Sponsor Jeff in the Ride for Refuge

On October 4th, Jeff will be joining thousands of Canadians riding for charities serving the displaced, vulnerable and exploited. Riding a bike can seem like a small thing, but the impact is huge — the funds I collect will change lives through the organization I’m supporting. So please, give generously, and remember me on RIDE day as I huff and puff my way to the finish line. Knowing you’re supporting me will be a great encouragement! Please click on link below if you would like to sponsor me.

thanks

Jeff

https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=2604357&langPref=en-CA

 

 

Power Lyons Real Estate Solutions has made it to TOP 10 IN CANADA!!!

Jeff would like to sincerely thank all of his past and current clients for their support in helping in to achieve TOP 10 IN CANADA and TOP 3 IN OTTAWA for number of properties sold in 2014. Please see Keller Williams news letter by clicking on link below.

kwcanadanewsletter July 2014

 

Call Jeff at 613-897-5593 for information on buying or selling your home!!

Former CMHC competitor petitions for mortgage insurance fees to drop

A former senior executive at one of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.’s competitors says it’s time for mortgage default insurance premiums to drop because the Crown corporation doesn’t have the same percentage of risky clients due to tighter loan regulations.

Brian Bell, who used to be vice-president of private insurer Canada Guaranty and now runs his own real estate brokerage, is calling for a 15% reduction in fees that can easily top $13,000 on a $500,000 home — a move he says will provide much needed relief to the beleaguered first-time home buyer.

“The risk has been lowered, the mortgage insurance industry has been so profitable and they haven’t done a review in…I can’t remember the last time they reviewed their rates,” said Mr. Bell, who is now president of iPro Realty Ltd. and runs a website called townhouses.ca. He used to work for CMHC where he learned about the mortgage default insurance industry.

By law, any consumer with a downpayment of less than 20% and borrowing from a financial institution regulated by the Bank Act must get mortgage default insurance. CMHC controls about three quarters of the market with Genworth Financial and Canada Guaranty splitting the rest.

All insured mortgages are backed by the federal government, in the case of CMHC for 100% of the value of the loan and 90% for private players. Ultimately the government could be on the hook for close to $1-trillion, a price tag that makes some think there should not be a shrinking of fees.

“They have room to do it,” said Mr. Bell, about lowering fees. “Insurance is all about risk and losses. If you’ve changed your risk and underwriting criteria and made it tighter, you’ll have lower loan losses.”

He points out the Crown corporation has averaged $1.1-billion annually in net income over the last five years and estimates a 15% reduction in fees would have amounted to $194-million in 2013.

“I work with first-time home buyers every day and that’s the group that has been hurt,” said Mr. Bell. “I’m putting my name and reputation on the line after being in the industry for so long. I’m not going to be getting any friendly emails [mortgage insurers].”

Not everybody is convinced it’s time to lower fees.

“To the extent that it assists first-time buyers it is a good thing,” said Jim Murphy, chief executive of the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals. But he wouldn’t endorse the petition.

Rob McLister, editor of Canadian Mortgage Trends, said he doesn’t think a petition to lower fees will gain much traction in the marketplace.

“The risk has gone down but the fact is I don’t think [fees] are egregiously priced. I’d rather see them higher than lower and CMHC have a buffer in case things go bad,” said Mr. McLister. “If you don’t like the fees, put 20% down.”

Financial Post

Ottawa Market Heats Up

Ottawa market heats up as fall settles in.

Ottawa, October 4, 2013 – Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,119 residential properties in September through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system, compared with 995 in September 2012, an increase of 12.5 per cent. The five-year average for September sales is 1,121.

“As a result of the new mortgage rules introduced last summer, we saw continuous decreases in units sold in the first half of 2013. Since July 2013, the Ottawa resale market has started to heat up again,” says Tim Lee, President of the Ottawa Real Estate Board. “The number of residential and condo units sold has increased since last year. Condo units sold are up 15 per cent, while residential units sold are up 11.8 per cent. Also, impending mortgage rate increases may be causing many first-time home buyers to buy now before the rates increase.”

September’s sales included 245 in the condominium property class, and 874 in the residential property class. The condominium property class includes any property, regardless of style (i.e. detached, semi-detached, apartment, townhouse, etc.), which is registered as a condominium, as well as properties which are co-operatives, life leases and timeshares. The residential property class includes all other residential properties.

The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in September in the Ottawa area was $346,342, a decrease of 1.2 per cent over September 2012. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $257,059, a decrease of 3.4 per cent over September 2012. The average sale price of a residential-class property was $371,370, a decrease of 0.5 per cent over September 2012. The Board cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.

“As Ottawa and surrounding areas continue to grow and expand, Ottawa continues to be a healthy, balanced market,” says Lee. “Talk to an Ottawa-area REALTOR® today for help with buying and/or selling a home. We do the homework so you don’t have to.”

The Ottawa Real Estate Board is an industry association of over 2,900 sales representatives and brokers in the Ottawa area. Members of the Board are also members of the Canadian Real Estate Association.

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