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Mortgages, private mortgages, second mortgages, home equity loans—how does someone know what type of loan is right for them? Differentiating can be difficult and mind-numbing.

Second mortgages might be a touch less popular than other methods but that doesn’t mean that it should be considered less. A review of second mortgages can convey that this is a proven method to obtain funds and, more importantly, if this is right for you.

Here are some of the more important factors that a borrower should know.

A Second Mortgage is a Proven Way to Access Funds Quickly

Think of a second mortgage as a way to tap into the available equity in the investment of your home.  You can adhere to the terms of your first mortgage and most likely avoid any penalties associated with refinancing.

Remember, you need to have a good amount of equity in your home to leverage a second mortgage.

You can Pursue a Private Lender for a Second Mortgage

If you are having trouble being approved for a second mortgage by a traditional lender like a bank or even where you have your first mortgage, then you can consider private lending options.

Private lenders typically have less rigid qualification guidelines and are more open to different agreements that result in a borrower being approved.

The Different Types of Second Mortgages

Second mortgages can be accessed as a separate loan or it can be remitted in the form of a home equity loan or line of credit secured by your home.

How the funds are made available comes down to your preferences and circumstances.

Second Mortgages Work Best as Short-Term Solutions to Financial Problems

There are many situations where a second mortgage can be useful. Since it can come with higher interest rates, penalties and additional fees, it is best employed in the short term to get a borrower over a financial hurdle such as home renovations or to open a business.

Depending on the situation a borrower finds themselves in, second mortgages can be a useful lifeline. Make sure you understand the details and ramifications and that you go into the arrangement equipped with an exit strategy.

When it comes to getting a second mortgage, you’ll need to go through an approval process. Mainstream lenders, such as banks, will emphasize different things over alternative lenders. While there is no standardized process for either group, we’ll take a look at some of the factors that come up repeatedly so you can be prepared.

Canadalend.com can help navigate your mortgage needs no matter your Income

Lenders will want to know that you have money coming in to repay your loans. Mainstream lenders prefer to see borrowers with regular income. Such as a monthly salary. They may also ask that you undertake employment verification, depending on your circumstances.

Alternative lenders like to see regular income too, but they can be more flexible. People with irregular income, freelancers, or the self-employed, can find more accomodating arrangements with alternative lenders.

Utilizing Your Equity

When you take out an initial mortgage, the lender gets what is called a lien on the property. That’s the right to sell the property to settle a debt. Over time, as you progress through the schedule of a mortgage, you accrue equity. As you make monthly payments to pay down the outstanding amount, you start owning more of the property.

Lenders that offer second mortgage products have a consistent view. While they’re happy to leverage equity that you have accrued, they’re aware of that lien the other lender holds on the property. That means if you default on your mortgages, the first lender gets paid first, and the second may get nothing. Because of this, equity-based second mortgage loans carry a higher amount of risk for the lender.

If you intend to utilize equity against a second mortgage, you’ll need an up-to-date statement of account from the initial lender.

Canadalend.com can assist no matter your Credit Score

One of the earliest steps to take before beginning your search for a lender is to check your credit score. There are multiple ways to do this, but as you are about to enter a financial process, the more in-depth the better.

In Canada, credit scores run from 300-900 and are determined by Equifax and TransUnion. A score above 650 is seen by many lenders as the ideal scenario. If a score is below 600, then a borrower should start to expect some additional conditions or constrictions regarding their loan.

Credit scores are essential no matter who you borrow with. Working with traditional banks, they form a core part of the approval process. Alternative lenders place less emphasis on credit score, preferring the ability to pay over a solid credit history. This is particularly useful to those seeking a second mortgage for debt consolidation. Alternative lenders specialize in helping people recover from past errors of judgment.

Navigating the Process

Which documents to have prepared, and when, can be a frustrating part of the process. With each lender doing things differently, how can you try to bring some consistency to the process?

The one thing all lenders have in common is that you will need to provide identification documents. The number required, and their type, is at their discretion. But, as with most matters of identification, government-issued documents are best – passport, drivers license, etc.

At Canadalend.com, our independent experts are well versed in the approvals process with many different lenders. Decades of experience and access to hundreds of different lenders mean they can help you find the right product for you. It also means that they are experienced guides when it comes to finding your way through the approvals process.

By contacting Canadalend.com today, you can speak to one of our experts, find a product that suits your needs, and get support to navigate the approval process successfully.

With the country still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is getting increasingly difficult for Canadians to meet their monthly financial obligations. Working through a job loss or reduction in hours has affected many of us, and government funded programs – like the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) – can only cover so much. Households are finding it tough to keep food on the table, let along pay down their mortgages and other high-interest debt, such as credit cards.

Homeownership at times like these have its benefits. You can use the equity you have built over the years to consolidate some of your high-interest debts into one, easy to manage monthly payment. Even in a risky financial climate, like this one imposed by COVID-19, you can pay down your debts as well as cut down your overall monthly expenses. Interest rates are also currently at a record low, so it has never been a better time to start looking into consolidating outstanding debt. 

What Is Home Equity & How Can You Access It?

The difference between the current value of your home and the unpaid balance of your mortgage make up your Home Equity. Over time, your equity grows as you make more and more of your mortgage payments, and the percentage of ownership rises. Other factors, such as market activity, can also substantially increase the amount of equity that you have access to and can leverage. 

