Anyone looking to acquire financing in New Brunswick for their homes, should look toward mortgage loans. Whether you are a first time home buyer or commercial/residential investor looking for financing, mortgage loans are now a reasonable solution to complete your transaction and get the home you’ve been dreaming about. It’s simple to get approved for a mortgage loan in New Brunswick. Waiting in line and signing a bunch of paperwork is a thing of the past. Nowadays, applicants only have to sign an online application form where just a few days, they can receive their mortgage in New Brunswick. Smarter Loans has made sure we’ve done the bulk of the work for you. Below you will find a concise list of reliable companies that you can trust to provide your NB mortgage loan.
Take a look and compare the options being provided such as the products they offer, interest rates, terms, qualification and even some customer reviews. Once you find the most appropriate loan for your situation, click on the “Apply Now” button next to it to be redirected to their website. Once at their website, you will be asked to fill out an online mortgage loan application form. Another option we provide at Smarter Loans, is to pre-apply through our website where we can then match you with the most appropriate lender for your situation. Then, in just 24-48 hours, you will be contacted by them to finish processing your request.
Qualifying for a residential mortgage in New Brunswick is a matter of finding a lender who will work with your particular financial circumstances. Several factors determine your eligibility for a mortgage and the size and type of mortgage you can get:
You will need to be able to provide documentation on all of these factors, as well as ID and proof of address when you apply. Each lender will then have their own criteria for deciding whether you pass their approvals process. Generally speaking, as long as you have a credit score of above 600, a steady income, and at least a 5% down payment, you should be able to secure a mortgage from most lenders. There are also options for those who don’t fit this standard or who have unusual needs.
Although New Brunswick is one of the smaller provinces, there are still plenty of lenders for residents to choose from. These fall into several categories: traditional lenders such as banks and credit unions, mortgage companies and other financial providers, and niche lenders. This last category includes private lenders, bad credit lenders, mortgages for new construction, reverse mortgages, and so on. The vast majority of New Brunswickians get their mortgages from banks and credit unions.
If you’re seeking a commercial mortgage, the same range of options apply, and you may also be able to access government-sponsored mortgages as well, if you are a small or new business.
You can use a residential mortgage to purchase almost any kind of residential property, including a single-family home, a newly constructed home, a multi-unit property, a townhouse, a condo, a vacation property, land, or even a mobile home or houseboat. You can also use a mortgage to finance home renovations.
Commercial mortgages are for business-owned property, such as industrial buildings, multi-use properties, office buildings, medical buildings, retail plazas, warehouses, and so on.
Qualifying for a commercial mortgage is a little different from qualifying for a residential mortgage. Instead of analyzing your personal finances, the lender will analyze the finances of the company buying the property, and the primary factor of concern is the debt service coverage ratio. The lender will want to see copies of the business’s financial history, assets and debts, proof of profitability, projected revenues, and a business plan. Credit score is also important, as is the size of your down payment. All of this information together will dictate how much of a risk your business is considered to be, and how much you can borrow.
Interest rates in New Brunswick are not quite as low as in more populated provinces (as lenders cannot rely on the same volume of customers), but when combined with the province’s low property prices, purchasing property here is still very affordable. The exact interest rate you qualify for will depend on your personal circumstances – your income, credit score, down payment, and so on – but generally rates range from 2% to 5%, with the average sitting at 3%. Both variable rates and fixed rates are widely available.
The Government of Canada has stipulations on the size of down payment property buyers must have, which correspond to the value of the property being purchased. All home buyers in New Brunswick must follow these rules. Homes worth under $500,000 (which includes the vast majority of private properties in the province) need a down payment of at least 5%. Homes worth more than this need at least a 10% down payment, and even more if the property is worth over $1 million. The average property price in New Brunswick is $200,000, so the average required down payment is $10,000.
Buying a property always comes with a slew of fees and taxes, and as these can add up, it’s very important to know in advance how much to budget for them all. In general, the closing cost when buying a house in New Brunswick is about 1-2% of the sale price of the home, and this amount consists of: home inspection fees, mortgage lender fees, title insurance, legal fees, mortgage insurance, broker fees, and so on. This also includes Land Transfer Tax, which is low in New Brunswick, at just 1%. However, there is also a Harmonized Sales Tax of 15%. This is only payable on brand new properties, and rebates are available for properties worth less than $350,000.
Mortgage pre-approval is a useful but not required step that buyers can take when house hunting. Essentially, it means providing all of your financial documentation to a lender before you have found a home to purchase. The lender can then assess your situation and give you an estimate on how much you would be able to borrow, and at what rate. Some lenders offer “locked-in” rates with pre-approval, meaning that for a certain period of time you would be guaranteed this rate. This information can help inform your house hunting decisions and speed up the process when you find a house to bid on.
The Canadian government has several programs to help first-time buyers get a foot on the property ladder, all of which apply to New Brunswick residents. The First-Time Home Buyer Incentive allows eligible buyers to finance a portion of their purchase through the government. The Home Buyer’s Plan allows you to withdraw up to $35,000 from an RRSP to assist with your purchase. There are also tax incentives: the Home Buyer’s Amount provides up to $5000 in tax credits, and buyers of new properties worth less than $350,000 are eligible for HST rebates.
Amy Orr is a professional writer and editor with over 10 years of experience in the Canadian, U.S. and U.K. financial markets. She has written for numerous publications on topics as diverse as economic literacy, corporate finance, and technical analysis of numerical data. Prior to transitioning to full-time writing, she worked in the hedge fund sector. Her academic background is astrophysics, and she has a Masters in Finance from the University of Edinburgh Business School.
Jenna West is Smarter Loans' in-house financial writer and content director. She has been covering the Canadian FinTech and finance industry since 2017, including financial trends analysis, industry surveys, regulatory updates and changes in Canadian consumer behaviour when it comes to finance.
