TagBig Six Banks

Ask the mortgage expert: how Canada’s self-employed can unlock homeownership

For too long, Canada’s self-employed have faced a maddening paradox. The very financial strategies that prove your business savvy—like maximizing deductions to lower your taxable income—often become the biggest roadblocks to securing a mortgage.

As a mortgage broker, I see this scenario play out every week. I meet brilliant entrepreneurs, skilled contractors, and creative freelancers who have thriving businesses and excellent cash flow. Yet, they get turned away by traditional lenders fixated on a single line on a tax return. The story is always the same: “My business is having its best year ever, but the bank says I don’t make enough money.”

If this sounds familiar, take heart. The landscape has changed. Lenders and mortgage insurers now recognize the unique financial reality of the self-employed. A new generation of intelligent mortgage products has arrived, designed to look beyond your declared income and see the true financial strength of your business. The T4 slip is no longer the only golden ticket to homeownership. Continue Reading…

I hope you will enjoy this article and if you have any questions or would like to discuss I am always available.

Your best interest is my only interest. I reply to all questions and I welcome your comments. Like this article? Share with a friend.

Steve Garganis: 416-224-0114; steve@canadamortgagenews.

Posted October 3, 20242 Comments Bank News

The Great Mortgage Reset

A FOUR PART SPECIAL EDITION… PART 4 of 4

THE GREAT MORTGAGE RESET… MY RECOMMENDATIONS.

This policy of making it harder to borrow money has only hurt the little guy, the first time buyer and second time buyer. Those with a higher net worth and accumulated savings can more easily buy a home. This goes against what CMHC stood for. Their mandate was to promote housing in Canada. Somewhere along the way, this goal has been lost. We need to bring it back.

Here are the changes that I would propose to make life more affordable immediately:

Posted October 1, 2024 Bank News

The Great Mortgage Reset

A FOUR PART SPECIAL EDITION… PART 3 of 4

Canada’s mortgage lending rules and policies are broken. They just don’t work. And the more our Federal government tries to help, the worse it gets. This is a 4 part series of what our government can do to make home ownership affordable.

KNOWING THE PAST WILL HELP OUR FUTURE.

I’m going to list some of the changes that have handicapped Canadians from buying and renting. There are over 30 changes over the last 18 years but I’m just going to list the ones that have had the greatest impact. Notice the pattern of ever tightening government lending rules that increase a homeowner’s

Posted September 20, 2024 Bank News

10 up and 3 down, unintended consequences!

LOTS OF MOVEMENT IN MORTGAGE RATES

Sounds like a football play. But I’m not talking about football even though the NFL season just started and my Buffalo Bills won their first two games. I’m referring to how many times the Bank of Canada’s (BoC) Governor, Tiff Macklem, has changed the Overnight rate since March 2022.

Did you know we saw 10 rate hikes totaling 4.75% in just 16 months from March 2022 to July 2023? That’s never happened before. And most of those rate hikes

Posted July 25, 20241 Comment Bank News

Bank of Canada Rate Cut July 2024: Impact on Mortgages and Economy

The Bank of Canada just cut the overnight rate by another 0.25%. For the second consecutive month, they’ve lowered the rate. In total, a 0.50% drop in two months. (not enough, but it’s a start) Great news for anyone in a Variable rate mortgage. It means you will be paying 0.50% less on your mortgage. We can expect further cuts this year and next. Read on for more details.