Have you ever wondered if you can get a line of credit secured with your home? Maybe you wondered if you can get a line of credit along with your mortgage?
There are several specific criteria that need to be met in order for you to get a line of credit. The most important criteria is EQUITY.
Watch this video blog for more info and and a more in depth explanation.
Transcription of Video Blog:
Hey everybody, Rowan Smith with The Mortgage Centre. I want to talk today about lines of credit. More specifically, mortgage lines of credit. A lot of times people will come to me and they’ll want to get a line of credit, along with their financing for their purchase, for renovations and whatnot.
Now, generally, if it’s going to be a mortgage, you’re going to have to have 20% down payment or 20% equity in the property before you can start getting a line of credit. Because CMHC, who governs less than 20 percent down purchases, doesn’t not allow an interest only product at this time; they do, but no lenders really support it.
So you’ve got to have 20 percent down if you want to start getting the ability to have a line of credit. Now what I mean by that is if you have 20% down and you pay it down so that you now have 30% equity in the property, you could borrow that 30% to 20%, that 10%, you could get that in the form of a line of credit assuming that your income and credit qualify for it.
So, if you’ve just bought something with five percent down and want renovation funds, a line credit with the mortgage is not part of the option. What you can do is get an unsecured line of credit through your financial institution you bank with. They can supply that to you, you can use that. Now you will not get mortgage rates on that line of credit, but it’s really the only option.
Alternatively, there’s a Purchase Plus Improvements Program if you want money for renovations. I’ve covered it in detail in the prior blogs, please do a search and you can watch it. It’s a good three or four minutes and it explains how the Purchase Plus Improvements Program works, or Refinance Plus Improvements.
If you’re applying for a line of credit increase – maybe you already own your property, you’ve got a substantial equity position at home and you simply want to increase that line of credit, come and talk to me. There’s many institutions which we can stick a line of credit behind any other mortgage.
So if you’ve a RB Royal Bank first mortgage, we can stick a line of credit behind that and get you mortgage rates on that line of credit. You don’t have to go to your bank if that’s the case. It’s only the unsecured lines of credit which you need to speak with your bank about.
If you’d like any clarification on this or need a line of credit, please give me a call. It’s Rowan Smith from The Mortgage Centre.
