Reverse Mortgage – Need to Know HomeEquity Bank is the only bank in Canada that currently offers the CHIP Reverse Mortgage as well as a secondary product, Income Advantage. These two products are options for homeowners unlike anything else out there. Instead of borrowing money to purchase a house, they will lend you money if […]

Congratulations on the Mortgage! Now Let’s Get Rid of It! So now that you’re a home owner, what are your next steps? Well first, you will have to figure out exactly how you are going to get RID of that mortgage. Yes, that’s right. Now that you got it, here are four ways you can […]

Looking for a mortgage… you better know your credit score Over the last month, as the big banks and many of our monolines mortgage lenders wind down their fiscal year, we are starting to see some very obvious changes in what your credit score can get you. I heard a few months ago that 720 […]

Mortgage Interest Rate Tiers Since we know that lenders can back-end insure our mortgages (please read our Mortgage Insurance Market and Wholesale Lenders article first), and that this specifically makes these mortgage investments more attractive to investors, what does it mean for borrowers (every day people like you and me)? To recap, any mortgage that […]

Toys and buying a home In 2005, I was asked to do a pre-approval by a couple hoping to buy a home. I went through the application with them and pre-approved them for $320,000. They were astounded. They told me that their bank told them that they were qualified to a maximum of $260,000. They […]

4 Facts About Using a Guarantor A Guarantor, when it comes to mortgages, is exactly what it sounds like—they “Guarantee” the mortgage for another person if they are unable to pay back the loan. Guarantor’s or co-signers are often used if someone has: • Damaged or poor credit • Insufficient income In most cases, someone […]

Pre-Approved for Your Mortgage… What Does that Really Mean? There is a myth out there that once you’re pre-approved for a mortgage, you’re good to go out and buy a home… with a no subject offer… DON’T do it! A pre-approval means that based on being able to PROVE (through documentation) your CURRENT income, expenses, […]

Growing cannabis at home? Let’s weed through those mortgage issues! As many of you already know, Canada just became the second country in the world to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. Of course, this historic moment in Canadian history has cannabis activists jumping for joy while others are not s-toked on the idea. […]

5 GREAT Reasons To Provide a 20% Down Payment when Buying a Home There are many challenges that come into play when you’re in the market to buy a home. Buyers say the number one obstacle to home ownership is saving enough for a down payment, the amount that the buyer provides toward the purchase […]

Why I Remember As a community newspaper reporter for a decade around B.C., I covered a lot of stories. I probably wrote thousands of pieces during my career. And the range was as wide as you’d expect in cities with thousands of people. They could be interesting, fun, and in some cases, heart wrenching. You […]