Put yourself in a bank or lender’s shoes. Someone comes into your branch and asks you to politely loan them $300,000. You are a big bank, but $300,000 is still a lot of money. How do you ensure this person is going to pay back the money you loan them, on time, and in the […]

HELOC, Refinance or Second/Third Mortgages? Which one should you choose to go with? If you have decided to tap into the equity in your home, the three can seem to be interchangeable at times and for many consumers can be a difficult decision on which one to select. We have laid out seven questions to […]

Debt Service Ability. A renewed lender focus it seems. As interest rates firm, valuations are impacted, and cap rates begin to firm. What about Debt Service Ability? It is becoming more apparent that property income, and more specifically net operating income available to service debt, has a significant and growing influence on the amount of […]

Recently there were changes to the mortgage rules yet again, and one of the rule changes was regarding refinancing your home. At one point in the last 10 years you could refinance your home all the way back up to 95% of its current value, which in many cases has put that property what we […]

The purchase price you negotiate when buying or selling a home is just one part of the total cost for buying a home. In addition to the purchase price there are several other fees – known as closing costs – all of which you need to factor in to your purchase price. Closing costs tend […]

An accelerated payment is a mortgage payment that is increased slightly so that you can pay off your mortgage faster. There are two common types of accelerated payments: bi-weekly and weekly. Of the two, bi-weekly is the much more common choice because it matches with pay dates more often. An accelerated payment works by increasing […]

Before you buy a home there are a couple things you need to figure out first. One of the very first decisions you need to make is whether you want to work with a mortgage broker who is independent from the bank, or if you prefer, work with a financial representative from a specific bank. […]

Mortgage Insurance Premiums. Many people know what they are- an extra cost to you the borrower. But not many people realize how they are calculated. Understanding the premium charges and how they are calculated will help lead you to making smarter down payments. 5%- 9.99% down payment of a purchase price is a 4% premium […]

If you’re an entrepreneur, business person or commercial investor then you probably have or need a commercial mortgage. Where should you start? Do you call your bank, or do you call a commercial mortgage broker? I recommend you call your bank. Yes, that’s right; I’m a commercial mortgage broker and I am telling you to […]

Chatting with Sebastian Clovis about home renovations, it’s impossible to miss his enthusiasm. He’s splitting a downtown Toronto single-family home into a duplex. It may not sound like the most stimulating project, but for Clovis this is his element. He quickly rattles off all the neat parts of the project, from separating the HVAC system […]