Mortgaging a Property via Assignment
Mortgaging a property via assignment is a contract provision included in some real estate transactions that allow the buyer to resell or transfer a property to another buyer before the deal’s closing date. As one of the Top 3 Rated Mortgage Brokers in Vancouver, we would be more than happy to assist you with understanding Mortgaging a Property Via Assignment.
This product was originally intended to give buyers a legal way of backing out of a purchase if for some reason their circumstances changed after they had put an offer on a property, instead of having to surrender their deposit. The clause was also meant to protect sellers, ensuring a sale would still go forward if another buyer could be found.
To qualify for a product like an Assigned Mortgage, there are some things you will want to first consider:
- Not all lenders offer to finance for Assignment Purchases
- Assignment Purchase products will contain the same features and conditions that you would expect of a traditional standard mortgage qualification
- This means income and credit score requirements remain the same
- There will likely be additional documentation that will be required
- Pertaining to the Purchase Contract and Contract of Assignment
- Some lenders will only finance on the original purchase price
The assignment clause allows real estate agents to sell a contract for a single property multiple times at increasingly higher prices as they make a commission on each transfer. Buyers in the middle also benefit by pocketing the difference between what they paid and the resale value. They also don’t pay any land-transfer taxes because the entire transaction happens before the deal officially closes, so the property is never technically in their possession.
The original seller receives less than what the property ends up being worth and the last buyer may be paying an inflated price, with the difference in value going to the real estate agent and the buyers in the middle.
The option of an Assigned Mortgage can be appealing to borrowers for a few different reasons:
- Depending on how far along the process is, you could possibly be involved in choosing finishes of the property
- Depending on your local market, you could score a good deal on an assignable property
The risk to individuals and developers, regardless of incorporation or not, is that the CRA is aggressive on assignments and will often investigate GST compliance long after the transaction has occurred. This leaves the taxpayer at high risk with a large tax liability if the sale of an assignment fee was not properly documented for GST purposes. As always, remember to consult a qualified tax professional with regards to your potential exposure and ensure that GST is reported correctly along the sequence of transactions.
Let’s look at this case study on Mortgaging a Property via Assignment together…
A real estate agent’s client reaches a deal to sell a property to an initial buyer for $1 million. The agent then takes that contract and resells it to a second buyer for $1.5 million. The agent in turn goes to a third and final buyer and sells the contract for $1.8 million.
For each transaction, the agent receives a commission. The initial seller receives $1 million minus the agent’s commission. The first buyer who bought the contract for the property for $1 million and sold it for $1.5 million pockets $500,000. The second buyer who bought the contract for $1.5 million and sold it for $1.8 million gets $300,000. The third buyer pays the land-transfer tax on the $1.8 million purchase price.
For any issues with Mortgaging a Property via Assignment please reach out and one of our Senior Broker Partners would be more than happy to assess your unique situation and give you the best advice.
At GLM Mortgage Group, we are with our clients for the entire journey. From the beginning, we can identify client needs, any possible roadblocks, and give a variety of tailored solutions.
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