and the lender considers this person equally responsible for the debtif the mortgage goes into default.
2. The co-signer becomes a guarantor. In this scenario, he/she is backing the loan and vouching you’ll pay it back on time. The guarantor is responsible for the loan if it goes into default. Not many lenders process applications with guarantors, as they prefer all parties to share in the ownership. But some people want to avoid co-ownership for tax or estate planning purposes (more on this later).

Nine things to keep in mind as a co-signee

1. It is a rare privilege to find someone who is willing to co-sign for you. Make sure you are deserving of their trust and support.
2. It is NOT your responsibility to co-sign for anyone. Carefully think about the character and stability of the people asking for your help, and if there is any chance you may need your own financial flexibility down the road, think twice before possibly shooting yourself in the foot.
3. Ask for copies of all paperwork and be sure you fully understand the terms before signing.
4. If you co-sign or act as a guarantor, you are entrusting your personal credit history to the primary borrowers. Late payments hurt both of you, so I recommend you have full access to all mortgage and tax account information to spot signs of trouble the instant they occur.
5. Understand your legal, tax and even your estate’s position when considering becoming a co-signer. You are taking on a potentially large obligation that could cripple you financially if the borrower(s) cannot pay.
6. A prudent co-signer may insist the primary applicants have disability insurance protecting the mortgage payments in the event of an income disruption due to poor health. Some will also insist on life insurance.
7. Try to understand upfront how many years the co-borrower agreement will be in place, and whether you can change things mid-term if the borrower becomes able to assume the original mortgage on their own.
8. There can be implications with respect to your personal income taxes. You may accumulate an obligation to pay capital gains taxes down the road. This should be discussed this with your tax accountant.
9. Co-signing impacts Land Transfer Tax Rebates for first-time homebuyers. The rebate amount is reduced based on the percentage of ownership attributed to the co-signer.

Tips from a real estate lawyer

We spoke with Gord Mohan, an Ontario real estate lawyer, for unique insights based on his 22 years of experience.

“The cleanest way to deal with these situations is for the third party (which is typically a parent) to guarantee the main applicant’s mortgage debt obligation,” Mohan says. “This does not require the guarantor to appear on the title to the property, and so it prevents most later complications.”

Following are five key suggestions from Mohan:

• Co-signers should seek independent legal advice to ensure they fully understand their obligations and rights.
• All parties should have updated wills to address their intentions upon death and give their executor clear direction with respect to their ownership.
• Many co-signers try to minimize future tax impact by opting for 1% ownership and having a private agreement that the borrowers will indemnify them or make them full owners if there is a tax bite down the road.
• Some co-signers try to avoid future tax consequences completely by having their real estate lawyer draw up a “bare trust agreement”, which spells out that the co-signer has zero beneficial interest in the property.
• A bare trust agreement can come in handy for the Land Transfer Tax (LTT) rebate,enabling the co-signer to apply for a refund from the Ministry of Finance – LTT bulletin.

–ROSS TAYLOR

INCOME QUALIFIED

There are several different ways a borrower can qualify for a mortgage when it comes to their income. One of the most common ways is known as income qualified. All of the following methods of employment income are under the income qualified umbrella:

1. Annual salary income employees
2. Full time employees working guaranteed weekly hours
3. Part time employees working guaranteed weekly hours
4. Auxiliary/On-call employees with 2-yr history at same employer
5. Commission Sales who have 2-yr history in same job/industry
6. Employees earning gratuities who have claimed over 2-yr history
7. Contract employees with 2-yr history at job/industry

There are a couple more types of employment that may fall into this category, but for the most part, these are the types of borrowers whose mortgage application is going to be done using income qualifying.

When it comes to the first 3, a borrower’s income is paid by a business in which they generally do not have any interest/ownership in. This means, an human resources representative or a supervisor can write a letter of employment stating the weekly guaranteed hours, the guaranteed hourly pay rate, the start date, and the employee’s position. The lender will then use this letter, a most recent pay stub, as well as verbally confirm the letter with the employer to verify a borrower’s income. This is how a borrower who works guaranteed hours or salary has their income verified and qualified on a mortgage application.

For numbers 4 to 7, lenders and mortgage brokers will verify and qualify a borrowers income a little differently. Because an employer does not guarantee hours or income, we need to see that there has been at least a 2-year history making the same amount. This 2-year history will usually need to be with the same employer and will need to be documented on your personal income tax returns to the Canadian Revenue Agency. The income amount on your line 150 of your T1 General Tax Returns for the past 2 years are added together and then divided by 2. The amount you get is the income you are allowed to use on your mortgage application and this is then verified by a letter of employment stating you have in fact been an employee there for more than 2 years, your are currently working there, your position, as well as a pay stub showing year-to-date income that is comparable to your 2-year average given the month you are in.

