Mortgage blog.
Articles that answer the common questions, and case studies that work the same decisions through with real numbers.
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When should you start comparing a mortgage renewal?
Open the envelope right away. The time left before maturity is what gives you negotiating room.
Inspection or appraisal: two reviews, two purposes
The inspection works for you. The appraisal works for the lender. Both matter, for different reasons.
Refinancing: how much money you actually walk away with
From estimated value to the money that lands in your account: what gets taken off along the way.
Choose a term around your plans, not only the rate
A sale, a move, a repayment: the term length should follow your life, not just the best posted rate.
Mortgage penalty: calculate the cost before making a change
Before you sell, switch, or refinance: get a written amount, with a date on it, and add it to your costs.
HBP, FHSA, a gift, savings: where is your down payment coming from?
Every dollar of the down payment needs a source, a date, and proof. We put that together before the offer.
Renovations: choose the source of funds before work starts
Savings, line of credit, or refinancing: it depends on the work schedule as much as on the rate.
Set a purchase budget that leaves a reserve after closing
Start from the payment you want to make, and keep cash for costs, maintenance, and surprises.
Prequalification or approval: what is actually confirmed?
What a prequalification gives you, and what still has to be confirmed before the offer.
Fixed or variable: the question isn’t where rates are headed
Nobody knows where rates are going. Look instead at what your budget can absorb, and what the contract allows.
Debt consolidation: lower payment or longer debt?
Your current payments, the new mortgage balance, how long it takes, and the total interest. All four, not just the payment.
Financing condition: which dates should the offer protect?
How many days to give the financing condition, once you account for documents, appraisal, and the lender.
First purchase with a planned down payment
The price you’re targeting, the cash you actually hand over at closing, and what’s left after. We look at all three together.
Rental property purchase
A lender doesn’t always accept the rents on paper. We test the rents, the expenses, and vacancy before setting your maximum price.
Buying with a co-borrower
Two incomes, two credit files, two different contributions. We turn that into one budget, and look at what each of you brings.
Newcomer and credit file
Your status, your job, the funds you’ve transferred, and the credit history you have here. We start from what exists, not from what’s missing.
Buying before selling
Sell first, make a conditional offer, or bridge it with temporary financing. Three paths, compared against realistic dates.
Exit from a private solution
A private mortgage is planned backwards: you put a date on the exit (back to standard financing, a sale, or an extension) before the next maturity.
Buying with self-employed income
What you earn and what your paperwork shows aren’t always the same thing. We start from your assessments and financial statements to set a budget that holds up.
Renovation and existing debts
Renovations to do and debts to carry at the same time. We separate the work costs, the balances to repay, and above all the monthly payment from the total interest.
Renewal with variable income
Stay with your lender or move the mortgage elsewhere? It depends on the income your documents can support this year.
Renewal compared before maturity
Your lender sends you an offer. We put it on the same footing as the others: balance, term, privileges, and switching costs included.
Refinancing for a renovation project
Before touching the mortgage, we add it all up: the work budget, the penalty, the fees, and the new balance.
Prequalification before an offer
An estimate from last year isn’t worth much anymore. We redo your income, debts, and funds before you put in an offer.