https://torontosun.com/news/would-be-homebuyers-should-confirm-mortgage-pre-approvals-says-broke “If you were qualified several weeks ago, you need to be very conscious of this, and you need to make sure you get pre-approved again,” said mortgage broker Leah Zlatkin, ofLowestRates.ca. “You likely have to re-qualify for a property that you would have been pre-approved for a mortgage on.” With rates pushed up by […]

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/how-the-bank-of-canada-s-rate-hike-will-impact-mortgages-loans-and-spending-1.1791540 Leah Zlatkin, a licensed mortgage broker with Lowestrates.ca, said in a release that every $100,000 someone holds in a variable rate mortgage will result in about $55 more in costs per month. Based on the Canadian Real Estate Association’s average home price of $711,000 in May, a variable rate of 2.7 per cent will […]

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/household-finances/article-a-sinking-real-estate-market-requires-fast-appraisals/ “Get the appraisal done the day after you buy a home,” says Shawn Stillman, Mortgage Broker and co-founder of Mortgage Outlet. Ordering an appraisal as soon as possible eliminates the mortgage risk of prices deprecating before closing. By the way, this is also imperative if you’re refinancing and want the maximum 80 per cent […]

https://globalnews.ca/news/8916105/debt-homeowners-selling-mortgages Leah Zlatkin, a mortgage broker and expert at lowestrates.ca, says even in the lean years, most household budgets should be able to accommodate even large jumps in the Bank of Canada’s interest rates. She cites the mortgage stress test and the interest rate cycle as two measures of confidence for Canadian homebuyers worried about […]

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/article-tempted-to-buy-a-home-with-siblings-or-friends-heres-what-you-need-to/ Most people buy homes with their partners or by themselves. But others are ditching the traditional paradigm. Today, we’re talking about unconventional homebuyers: family members, friends and others that team up to get into the property market. We hear from two sisters who are trying to buy a house together – and who are […]

https://www.thestar.com/business/2022/05/27/a-real-squeeze-economists-anticipate-higher-interest-rates-coming-next-week.html “While a higher hike may feel like a real squeeze to homeowners now, it may mean more tempered increases for the rest of the year,” said Leah Zlatkin, a mortgage broker and analyst with LowestRates.ca. Typically, interest rate hikes do not affect credit card rates — unless consumers miss their monthly minimum payments. In […]

https://canadianmortgageawards.com/winners-excellence-awardees/2022   The MCAN Award for Broker of the Year (Regional – ON) – Shawn Stillman Young Achiever of the Year – Michelle Farrugia The Avison Young Award for Broker of the Year – Commercial The Canadian Mortgages Inc. Award for Broker of the Year – Private Lending The Community Trust Award for Alternative Broker […]

Can I afford that mortgage? Here’s how much you can safely borrow to buy your first house To give you an idea of how much you can borrow, we asked Leah Zlatkin, a mortgage broker at LowestRates.ca, to calculate a typical mortgage amount for a first time buyer making $100,000 a year. If you got […]

Is Canada’s borrowing landscape set for dramatic change? Leah Zlatkin (pictured top), a licensed broker and LowestRates.ca expert, told Canadian Mortgage Professional that those rising costs will likely be compounded by inflation, which has recently ballooned to levels not seen in over 30 years in Canada. “For people who are looking to do a fixed-rate […]

Big 5 banks swiftly pass on Bank of Canada hike to borrowers Royal Bank of Canada didn’t waste much time following the Bank of Canada’s lead, announcing early Wednesday afternoon it will raise its prime rate half a percentage point to 3.2 per cent, effective Thursday. Soon after RBC’s announcement, TD Canada Trust, Bank of Montreal, […]