The same process would be used for those who earn over time or bonuses, claim tips, or work part time with two jobs. If you have any questions, contact a Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional near you.

–CHRIS CABEL

INCOME QUALIFIED

There are several different ways a borrower can qualify for a mortgage when it comes to their income. One of the most common ways is known as income qualified. All of the following methods of employment income are under the income qualified umbrella:

1. Annual salary income employees
2. Full time employees working guaranteed weekly hours
3. Part time employees working guaranteed weekly hours
4. Auxiliary/On-call employees with 2-yr history at same employer
5. Commission Sales who have 2-yr history in same job/industry
6. Employees earning gratuities who have claimed over 2-yr history
7. Contract employees with 2-yr history at job/industry

There are a couple more types of employment that may fall into this category, but for the most part, these are the types of borrowers whose mortgage application is going to be done using income qualifying.

When it comes to the first 3, a borrower’s income is paid by a business in which they generally do not have any interest/ownership in. This means, an human resources representative or a supervisor can write a letter of employment stating the weekly guaranteed hours, the guaranteed hourly pay rate, the start date, and the employee’s position. The lender will then use this letter, a most recent pay stub, as well as verbally confirm the letter with the employer to verify a borrower’s income. This is how a borrower who works guaranteed hours or salary has their income verified and qualified on a mortgage application.

For numbers 4 to 7, lenders and mortgage brokers will verify and qualify a borrowers income a little differently. Because an employer does not guarantee hours or income, we need to see that there has been at least a 2-year history making the same amount. This 2-year history will usually need to be with the same employer and will need to be documented on your personal income tax returns to the Canadian Revenue Agency. The income amount on your line 150 of your T1 General Tax Returns for the past 2 years are added together and then divided by 2. The amount you get is the income you are allowed to use on your mortgage application and this is then verified by a letter of employment stating you have in fact been an employee there for more than 2 years, your are currently working there, your position, as well as a pay stub showing year-to-date income that is comparable to your 2-year average given the month you are in.

The same process would be used for those who earn over time or bonuses, claim tips, or work part time with two jobs. If you have any questions, contact a Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional near you.

–CHRIS CABEL

The Latest in Mortgage News: New Data on Financial Distress in Canada

A significant number of Canadian households reported being late on a debt payment or missing it entirely, according to a new report from Statistics Canada.

The 2016 data from the agency’s Survey of Financial Security shows that more than 1-in-10 Canadians (11%) with some form of debt reported skipping or making a late non-mortgage payment.

According to StatsCan, those more likely to miss or skip a debt payment include:

• Those aged 55 to 64 years old (8.1% missed payments compared to 3.9% of 24-to-44-year-olds and 4.2% of 45-to-54-year-olds.)
• Those in the lowest quintile of income groups (6.8% missed payments compared to 2.1% of those in the highest quintile)
• Those living in the Prairies (6.8% missed payments compared to 3.2% of those in Ontario and 3.4% of those in Quebec)
• Lone-parent families (9.4% missed payments compared to 2.4% of those with no children and 4% of couples with children)

Debt-to-asset ratio as a measure of financial distress

The report also noted that a high debt-to-asset ratio is a better indicator of a household’s financial distress compared to the commonly reported debt-to-income ratio (which reached a near-record level in Q1 of this year).

“Families with a higher debt-to-asset ratio are more likely to report having experienced a variety of financial problems, like skipping or delaying payments, or using payday loans,” the report reads.

Case in point:

• About 16% of families with a debt-to-asset ratio above 50% of their assets missed or delayed a non-mortgage payment
  • vs. 7% of families with a debt-to-asset ratio of less than 25%
• About 1.7% of families in the lowest debt-to-asset category missed or delayed a mortgage payment
  • vs. about 7% for those with a debt-to-asset ratio above 50%

Overall, 4% of those with a mortgage skipped or delayed a mortgage payment in the year preceding the survey.

But as RateSpy’s Rob McLister noted in a post, “That said, actual mortgage arrears are just 0.25%, meaning only 2.5 out of 1,000 are 90+ days past due on their mortgage. This suggests that some of the folks who skipped a mortgage payment presumably used their lender’s skip-a-payment feature.”

And in other news…

Two-Thirds of Canadians are Concerned About Country’s Housing Market: Poll

The survey was based on a poll of 1,000 Century 21 real estate agents who were asked to gauge the mood of their clients.

Slightly more than 68% said their clients are “somewhat” or “very concerned” about current market conditions (18.1% being very concerned). On the flip side, just 15.6% reported their clients as being “optimistic” or “excited.”

Buyers were found to be significantly more optimistic compared to sellers, with 57.7% of buyers reporting to be excited or calm about prices and taxes and 28.8% being concerned, compared to 38.6% of sellers who reported being excited or calm and 38.7% being concerned.

