Here we go again! I recently posted about the improved deal I got on our house insurance just by phoning up and asking for a better price. Almost to prove my point, I called up the lender who holds the mortgage on our PPOR, asked for a better rate, and they were able to pretty much instantly knock off .05% (pending new paperwork to sign).
Not a vast improvement but nothing to sneeze at either—that works out to about $50/year for every $100,000 owing (.0005 x 100,000). Since this is the mortgage for our PPOR, we can’t tax deduct expenses like mortgage interest so every bit less we have to pay back is more money to us instead of the bank.
It’s worth noting we’re already on a discounted rate by virtue of having both our PPOR mortgage and IP LOC together under the one umbrella product.
The bank wasn’t, unfortunately, able or willing to improve the rate applicable to our equity loan but did suggest we could convert that loan to a fully-fledged home loan to achieve a better rate. Interesting concept but I’m not clear on the tax implications—i.e. the debt may be considered non-deductible.
We’re on a variable rate loan product and intend to stay there. I briefly considered fixing some or all of the loan before the most recent rate cut but was obviously glad I didn’t as interest rates dropped .25%. Some pundits in the media are predicting a second rate cut this year.
Michael Beresford at Open Wealth recently published a brief but informative “Wealth Workout of the Day” video on the subject of variable vs fixed and some of the implications you may not have considered, such as pulling equity out of your property. Here’s the video.
I suppose a disclaimer is also worth posting: I'm just a guy, I'm not an accountant, lawyer, solicitor, tax agent, mortgage broker, banker, financial adviser, insurance agent, land developer, builder, government agent, or anything else so I disclaim your application of anything I write here is to be applied at your own risk. What I write may be incorrect and you are best to seek your own professional advice (tax, legal, financial, and otherwise) before entering into contracts or spending your money. Your situation is unique to you and what I write here reflects my experience only. This content is not professional advice and is not tailored to your situation. I'm learning too and expect to make many, many mistakes along the way.
Enjoy,
Michael
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