Are You Overpaying on Your Mortgage? New Mortgage Rules, the Impact of Tariffs, and the Fixed vs Variable Rate Mortgage Dilemma

If you own a home, are thinking about buying or selling a home, or have a mortgage renewal coming up, today’s episode is here to help you make the best financial decisions in this changing market. Ultimately my goal is to save you some money when it comes to all this, or at least make things less stressful for you.

We’re bringing back our trusted mortgage expert and best-selling author, Sean Cooper, to first, break down the potential impact that the new US tariffs may have on our mortgage and real estate market here in Canada. 

Sean also goes over the new mortgage rules that you need to be aware of if your mortgage is coming up for renewal, or if you’re getting a brand new mortgage.

We also cover:

What’s happening in Canada’s housing market right now? Is it a buyer’s or seller’s market?

We cover the different ways that you can make changes to your mortgage if you’re finding cashflow to be a little tight. 

We also give an update on the fixed vs. variable rate mortgage debate. Which is the better choice based on the current state of the mortgage market and interest rates here in Canada?

Enjoy the episode.

Links from the Episode:

big thanks to Sean for offering to answer questions from Build Wealth Canada listeners at no cost. You can set up a meeting to speak with Sean over at: BuildWealthCanada.ca/sean

A Big Thanks to Our Sponsors:

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“Views from the Desk” Podcast

On this podcast, we often cover best practices that can not only help you now, but will also be relevant throughout your investment lifetime. But what if you also want an update on what is happening with your investments, the markets, and the economy right now?

To help me stay up-to-date on these topics, a great Canadian podcast that I listen to weekly is called “Views from the Desk” (AppleSpotifyDirect).

They provide timely information for us Canadians on what is happening to our investments right now, as well as other key factors affecting us like changes to our interest rates, our inflation, and regulatory changes that we should know about.

The podcast is hosted by BMO ETFs. I’m a huge fan of theirs, I own a lot of BMO ETFs myself, and it’s a great free resource for both new and existing ETF investors.

I hope you check them out. All episodes are available for free in your favourite podcast player. Just search for “Views from the Desk” or click one of the links below:

ETF Market Insights and BMO ETFs

Catch the latest episodes on YouTube Here.

There are so many opinions on how to invest your money today, but it can be hard to find credible voices to rely on in the world of finance and investing.

One resource I turn to every week is the ETF Market Insights YouTube channel, led by today’s episode sponsor, BMO ETFs.

Market Insights brings in industry experts and their weekly episodes cover the hottest themes like inflation, infrastructure, healthcare, and more. Tuning in helps me stay up-to-date on what’s happening so I can be a smarter investor. You can also submit your own ETF questions, to be answered on the show.

Do yourself a favour and subscribe on YouTube to ETF Market Insights, or visit ETFMarketInsights.com so you can be notified when future episodes go live.

BMO Asset Allocation ETFs:

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BMO actually offers eight asset allocation ETFs. Learn more at BMOETFs.com.

Questions Covered:

  1. Sean, can you give us an update on what’s happening in the real estate market, in Canada, right now? and can you touch on what the repercussions might be of the new tariffs between the US and Canada? Is this something that could potentially affect our Canadian mortgage rates and real estate market?

  2. Is it more of a buyer’s market or a seller’s market? What should we expect if we’re considering buying or selling our home currently, here in Canada?

  3. One interesting finding, is that more than 4 million mortgages, or about 60% of all outstanding mortgages, will renew over the next 2 years, in 2025 and 2026. What should Canadians know when their mortgage is coming up for renewal, and they are shopping around for a mortgage in 2025?

  4. Sean, before we continue with more questions, I just wanted to say that you’ve been the podcast’s resident mortgage expert for years now, helping many listeners of the show. Thank you for that! For anybody that has mortgage questions, or would like to know the best mortgages that you’ve been able to find here in Canada, can you briefly explain how it works when working with a mortgage broker like yourself, especially when it comes to payment, just so that anybody new to all this doesn’t maybe think that there are some fees they have to pay to get their questions answered or to see your research. 

  5. With all these interest rate fluctuations, I’m sure many Canadians are wondering, if there is an opportunity for savings, with their current mortgage. Can you speak to this?

  6. Cash flow is a concern for a lot of Canadians. What are some strategies for homeowners to lower their mortgage payment?

  7. Let’s talk about Fixed mortgage rates vs variable rates. Which one make the most sense right now for Canadians when choosing a mortgage, considering the current interest rates and economic environment?

  8. Can you talk about all the new mortgage rules that were introduced since our last podcast in March 2024?

Disclaimer:

This podcast presentation is for informational purposes only. No part of this presentation may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of BMO Investments Inc. or BMO Asset Management Inc. (collectively, BMO GAM).

For greater certainty, no part of this presentation may be provided to investors and/or potential investors without the written permission of BMO GAM. The information contained herein is not, and should not be construed as, investment advice and or tax advice to any individual. Investments should be evaluated relative to the individual’s investment objectives and professional advice should be obtained with respect to any circumstance. This communication is intended for information purposes only. Any statement that necessarily depends on future events may be a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although such statements are based on assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from expectations. Investors are cautioned not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements. In connection with any forward-looking statements, investors should carefully consider the areas of risk described in the most recent simplified prospectus. BMO GAM undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statement or information whether as a result of new information, future events or other such factors which affect this information, except as required by law.

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