A slow housing market in the West—particularly Calgary and Edmonton—is clearly taking a toll on the mood of clients. The survey found the Prairies to be the most pessimistic region, where 77% were reported as being somewhat or very concerned.

B.C. Home Sales Forecast to Rise in 2020: BCREA

Residential home sales for 2019 are expected to be down 9% compared to last year, but pent-up demand is expected to lead to a turnaround in 2020, according to the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA).

It forecasts a decline to 71,400 units this year before rising 14% in 2020 to 81,700 units, shy of the 10-year average of 84,800 units.

“The shock to affordability from restrictive mortgage policies, especially the B-20 stress test, will continue to limit housing demand in the province this year,” said BCREA’s chief economist, Cameron Muir. “However, a relatively strong economy and favourable demographics are likely creating pent-up demand in the housing market.”

SOURCE OF FUNDS

Over the past several years, investigators have been working on an ongoing investigation relating to criminal money laundering in Canada. Looking at B.C. alone, billions of dollars have been laundered through B.C. casinos by criminal organizations and parked in high end B.C. real estate over the past decade or more.

With government citing limited resources and a lack of funds available to conduct a proper investigation, criminals have been able to manipulate and take advantage of the Canadian and B.C. legal system for years and it is now finally coming to light the impact it has had on our economy, most notably our real estate market.

One of the measures the government implemented several years ago to help crack down on this was sourcing the funds people were using for the down payment on their home purchases. Lenders are required by the federal and provincial government to collect a minimum of 30 days of transaction history for every bank account where money comes from to help complete a purchase on real estate. Most lenders are still requiring 90 days and they are also required, by the government, to source any large deposits above $1,000 that are unrelated to employment income.

If you have e-transfers and transfers between your own accounts within the 90 day period, the lender will require a 90 day history of the account in which funds were deposited from. That means, if you have a savings account reserved just for a down payment, but you put $1,000 a month in there from your chequing account, brought in $5,000 from a TFSA, and put in $3,000 in cash all before you wrote an offer on a home, a lender is going to want to see 90 day history of your savings, your chequing, and your TFSA account as well as an explanation on where the $3,000 cash came from.

Most people find this frustrating and rightfully so, you are handing over personal information over a long period of time. However, due to the extreme affect money laundering has had on our economy, these rules are likely not going anywhere. When preparing your down payment, be prepared that the lender will be required to collect a 90 day history of every account you have where money is coming from to help cover your down payment. This is not because the lender feels like it, this is because the government regulators who review the loans the banks give out need to see that the lender verified the money was legitimate.

Also, with your T4’s and Notice of Assessments usually going into lenders, if you are just starting a new job and were making $20,000 a year while in school and now have $150,000 in savings for your down payment a year out of school, the lender is allowed to ask for a full year history because your income does not justify the savings you have.

Be prepared! Lenders are required to source down payment funds and with more and more news coming out every month on money laundering, the rules may only get more rigid. If you have any questions, contact a Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional near you.

–RYAN OAKE

7 STEPS TO BUYING A HOME

It’s important to understand the home buying process, so here’s a 7-step checklist.

Step 1: Down Payment
The hardest part to buying a home is saving the down payment (a gift from the Bank of Mom & Dad also works).
• For purchases under $500,000 minimum down payment is 5%.
• Buying between $501-999,000 you need 5% on first $500,000-PLUS 10% down payment for anything over $500,000.
• Buying a home over $1 million you need 20% down payment.

For any home purchases with less than 20% down payment, you are also required to purchase Mortgage Default Insurance.

Step 2: Strategize, Define Your Budget and get Pre-Qualified
Unless you can afford to buy a home, cash in hand, you are going to need a mortgage.
You need to get pre-qualified, which should not be confused with the term pre-approved.
The big difference is that no approval is ever given by a lender until they have an opportunity to examine the property that you wish to purchase. The bank may love you… but they also must love the property you want to buy.
Pre-qualifying will focus on gathering documentation to prove the information on your mortgage application including credit, debt load, income/employment, down payment etc.

Mortgage brokers will make sure you get a great mortgage rate. Just as important as rates are the terms of your mortgage which should include:
• prepayment options (10-20%)
• penalties
• portability
We also discuss what type of mortgage fits your current situation
• fixed vs variable?
• life of the mortgage (amortization) 25 or 30 years etc.
• payments – monthly, semi monthly, accelerated bi-weekly

Step 3: Set Your Budget
Keep in mind that just because you’re pre-qualified for a certain amount of mortgage, doesn’t mean you can actually afford that amount. Prepare your own monthly budget to be sure.
Typically, your total home payments (including mortgage, property taxes, strata fees & heat) should not exceed 32-39% of your gross (pre-tax) income.

