Getting a Home Renovation Mortgage
There are many homes offered for sale in Chatham, London and the surrounding areas that have great potential, but are in need of repairs or renovations.
These homes are generally sold at prices that represent excellent value. While the value of these homes is attractive, financing the necessary work can be difficult.
Wouldn’t it be nice if it were possible to buy that “fixer-upper” at a great price, immediately have it renovated into your dream home, and do it all with one manageable mortgage and a minimum down payment?
Well, it’s possible with a CMHC “Purchase Plus Improvements” mortgage. By putting down as little as 5% of the “as improved” value, you can purchase a home, renovate it, and pay for it all in one mortgage payment at your initial rate.
For example, if you purchased a home for $120,000 and wanted to do $30,000 worth of renovations, CMHC will insure a mortgage based on 95% of the “as improved” value. In other words, with a down payment of $7,500 (5%) CMHC will insure a mortgage of $142,500. The key for this working is that the cost of the home renovations has to be reflected in the “as improved” value of the house. In this example, CMHC would have to agree that the house would have a value of at least $150,000 after the $30,000 worth of proposed renovations were done.
The insured loan will be based on the lower of either the purchase prices, plus the actual cost of improvements or the “as improved” market value. However, 90-95% financing is only available if the lending value does not exceed the price ceiling for your area (i.e. $175,000 or $300,000).
How does it work?
When you have decided to make an offer on a house in Chatham or the surrounding area, make that offer conditional on getting a CMHC “Purchase Plus Improvements” Mortgage. Since the offer will be conditional on arranging this type of financing, you are not at risk in the event that CMHC decides the cost of the proposed renovations are not fully reflected in the “as improved” value.
Next, have a qualified contractor put together a description and a cost estimate for the proposed repairs or renovations. If you bring your “contractor’s estimate” along with the “offer to purchase” to me, I will submit your application to CMHC on your behalf.
Other Mortgage Services
• First Time Home Buyer Mortgages
• Mortgage Renewals
• Refinancing Your Mortgage
• Self-Employed Mortgages
• Bad Credit Mortgages
