Don't accept the first price upon renewal

Remember all the work and research that went into finding the best rate for your first mortgage? Whether you spent months making sure your credit was as good as can be, or spent hours on the Internet searching for the best rate, it seems silly to waste that effort by blindly renewing with your existing lender when your first term is up.


The truth is, the best lender is only as good as the term that you sign with them. When it comes time to renew, many offer their clients an inflated rate hoping that you'll be complacent enough to simply sign it back. Other clients particularly the new ones, or those that take the time to negotiate receive the lender preferred rate, which can sometimes be as much as half a percentage point lower.

While that may not seem like much now, it adds up over the life of the mortgage and almost certainly overrides any savings you experienced in that first term. For example, if you had a 25-year, $200,000 mortgage at the posted rate of 4.08% you would be paying approximately $1057 per month, compared to approximately $1,018 per month at the discounted rate of 3.72%. While this isn't a lot if you look at it from a monthly perspective, if you look at the long-term, you're paying $118,220 in interest on the higher rate mortgage, compared to $106,572 on the lower rate mortgage. That's a difference of $11,672.

Obviously you're likely not going to keep the entire rate for the life of a mortgage, but if the interest costs could be even greater if you merely renew at the going rate, term after term. That's why it's important to employ the services of a mortgage broker throughout your entire mortgage lifespan. Not only will this ensure you're getting the best possible rate available, but it will also give you the opportunity to see if there are other mortgage products in the market that are better suited to your changing needs