Mortgage Blog
How to Not Qualify for a Mortgage
If you have no desire at all to qualify for a mortgage, here are some great ways to make sure you don't accidentally end up buying a house and taking out a mortgage to do so. One of the best ways to ensure you won't qualify for a mortgage is to be unemployed. Yep,...
Employment Status | How it Impacts Your Mortgage Application
Chances are, if you're applying for a mortgage, you feel confident about the state of your current employment, or your ability to find a similar position if you needed to. However, your actual employment status probably means more to the lender than you might think....
I Missed a Credit Card Payment… Now What?
If you've missed a payment on your credit card (or line of credit) and you're wondering how this will impact your creditworthiness down the road, this article is for you. But before we get started, if you have an overdue balance on any of your credit cards at this...
As Simple as Porting Your Mortgage!
As simple as porting your mortgage! Said by no one ever. The truth is, there is nothing simple about porting your mortgage. "Porting your mortgage" involves transferring the remainder of your existing mortgage term, outstanding principal balance, and interest rate to...
Minimum Required Credit Profile
Credit. The ability of a customer to obtain goods or services before payment, based on the trust that payment will be made in the future. When you borrow money to buy a house, you will be required to prove that you have a good history of managing your credit. But what...
Bank of Canada Rate Announcement Dec 4th, 2019
The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 ¾ percent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 percent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ percent. The Bank’s October projection for global economic growth appears to be intact. There is nascent...
Mortgages – So Much More Than Just the Lowest Rate!
There aren't too many Canadians who are able to save up enough money to pay cash for their home. This is why we have mortgages. A mortgage is a loan made to assist a borrower to purchase a property. The property is held as collateral and interest is charged on the...
Improving Your Credit Score
Along with employment stability, and downpayment/equity, your credit score and how you manage your credit is a huge factor in qualifying for a mortgage. If you want the best interest rates available on the market, the higher your credit score the better. However, if...
New Construction Assignment
One of the benefits of working with an independent mortgage professional is having lots of great financing options! Rather than dealing with a single lender who has one set of products, brokers work with multiple lenders who offer a wide selection of mortgage...
Is Right Now a Good Time to Buy?
If you've been thinking about buying a new home; whether that be your first home, your next home, your forever home, or your retirement home, the doom and gloom of it all might be causing you to question... is right now a good time to buy a home? Well... what if I...
Bank of Canada Rate Announcement Oct 30th, 2019
The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 ¾ percent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 percent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ percent. The outlook for the global economy has weakened further since the Bank’s July Monetary Policy Report...
Are Lenders Obligated to Renew Mortgages?
It's a common held belief that if you've made your mortgage payments on time throughout the entirety of your mortgage term, that your lender is somehow obligated to renew your mortgage. This is simply not the case. The truth is, a lender is never under any obligation...
4 Ways Alternative Lending Beats Traditional Bank Financing
Alternative lending refers to lending practices that fall outside the normal banking channels. These are lenders that think outside the box and offer lending solutions to Canadians who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for traditional bank products. Although we all like to...
How Interest Rates are Like Gas Prices
Have you ever noticed that just like gas prices, interest rates seem to go up and down for no reason at all? How come it feels like right before you are ready to buy a property, rumours of interest rate changes will start to flood the media? Or why do gas prices...
Should I Get A Mortgage Pre-Approval?
Should I get a Mortgage Pre Approval? Going through the pre-approval process is important. However, the actual term ‘pre-approval’ is often misunderstood. It’s not magic, and it’s certainly not binding. Let’s be clear, a pre-approval isn’t for the lender; it’s for...
In the Middle of a 10 Year Term? You Have Options!
If you bought a house, or had a mortgage renew roughly five years ago, there's a chance the struggling economy and the relatively low interest rate environment (at the time) influenced you to "play it safe" and lock in a mortgage term for the next ten years. Because,...
5 Reasons Why You Should Consider Investing in a Small(er) Home
The larger home is not always the better home. Yes, there still exists a large group of individuals who enjoy owning a grand estate, complete with all the modern conveniences, in addition to everything you could ever want; and of course, there’s nothing inherently...
