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Rates in the Northwest Territories

About The Northwest Territories

Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada’s two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces – British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south. The Northwest Territories has a slightly warmer climate than Nunavut and is mostly boreal forest (taiga), although about half of the territory is north of the tree line.

Key facts about The Northwest Territories:

• Yellowknife, the regional capital, is located on the north shore of Great Slave Lake
• NWT includes the regions of Dehcho, North Slave, Sahtu, South Slave and Inuvik
• The remote landscape encompasses forests, mountains, Arctic tundra and islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
• Dehcho’s Nahanni National Park Reserve is centred around the canyons of the South Nahanni River and 90m-high Virginia Falls, which is almost twice the height of Niagara Falls
• Two of the largest freshwater lakes (Great Slave Lake and Great Bear) and river systems (Mackenzie River) in North America are in NWT’s backyard
• Bison roam free in Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada’s largest national park

About The Northwest Territories Housing Market

The real estate market in The Northwest Territories is driven almost entirely by its capital city, Yellowknife. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation says developers continue to see high demand for housing starts in the city as job creation encourages prospective buyers. While construction of single-detached homes is pretty flat, demand for lower-priced, multi-family housing starts is growing sharply.

What are the Different Types of Mortgages?

Open vs Closed Mortgage

With an open mortgage, you’re able to prepay any amount of your mortgage at any time without facing a prepayment penalty. The compromise for having an open mortgage is that interest rates are higher to make up for the flexibility of being able to pay it off at any time.

With a closed mortgage, on the other hand, the interest rate is more attractive than a closed mortgage because you’re limited by how much extra you can pay towards your mortgage each year. So, the compromise here is that you’ll face a prepayment limit. This means that you’re only permitted to pay a certain percentage of your original or current balance per year – often 15%, on average, but this varies between lenders. If you have the choice, be sure to always opt for the original balance prepayment option as it will enable you to pay off more in a year. And if you choose to pay more than your annual limit, you’ll receive a prepayment penalty. It’s important, therefore, to be aware of your limits and stay within them.

Fixed Mortgages

Fixed-rate mortgages make up 70% of all mortgages in Canada. A fixed-rate mortgage keeps your interest rate steady over the term of your mortgage (1-10 years). There’s no doubt that the five-year fixed-rate mortgage is the most common choice selected by Canadian homeowners. But, this isn’t the best option for everyone, regardless of its popularity. Fixed-rate mortgages appeal to homebuyers who are looking for a dependable payment schedule, manage a tight monthly budget or are generally more conservative. For instance, Millennials with large mortgages relative to their income may be better off opting for the peace of mind provided by a fixed rate and payments.

Variable interest rate mortgages

A variable interest rate can increase and decrease during your term. If you choose a variable interest rate, your rate may be lower than if you selected a fixed rate.

There are two types of variable mortgages: a) Variable rates with Fixed payments and b) Variable rates with Adjustable payments

Fixed payments with a variable interest rate

In general, under this option, the payment remains fixed over time despite variations of the interest rate.

If the interest rate goes up, more of your payment goes towards the interest, and less to the principal.

If the interest rate goes down, more of your payment goes towards to the principal. This means, you pay off your mortgage faster.

That being said, if the market interest rates increase to a certain percentage or trigger point, your lender may increase your payments. This payment increase will make sure that you pay off your mortgage by the end of the amortization period. The trigger point is listed in your mortgage contract.

Adjustable payments with a variable interest rate

With adjustable payments, the amount of your payment changes if the interest rate changes. A set amount of each payment applies to the principal. The interest portion changes as the interest rates change. You’ll know in advance how much of the principal you’ll have paid at the end of the term.

What Affects My Mortgage Rate in Northwest Territories?

Factors such as credit score and income play a big part in qualifying for the lowest interest rate in Northwest Territories. The riskier a borrower appears, the higher the interest rate can be. Rate is definitely not the most important aspect of a mortgage, however, as many rock-bottom rates often come from no-frills mortgage products. In other words, even if a borrower qualifies for the lowest rate, they must often give up other features such as prepayments and porting privileges when opting for the lowest-rate product.

There are many other ways to save money over the mortgage term instead of taking the lowest rate, including rounding up mortgage payments or making lumpsum payments when bonuses, etc are received throughout the year. It’s important, however, not to exceed the allowable limit on annual extra payments with your lender.

Down Payment

The size of your down payment will determine whether you must also pay mortgage default insurance in addition to your regular mortgage payments. Mortgage default insurance is required any time you make a down payment that’s less than 20% of the property’s value.

Amortization Period

If you select a longer amortization period (the maximum is 25 years on mortgages with less than a 20% down payment and 30 years on mortgages with down payments of 20% or higher), your individual mortgage payment will be lower because they’re spread out over a longer period of time. Longer amortizations can come equipped with higher interest rates. You’ll also pay more interest the longer you take to pay off your mortgage.

Property Usage

If you’re buying a home that you personally intend to live in, this is considered your primary residence and is known as owner occupied. If you’re buying an investment property that you intend to rent to others, you’ll pay higher interest rates than on your primary residence. The logic behind this is that people will pay the mortgage on their primary residence before any rental properties. As such, lenders build added risk into the rates for rental properties.

Mortgage Type

The type of mortgage you select – such as variable vs fixed and open vs closed – will play a role in your mortgage rate. Each selection is a personal choice based on a number of factors.

When looking at open vs closed mortgages, for instance, it’s important to note that open mortgages are priced higher because of the flexibility they offer to pay the mortgage off at any time without facing a penalty.

And while variable mortgages have proven to be more cost effective over time than fixed mortgages, some people prefer the certainty of having the same payment throughout the mortgage term as is the case with fixed mortgages.

Your Credit Score

The ideal candidate for a traditional mortgage lender has a credit score that’s 680 and above. The higher the score is above 700 the better – with a maximum score of 900 possible – as borrowers will qualify for the lowest rates. There are options available for people with lower scores as well, but you can expect rates to be higher and terms to be shorter in these circumstances. nesto has strict lending guidelines that require a minimum credit score and no recent missed payment.

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