Step 4: Find the Right Property – Time to Engage a Realtor
Once you have been prequalified for a mortgage, based on your budget… you need to find a realtor.
Selecting the right real estate agent is a very important step in the home buying process. When you work with an agent, you can expect them to help you with many things, including:
· Finding a home
· Scheduling tours of homes
· Researching the market, neighbourhood and home itself
· Making and negotiating your offer to purchase, and counter-offers
· Providing expert advice on home buying
· Handling the offer, gathering documentation and closing paperwork
I recommend interviewing at least three realtors. You will quickly decide who has your best interests in mind. Do you want to deal directly with a realtor who’s going to work with directly when you go home hunting, or do you want to deal with a BIG name realtor, who has buyers & sellers realtors working under them? There are advantages to each – you need to decide what is the best fit for your situation.
Get referrals for realtors from friends and family… OR ask me, I have a group of realtors that I know and trust.

Step 5: Mortgage Approval
Once you have found the property you would like to call home, your mortgage broker will send your mortgage application and property information to the lender who is the best fit for your situation, based on your input.
If the lender likes your financial situation and the property, they will issue a “commitment” letter outlining the terms of the mortgage. The lender will send you a list of documents, so they can verify and validate all the information you told them on the mortgage application.

Step 6: Time for the Solicitor (Lawyer or Notary)
Once the lender has reviewed and approved all your mortgage documentation and the property documentation, your file will be sent to your solicitor (in B.C. you can use a lawyer or notary). They will process all the necessary title changes and set up a time for you to meet, review mortgage documents and sign.

Step 7: Get the Keys
On the closing day the documentation for your home purchase will be filed at the land titles office by your solicitor. Typically, the possession date is 1 or 2 days later, giving time for the money (down payment & mortgage) to get to the home seller. On possession day you set up a time to meet with your realtor to get the keys.
Congratulations you’re done – you now own your home!!

Mortgages are complicated, but they don’t have to be… speak to a Dominion Lending Centres mortgage broker!

–KELLY HUDSON

HOW A SIDE HUSTLE CAN CHANGE YOUR HOME-BUYING OUTLOOK

So you want to buy a house, but you’re short on the downpayment. Have you ever considered getting into some sort of “side hustle.”

The term side hustle describes something you do to make extra cash outside your full-time job.
Anyone can make a hundred bucks on the side by literally doing anything – mowing lawns, walking dogs, shoveling snow, babysitting, tutoring, making deliveries, becoming an Uber driver, selling products on Amazon, participating in focus groups, blogging, vlogging, marketing – truly an infinite number of things you can do.

Even though a side hustle is extra income, it will be difficult to use when qualifying for a larger mortgage since brokers need to see a two-year history of that income first.
What that extra cash can help you with is for a downpayment and hustle income is super charged. Why? Lets find out.

Option #1:
You work your regular 40-hour work week and during your off time you like to indulge. This means eating out at restaurants/take-out, shopping, going to the movies, clubbing, etc. We’re talking about $200 a week on these activities.

Option #2:
You work your regular 40-hour work week and during your off time you work towards developing your side hustle. Let’s assume you are able to work a few nights a week and make $200 a week extra income. Obviously you still want to have some fun, so on your “off time” you only spend $100 a week on these activities.

Let’s look at the scenarios after one full year of working.
In this case, your full-time job pays $40,000 a year after tax.

Option #1:
You have made $40,000 but spent $10,400 on fun. Now you are left with $29,600 to live off of while also saving for a down payment.

Option #2:
You have made $40,000 from your full-time job and $10,400 from your side hustle but spent $5,200 on fun. Now you are left with $45,200 to live and try and save for a down payment.
That puts an extra $15,600 in your life that can be utilized on paying down debt and/or saving for downpayment.

Now that you have the idea that a side hustle may work in your favour, brainstorm some ideas and start making that extra money! If you have any questions, contact your local Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional.

–CHRIS CABEL

WE’RE NOT JUST A MORTGAGE COMPANY

Well, it finally happened. I was meeting with a financial advisor today and they looked at my business card and asked “Why does it say Dominion Lending Centres and not Dominion Mortgage Company?”

I have been waiting 7 years to hear this question. I had an answer all ready for today. I said “that’s because we are not just a mortgage company, we’re a lending company. This provided me with a segue into a conversation about how we do equipment leasing, factoring and cash advances.

I meet plenty of small business owners who are trying to build their business and also buy a home. In one case, the business owner had opened a machine shop. He bought $100,000 or more of equipment. As he did not have a long established business, lenders insisted that he put the loans in his own name. As a result, he had lots of business loans outstanding and was still showing little income. As he had incorporated, we were able to free up his credit by having DLC Leasing purchase the equipment and he leased it back. This provided a good tax break his accountant liked and it freed up his personal credit, which I liked.

Long story short , Dominion Lending Centres is a small/ medium business owners best friend.
We can help you get into a house where other companies see obstacles. If you are in a situation like this, contact your local Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional and get some help.

–DAVID COOKE