Mortgages for cottages a tougher sell
Lenders look at property more critically
OTTAWA — Whether you call it a cottage, a cabin or a camp, when the temperature begins to rise, the dreams of sitting on the dock at a place of your own start this time of year.
But if you don’t have the cash on hand to buy one outright, you’ll have to borrow the money.
And while the process of applying for and qualifying for a mortgage are the same, lenders will look at many more variables when assessing a property before lending money to buy a cottage.
Barry Gollom, vice-president of mortgages and lending at CIBC, says while your strength as a borrower is important, banks will also take a close look at the property being acquired when determining how much they are willing to lend.
“Lenders will look at the location, proximity to a major market, sometimes is it on a big lake, is it on a small lake, access to the property, year-around is best, paved roads is a plus,” Gollom said. “Lenders will want to ensure that there’s a safe and consistent water source as this can sometimes materially impact the marketability and value of the cottage.”
Mortgage broker Frank Napolitano says most lenders want a cottage to be a four-season property if they are going to loan you money, but he says some will finance three-season cabins.
“It is difficult to get financing if you can only access the cottage by water,” says Napolitano, managing partner at Mortgage Brokers Ottawa. “The property has to be marketable.”
If you aren’t putting down at least 20 per cent, you’ll need mortgage default insurance just like an ordinary home purchase.
However, CMHC changed its rules last year so that it would no longer insure mortgages on second homes. That means you’ll have to go with a private mortgage insurance company which can provide the necessary coverage if your lender requires it due to the size of your down payment.
Depending on your situation, you could also consider refinancing your home or using a home equity line of credit if you have paid off enough of it to use it to borrow the cash you need.
Gollom says it is not uncommon for buyers to use a combination of financing through their home and the vacation property to make the purchase.
However, if you only made a small down payment on your home when you bought it and haven’t owned it for very long, you may not have the room you need to finance your new purchase.
Joe Walsh, a mortgage broker with Bedrock Financial Group in Toronto, says no matter how you choose to finance your purchase, for the lender it is about whether you can repay the debt.
“You need to have a lot of room in your income to be able to service the additional, what $200,000, $300,000?” he said.