What You Should Know About the Government’s New FTHB Incentive
Launched on September 2nd 2019, the first time home buyer’s incentive is designed to help qualified first time home buyers reduce their monthly expenses. The goal is to make housing more affordable. The government of Canada has set aside $241M for the program and has...
Bank of Canada Rate Announcement Sept 4th, 2019
The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 ¾ percent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 percent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ percent. As the US-China trade conflict has escalated, world trade has contracted and business investment has...
Urban “Off the Grid”
You're on "the grid" Every few weeks, we open our mailboxes (or our email inboxes) with bated breath. Inevitably, we find another heap of utility bills, waiting to separate us from our hard earned dollars. This is not unusual; this is simply part of life for most...
Costs Associated with Buying a Property
So you want to buy a property, that’s great! Make sure you have your wallet ready to bring to the table. In addition to the downpayment, there are many other costs associated with purchasing a home; typically, these are called closing costs. Your closing costs...
Planning Ahead, A Guide to Mortgage Documentation
It doesn’t matter if you are looking to purchase your first home, your next home, or your twentieth home; typically the mortgage documentation required to secure financing will be the same. The earlier on in the process you can collect these documents, and provide...
Protecting Your Credit Through a Divorce
No secret here, divorces are challenging, there are a lot of things to think about in a short amount of time. Although finances are often at the forefront of the discussions as it relates to the separation of assets, managing and maintaining personal credit can be...
The Interest-Only Mortgage
Relatively self-explanatory, an interest-only mortgage is one where your entire mortgage payment goes to interest and does not pay down the principal mortgage amount at all. So at the end of your term, you will owe the same amount as when you got your mortgage. So you...
Maternity/Parental Leave, and Qualifying for a Mortgage
So your family is growing! Congratulations! If you’ve thought now is the time to find a new property to accommodate your growing family, but you’re unsure how your maternity or parental leave will impact your ability to get a mortgage, you’ve come to the right place!...
Mortgage Options Into Retirement
Although it’s ideal to have your mortgage paid off by the time you retire, in today’s economy, that isn’t always possible. The cost of living is considerably higher than it has ever been, and as a result, a lot of Canadians are putting off retirement, hoping to make...
Bank of Canada Rate Announcement July 10th, 2019
The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 ¾ percent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 percent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ percent. Evidence has been accumulating that ongoing trade tensions are having a material effect on the global...
Why The Property Matters
When looking to qualify for a mortgage, typically a lender will want to review four main areas of your mortgage application. Income, credit, downpayment/equity and the property itself. Assuming you have a great job, excellent credit, and sufficient money in the bank...
Using Your RRSP To Help Buy A Home
Did you know that you can use your RRSP to help buy a home? In fact, you can, it’s called the RRSP Home Buyer’s Plan (or HBP for short). Here are a few things you need to know! It needs to be your first home (with some exceptions). Technically, you must not have owned...
First Time Home Buyer incentive | What we know so far
If you've been hearing about a new incentive for First Time Home Buyers and wondering how it might impact you, look no further, below you will find all relevant information to date. As more information is released, you can expect to find it published here. From the...
TDS? GDS? What Is Income Debt Servicing?
“Debt servicing” is the measure of your ability to meet all of your financial obligations. There are two ratios that are examined by financial institutions to determine whether you can debt service a mortgage. The first one is called the “gross debt service” ratio...
What You Should Know About Buying A Home With a Rental Suite
Thinking about buying a home with a rental suite? This can be a great idea if you want to help offset the cost of your home expenses, and it can also potentially help with qualifying for a mortgage on your new purchase, but there are some things you should know up...
Can I Get a Mortgage with No Downpayment?
The simple answer to this question is no. In order to secure mortgage financing in Canada you have to come up with at least a 5% downpayment.Now, if you haven't set aside the 5% for a downpayment in your savings account, that is okay. There are still a few ways to get...
Bank of Canada Rate Announcement May 29th, 2019
The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 ¾ per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 per cent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ per cent. Recent Canadian economic data are in line with the projections in the Bank’s April Monetary Policy...
Mortgage Post Bankruptcy
This should come as no surprise, but sometimes life throws you a financial curveball. Bankruptcy and consumer proposals happen. It doesn't mean your life is over, and it doesn't mean you won't ever qualify for a mortgage again. The key here is to get a plan in place...
