CategoryMortgage Tips

Posted March 13, 20184 Comments Case study

Credit counselling, Consumer proposal or Bankruptcy… Which option is most favourable?

A couple in their 30s contacts me for a mortgage. They want to buy a new home. She’s a high school teacher and he’s a computer firm manager. Incomes are good. I check their credit.

Let’s stop here for a minute… If they have good credit, an approval is simple and we can provide the clients with several mortgage options.

But let’s assume that this couple ran into some debt and credit issues three years ago… and they made three different choices about how to resolve those credit problems: 1) Credit Counselling; 2) Consumer Proposal; or 3) Bankruptcy. I want to take you through each scenario and show you how long each of these three options affects your ability to finance a home. I bet the results will surprise you! Continue reading “Credit counselling, Consumer proposal or Bankruptcy… Which option is most favourable?”

Posted March 6, 20184 Comments Mortgage News

Mortgage Awards of Excellence Marketing Campaign of the Year Finalist!

I’m honoured to be named a finalist for Marketing Campaign of the Year at the inaugural Mortgage Awards of Excellence 2018 for this news site!

Thank you to my amazing clients and loyal readers!

Winners will be announced live during the awards on May 3, 2018. Regardless of the outcome, I’m thrilled to be named a finalist for something I truly enjoy doing

This site continues to evolve because you want to learn more about the mortgage industry, and you have trusted me to offer facts and my true opinions since I started this site in 2009.

I enjoy helping educate Canadians on the value of using a mortgage broker when making among the largest purchases of your lifetime – buying real estate!

Continue reading “Mortgage Awards of Excellence Marketing Campaign of the Year Finalist!”

Posted February 20, 20188 Comments Debt

Reverse Mortgages growing in popularity… Product of the year 2018?

Mortgage stress test is the buzz phrase in mortgage lending for 2018. Every borrower, regardless of how much down payment you’re making, must pass a stress test to qualify for a mortgage. The math is simple, yet intimidating. Lenders must now use your mortgage contract rate PLUS 2.00% to qualify you.

Yes, that’s correct. You need to qualify at a rate that’s 2.00% higher than your actual rate. And it doesn’t matter if you have 35%, 40%, 50%, 60% or even 70% down payment. That will not have any impact on your approval. It’s all about how much income you can prove you earn and the strength of your credit worthiness.

For many, this new rule will prevent them from qualifying for a mortgage. And for seniors or people approaching retirement who still require a small mortgage to get through the next 10 or 20 years, these new mortgage rules are a killer. The stress test is surely causing stress among many Canadians!

I’M RETIRING AND WANT TO STAY IN MY HOME…

A reverse mortgage is a terrific option for homeowners who are at least 55 years old. It empowers them to be able to stay in their home and access tax-free equity without having to make regular payments.

Continue reading “Reverse Mortgages growing in popularity… Product of the year 2018?”

Posted February 13, 20183 Comments Interest rates

Rent is up, vacancy is down… rental properties make sense

Rental properties are a secure long-term investment. Note the emphasis on “long-term”.

Check out any seven-year period over the past 50 years (anyone who has read this news site knows that I always recommend buying and holding for at least seven years). Property values have almost always risen.

Sure, the last five or 10 years have seen fantastic appreciation in almost every part of Canada. But, let’s leave capital appreciation out of the equation for now.

Why aren’t we talking about rental income? Or, how about the equity growth through your mortgage being paid down each year?

RENTAL INCOME IS UP, UP, UP!

Rents have definitely gone up with inflation (or even higher, in many cases, as we have seen in urban markets like Toronto and Vancouver). This is part of what makes rental properties attractive – rent rises with inflation and, in many cases, even higher. This is how you create your own pension or retirement income! Continue reading “Rent is up, vacancy is down… rental properties make sense”

Posted February 2, 20181 Comment Money saving tips

Why I started this site… 400+ articles later

I’m often asked why I started this site. It’s simple: I was tired of reading misinformation and twisted truths about mortgage brokering in Canada.

Back in 2009 when I created the site, there were some new blogs reporting on mortgage trends and offering ‘expert’ advice. (I use the term ‘expert’ loosely.) In reality, these sites were full of misinformation. The information was even damaging to the mortgage brokering landscape, in many cases… yet, they were being quoted by our largest newspapers and TV news channels. Wow! How can the major newspapers print this stuff?? It made me angry.

At the same time, there were rate shopping sites being launched. You know the ones… they compare bank, credit union and mortgage broker rates. These sites promised to compare rates, with no strings attached and tell you which provider has the lowest rate. They were supposed to be totally unbiased. They were supposed to be market neutral. Hey, don’t get me wrong, everyone loves to compare, shop and save, right? Comparing is part of being a smart consumer… but there is this huge problem… These sites are NOT unbiased or neutral. These sites are NOT run or owned by independent people.

You would expect a product review site to be neutral and unbiased, right? I mean, it just makes sense. If I want to compare hotels or vacation destinations, I’ll go to a site like TripAdvisor or Booking.com. We can clearly view the best available price and past customer experiences. We wouldn’t expect TripAdvisor or Booking.com to own the hotels or airlines they were advertising. That would be a conflict of interest.

Continue reading “Why I started this site… 400+ articles later”