Rates aren’t everything: Don’t forget to consider term when it comes your mortgage
OTTAWA — You shopped around for the best deal on your mortgage and weighed the pros and cons of going with a fixed-rate or a variable-rate loan, but another key factor to consider is the term.
A majority of borrowers opt for a five-year mortgage — about 54 per cent according to Mortgage Professionals Canada — but experts say homebuyers need to consider how long they want to commit to when it comes to their loan.
James Laird, co-founder of interest rate-comparison website RateHub, says when people are buying a house and signing a mortgage it can feel like nothing is going to change for the next 10 or 20 years, so signing for a five-year term may seem like it’s no big deal.
“But life is a bit different than that,” Laird said, as relationships and jobs can change.