HAVING YOUR CAKE AND EATING IT TOO – OUR HOUSE MAGAZINE This article appears in the April issue of Our House Magazine Looking for an escape from her daily job, one B.C.-based custom cake maker has found the perfect recipe for success. Working inside a prison can be one of the most stressful jobs out […]

Today’s blog comes from our colleague Allan Jenson. It’s hard to believe that 100% of home buyers are using a mortgage broker, or at least getting a 2nd opinion about their mortgage. We typically don’t charge for our time, we can almost always get a better rate and term than the bank and we can […]

CLOSING COSTS Closing costs are a necessity when it comes to purchasing a home. They are not included in down payments, they are not included in monthly mortgage payments, nor are they included in the purchase price of a home, but you are still responsible for paying them, in full. Knowing they exist is half […]

Today’s blog discusses a really important topic. In fact, I think it is one of the most important things you will read when deterining who you want to help you with your next mortgage. 5 year fixed rate mortgages are the norm in Canada and at the time of signing your mortgage documents you never […]

The best part about being a mortgage broker is having access to many programs that banks and credit union may not participate in. The Flex-down program is just such a program. It is a great way for home buyers who are having a hard time saving up for their down payments and closing costs. Closing […]

THE MORTGAGE INSURANCE MARKET & WHOLESALE LENDERS The Canadian mortgage market used to be very simple. We had the big banks, credit unions, and trust companies. However, almost 20 years ago, the Canadian government made three major changes to the Canadian mortgage industry. First, the government and CMHC put their weight behind Canadian mortgages by […]

Having been in this industry for about 20 years, I can honestly say I don’t know what I would have done personally without all of the excellent REALTORs I have had in my life. Leigh Nanton patiently helped me with my first home in 1998, then Karen Machut with my condo purchase, duplex purchase, and […]

THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION THIS SPRING Short Version: The most important question a home-seller must ask their Broker or their banker this Spring: ‘Do I QUALIFY to port my mortgage?’ You must re-qualify to port your mortgage to a new property, and you must re-qualify under stringent new rules. How stringent? Long Version: Let’s say […]

Apparently, as per the weather experts, March has a lot of snowfall and surprisingly so does April! Hearing this on the radio gives you a wave of emotions: holy cow, oh great, I wonder how many vacation days I have left and when can I take down my Christmas lights. Good news, those same weather […]

The Spring home buying frenzy is well underway. Many listings are starting to get multiple offers on the offer date. The questions we always get from REALTORs and Homebuyers is “How can we write an unconditional offer?” The simple answer is you really can’t. I know, many REALTORs and many Homebuyers take huge and monumental […]