Canadians Want to Pay Off Mortgages More Quickly!

Canadians aim to pay mortgages sooner
Ottawa— The Canadian Press
Published Wednesday, Jun. 22, 2011 9:35AM EDTLast updated Wednesday, Jun. 22, 2011 9:40AM EDTcomments

Canadian homebuyers are showing “a high level of financial literacy,” according to a new Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. survey that found both high levels of research and a determination to pay off mortgages quickly.

The survey, released Wednesday, said 75 per cent of respondents felt it “very important” to pay off their mortgages as soon as possible and that 39 per cent had set payments higher than the required minimum.

As well, 20 per cent had made at least one lump sum payment since obtaining their mortgage and 39 per cent planned to reduce their amortization periods at their next renewal, CMHC said.

Meanwhile, the survey found 80 per cent of respondents had researched mortgage terms and conditions, 88 per cent had a good understanding of how big a mortgage they could afford and 81 per cent have some form of savings.

CMHC said areas in which mortgage and financial professionals can offer advice and guidance are long-term mortgage and financial strategies, budgeting and managing debt.

It said research showed that during their mortgage research, just 23 per cent of first-time buyers received advice on budgeting and 18 per cent on managing debt.

In addition, the survey found that one in four recent buyers were not sure of where to go to receive reliable advice in case of financial difficulty.

CMHC conducted the online survey of 3,512 recent mortgage consumers between Feb. 25 and March 25.

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