Understanding Refinancing: Refinancing is how you put your home equity to work, whether that means wiping out high-interest debt, funding a renovation, helping the kids, or finally breathing a little easier at the end of the month. But refinancing comes with its own vocabulary, rules and price tag.

Understanding Appraisals: You can negotiate like a pro, line up your down payment, and put together a great application, but if the appraisal comes in short, the whole deal can fail.

What is a Home Inspection: Think of a home inspection as a physical, visual check-up for the house. A trained inspector spends two to four hours walking through the property and looking at its major systems following the industry’s standard of practise.

What is a Private Mortgage: Private mortgages are a legitimate, regulated part of the lending landscape, and every year they help thousands of good people get through a tight spot, close a deal the banks wouldn’t touch, or buy themselves the time they need to get back on their feet.

Michael and Vanessa, homeowners in Calgary, Alberta, own a detached home worth $850,000. They have a first mortgage of $500,000 with a major bank at a low fixed interest rate of 3.2%. Recently, they faced unexpected financial challenges, including: $60,000 in home...

What is a prime Lender: Discover what a prime lender and what prime lending is and how prime lending fits into Canada’s mortgage landscape.

Discover how the Substantial Presence Test can impact mortgage eligibility, tax liabilities, and the terms under which loans are offered in the U.S.

Lisa is an experienced real estate investor and house flipper based in Toronto. She identifies a distressed property listed for $600,000 in a desirable neighbourhood. The house requires $100,000 in renovations, but after the improvements, it is expected to sell for...

Call Me Before Making an Offer. Buying a home can move quickly. You tour a property, fall in love with it and suddenly the listing agent is expecting an offer within the hour. Everyone feels the pressure to get the paperwork signed before somebody else swoops in. But when financing is involved, moving quickly without first speaking to me can turn an exciting purchase into a broken deal or a legal nigtmare.

In Canada, there are about 10 different kinds of lenders, offering prime, alternative, and subprime mortgages that are insured, uninsured, and insurable while also being conventional or collateral. There are literally thousands of different mortgage products on the...