Your savings cover the minimum down payment? Good. But what’s left on top isn’t automatically free to raise your offer.
Inspection, legal fees, transfer duty, adjustments, moving, plus a reserve for after possession: it all comes out of the same pool. We set a price that respects those costs and a payment you can carry, not just the maximum allowed.
Discuss my first purchase with MathieuFor a first purchase, I compare more than twenty lenders on the rate, but also on the insurance premium, prepayment privileges, and how each one handles the HBP, an FHSA, and a family gift.
On a first purchase, your bank shows you its own products and you have nothing to compare them against. I put your file in front of more than twenty lenders, show you the differences, and take the time to explain what you’re signing (the premium, the penalty, the privileges), because it’s your first time and nobody else will.
Fifteen minutes on the phone. Your income, what you’ve saved, where you want to buy. No documents needed to start.
Not just the maximum. The down payment, legal fees, transfer duty, and what you keep aside after closing.
You shop with a solid price range and a payment you already know.
Send me the offer, I build the file with the lenders and coordinate through to the notary.
The real number is what’s left after the down payment goes out, the fees are paid, and a small reserve is set aside. It’s often a lot less than what the account shows today. And that’s the amount that decides the price you can aim for.
Each has its own rules, forms, and timelines. If your offer depends on that money, eligibility and dates need confirming before you submit it, not after.
In most files you pay nothing: I’m paid by the lender that secures your financing. What it costs, in detail
Calculators provide useful reference points when their results are placed within a complete transaction budget.
Often yes, if each program’s rules are respected. We need to look at your eligibility, the amounts available, and the timing of the withdrawals. I fit that into your purchase budget. For the tax side, confirm with your accountant or the official sources. That part isn’t mine to rule on.
Yes, depending on the program and the lender. You need to be able to explain where the money comes from, show it isn’t repayable, and prove the deposit. Talk to me before moving the funds: I’ll tell you what record to keep and when the money needs to be in the account. It’s far easier to document ahead of time than after the fact.
The lender reviews your file and the property. I handle everything on the financing side, explain the conditions as they come in, and tell you what still needs confirming. Your real estate broker and your notary keep their own responsibilities on their end.
On the financing side, yes: several borrowers on one file is routine. I calculate the budget and present your financial information to the lender. But ownership, who contributes what, and what happens if you separate: that gets settled separately, with a notary or a lawyer. Don’t put that conversation off.
Yes. There can be taxes, deposits, a delivery date that shifts, adjustments, and expenses you don’t see in a resale. The advertised price isn’t enough. I go back over the contract, the payment schedule, and the known costs, so the money is there at the right moment and you know what the final payment will look like.
Major banks, credit unions, and specialized lenders each apply their own criteria, products, and terms. A logo does not mean that a mortgage will be offered or approved.
