How to pay your mortgage off faster

Once you have your monthly mortgage payment figured out, set up bi-weekly payments rather than monthly payments. By paying every two weeks rather than once a month, you’ll actually end up paying 13 monthly payments a year - which is an extra payment every year. This will cut your 25 year mortgage down by a few years and will save you money in interest.

If you have a yearly bonus, or get money back on your tax return, (and you don’t have other high interest debt to pay off) consider putting that amount directly towards your mortgage.

Consider ways you could supplement your mortgage payments using the property you already own. Do you have a suite you can rent out? Or the potential to build a suite for this purpose? Another way Canadian homeowners, especially millennials, are curbing their mortgage costs is through Airbnb rentals. In a recent Airbnb study they found “more than 50 per cent of the income generated by Airbnb rentals are by people that are using it for everyday experiences to pay for things like rent, mortgages, and average utilities”.

Most homeowners don’t take advantage of making pre-payments. They may see it as lofty or impossible, or they may not see the huge value in it. Most mortgages allow you to pay 20% off the principal per year, which is really significant!

“What makes pre-payments so powerful is that unlike a regular mortgage payment, which is split between interest and principal, the full amount goes towards principal. Common pre-payments options offered by lenders include lump sum payments, increasing your payment and doubling up your payment. Many of us shop for mortgage based solely on the mortgage rate. While the lowest mortgage rate may be the best mortgage, that’s not always the case. If your goal is to be mortgage-free sooner, you’ll want to find a mortgage with a low rate and generous pre-payments,”