Avoid This Mistake When Shopping for a House
No doubt about it, buying a home is an emotional experience. It's a game of balancing needs and wants, while trying to be honest with yourself about those very needs and wants. It's hard to get it right, figuring out what's negotiable and what isn't... what you can...
How Much Difference Will Extra Payments Make Towards My Mortgage?
Have you ever wondered how much difference extra payments actually make in paying down your mortgage? Let's take a look and maybe do a little math. The first (and largest) factor to look at is the amortization, which is the remainder of your mortgage’s life. A...
How Can I Pay Down My Mortgage Faster?
Although getting a mortgage is exciting as it allows you to become a homeowner, a mortgage is, in fact, a lot of debt. So if you have a mortgage, your goal should be to get rid of it as quickly as possible. Here are four things you can do to help pay off your mortgage...
Bank of Canada Rate Announcement April 24th, 2019
The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 ¾ per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 per cent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ per cent. Global economic growth has slowed by more than the Bank forecast in its January Monetary Policy...
A Conversation About Mortgage Pre-approvals
Thinking of buying a property, but don't know where to start? Well... that's where a mortgage pre-approval comes in. Start here. Just like you wouldn't go into a restaurant without having enough money to buy your meal, so you shouldn't start shopping for a home...
Tips for Homebuying with Family Members
Pooling resources with parents or siblings opens possibilities when it comes to buying a home everyone can afford. Homebuying requires careful planning though, since there’s so much at stake—and money is the least of it; we’re talking love and loyalty here. If you...
Buying A Home, The 30,000 Foot View
Did you know that the average Canadian will spend roughly 11 months actively engaged in the house buying process? However, most of the dreaming (and preparation) happens before then. Buying a home is a big deal, and it's a decision that shouldn't be taken lightly....
Bank of Canada Rate Announcement Mar 6th, 2019
The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 ¾ per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 per cent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ per cent. Recent data suggest that the slowdown in the global economy has been more pronounced and widespread...
5 Things to Help You Survive Your 40s & 50s
You know those days where everything goes wrong and you’re so tired you don’t know what direction’s up? They’re a lot more manageable when you know what you’re working towards. Here’s 5 things that’ll help you survive—and make the most of!—your 40s and 50s. 1. Do...
Top Dollar: How High Can You Go?
Affordability is a major concern for today’s aspiring first-time homebuyers. In hot real estate markets like the Greater Toronto and Greater Vancouver regions, however, the desire for affordability can be challenged by the competitive fervour caused by escalating...
5 Ways to Boost Your Financial Fitness
Thinking about buying your first home? The race to home ownership is more like a marathon than a sprint: diligent planning, pacing and strategy are the keys to success. Are you ready to approach the starting line? Here are five ways to shape up and boost your...
Bank of Canada Rate Announcement Jan 9th, 2019
The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 ¾ per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 per cent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ per cent. The global economic expansion continues to moderate, with growth forecast to slow to 3.4 per cent...
7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Building a Home
Building your dream home can sound really exciting, but have you thought about everything that goes into building a new home?Here are 7 Questions you should ask yourself before making any concrete plans!1. What are my expectations with this new home?Are you looking...
Your Work Makes You Happier Than You Think
While we may think we dislike our work, research shows we’re considerably less happy doing nothing. The great paradox of working for a living, according to a recent longread by Derek Thompson for The Atlantic, is “that while many people hate their jobs, they are...
Bank of Canada Rate Announcement Dec 5th, 2018
The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 ¾ per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 per cent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ per cent. The global economic expansion is moderating largely as expected, but signs are emerging that trade...
Bank of Canada Rate Announcement Oct 24th, 2018
The Bank of Canada today increased its target for the overnight rate to 1 ¾ per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 per cent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ per cent. The global economic outlook remains solid. The US economy is especially robust and is expected to...
Can’t Find the Perfect Property In Your Price Range?
You're pre-approved for a mortgage, you've been shopping with location in mind, but unfortunately the perfect property isn't jumping out at you. There is no doubt about it, finding the perfect property (within your price range) is a difficult task, especially for...