Homeowners looking to access their Home Equity have two options for financing: A Home Equity Loan or Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC). A Home Equity Loan, or Second Mortgage as its often referred to as, allows you to withdraw a lump sum of money based on your available equity. You would then make monthly payments at a locked interest rate until the time of renewal. This is great if you are looking for a larger sum of money – anywhere from $20,000 to even a $1,000,000 depending on the home value.

If you choose to refinance, or take out additional equity, can use this extra money for anything from debt consolidation, investments, home renos, education, or other life expenses.

Borrowers looking to access their available home equity also have the option to pursue a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC). This allows you to withdraw cash from the line of credit and repay it as you find necessary, as long as the minimum monthly interest payments are made. You do not need to take out the whole line at once, it can be used more like a credit card, but at much lower interest rates. Like Second and Third mortgages, homeowners with multiple high-interest credit card debts, or high-interest loans find HELOC’s very appealing. This ability to allow the borrower to pay only one interest-only payment, at a much lower interest rate, can make monthly financial obligations much more manageable. 

Advantages Of Consolidating Debt Through A Second Mortgage or Mortgage Refinance:

Increased cash flow: Multiple high-interest debts consolidated into one lower interest rate can increase your available monthly income and help you save money over time.

Customized financial plan: Our Mortgage Professionals can help you create a loan and debt repayment plan, spread over a 2-5-year period, to help reach – and maintain – your financial goals.

Streamlined payments: Multiple larger monthly payments can be combined into one single lower monthly payment with a lower interest rate that can help you pay down your debts faster.

Credit score: Individuals with a poor credit score can qualify for a second mortgage. This can help Borrowers to pay off their high-interest debts and start rebuilding their credit. When applying for a future mortgage or refinance, these factors can make all the difference.

Principal repayment: When individuals are forced to pay off high levels of credit card debt using only their income, they are often not able to pay the whole sum. Instead, they are left paying the minimum payments which often pay solely for the interest itself. This endless loop can leave someone in a great deal of debt, stress, and substantially limit their financial standing. A Second Mortgage, or HELOC, can allow you to pay the total sum of your credit card debt and only worry about making the appropriate monthly payments.

As you can see from the examples above, tapping into your home equity through a Second Mortgage, or Refinance, can be quite advantageous. A Private Mortgage is also a great option for potential borrowers with bad credit that are worried about the often complicated approval process. Since homeowners are using the equity built into their home, they are seen as less of a risk to potential lenders. The application process becomes much quicker and more streamlined. Home Equity Loans can also be very beneficial to self-employed individuals who have a difficult time with reportable income.

If you are interested in accessing your home equity and consolidating your high-interest debts, the trusted Mortgage Brokers at Canadalend can help get you approved quickly and easily. With access to a very large pool of private lenders, banks, and credit unions, Canadalend will work tirelessly to get you the best mortgage rate for your individual needs.

Call Canadalend today at 905-881-0242 or email us at info@canadalend.com to speak with an experienced Mortgage Broker who can help you get out of debt faster.

What Is a Private Mortgage?

In Toronto, and across Ontario, it is not unusual to find traditional mortgage lenders – like banks and credit unions – reserving the best products and rates for clients with high credit scores and significant household income. Fortunately, private lenders can provide alternative mortgage solutions to help borrowers who do not necessarily meet those strict, qualifying standards.

Private mortgages can be provided by investment corporations or individuals that are no associated with a traditional bank. Unlike a conventional mortgage, private mortgages are short-term, interest only products. Homeowners aren’t expected to pay down the mortgage principal, but rather make monthly interest payments.

In Ontario, and across Canada, private lenders are not subject to the same regulations as the Bank of Canada. This allows the lenders to create their own qualifying standards and focus on the applicant’s assets rather than their credit or income.

Private lenders will still require a lot of the same information that a bank would need – such as income documents or credit information – however, this is typically just to determine the applicants mortgage rate and not for qualification purposes.

When to opt For a Private Mortgage?

Generally speaking, private lending is considered a great mortgage solution once you’ve been turned away by a traditional bank or financial institution. Due to a heightened level of risk associated with lending to borrowers who have lower credit scores, interest rates are slightly higher with private lending.

However, if you look a little deeper, there are many reasons (beyond a low credit score) why a private mortgage can be an attractive alternative for you.

1. You are looking to take out equity from your home and a HELOC from your bank is not enough
2. Your application has been rejected by the bank
3. You may have a lower credit score
4. You are self-employed and cannot fully verify your income
5. You may be new to Canada and lack a financial history
6. You are in the market to purchase an unconventional property
7. Time-sensitive situations
8. You only need a short-term loan

Private Mortgages in Toronto

Owning property in Toronto and the GTA provides a distinct advantage when looking to gain financing through a private lender – they typically prefer to lend in urban areas that carry higher real estate values than rural areas and small towns.

On top of that, urban areas like Toronto and the GTA have many more private lenders in comparison to the smaller Canadian cities or towns, which provides the borrower with many options, products, and rates to compare.

Simply put, the experts at Canadalend have access to a much larger pool banks, alternative, and private lenders. This allows us to find the best possible product at the best possible rate for your unique situation – unlike banks and traditional lenders who can only sell you their specific products.

After a free consultation with one of our qualified private mortgage specialists, we will be able to explain – in simple and clear terms - all the factors that determine the amount of money that you can access. For more information call Canadalend.com today or better yet, Apply Online and one of our specialists will contact you!