(905) 441 0770 allen@allenehlert.com

Archive

Assistance Holdback Amount

Mortgage Term: Assistance Holdback Amount

Discover the implications of the assistance holdback amount, how it relates to government programs and how it relates to construction loans and mortgages.

Getting a Mortgage Agent

Getting a Mortgage Agent

Discover what a mortgage agent is, how they are compensated, and why building a relationship with a mortgage agent is your first step on your real estate journey.

Canada's Mortgage Process

Canada’s Mortgage Process

Today getting a mortgage is a complex process involving the collection and submission of a large amount of documentation, 6 to 7 times more than previously. This can be daunting for a lot of borrowers. This is why it is critical to work with a mortgage agent to help you through the mortgage application process. It’s also why partnering with a mortgage agent is the very first thing you should do and the first step to getting home.

Using a Cash-back Realtor

Using a Cash-Back Realtor

In today’s real estate market, many Canadian homebuyers don’t know about the benefits of a cash-back realtor. Imagine getting a part of the agent’s commission for every property deal. This is what cash-back home buying offers, making homes more affordable in Canada.

Graduated Real Estate

Mortgage Term: Graduated Rate Estate

Discover the implications of graduated rate estate, how it allows an estate to benefit from graduated income tax rates and the management of an estate’s assets.

Mortgage Commitment

Mortgage Commitment: What You Must Know Before Waiving Financing

Discover what a mortgage commitment is and its importance in regards to waiving conditions on your offer to buy a home. Learn what you need to know before waiving financing.

Mortgage Discharge Statement

Mortgage Discharge Statement

Learn why the mortgage discharge statement is an important document that ensures transparency and accuracy when calculating the total payout for a mortgage transfer.

Gifts Ineligible for Net Worth Programs

Discover why gifts are not generally eligible to be used as part of the down payment or source of income for people applying for a mortgage under the Net Worth Program

Smart Second Mortgages

Smart Second Mortgages

Smart Second Mortgages: A smart second mortgage is more than a fallback, it’s an intelligent strategic tool.

Refinance Strategy

John and Mary Canuck: Refinancing Strategy

Learn how Canadians are leveraging home ownership to generate income, reduce taxes, and build wealth.

Article Archive

 

Ontario Variable Rate Mortgage Strategy

Reverse Mortgage: Independent Legal Advice (ILA)

Reverse Mortgages and the Affluent Retiree

Funding Your Retirement: Reverse Mortgage

Reverse Mortgage to a Second Dream Home

Reverse Mortgage: Cushion Against Inflation

Struggling Financially as a Senior

Mortgages: Grossing Up Income

What is a ‘Switch’?

Key Features of a Consumer Proposal in Ontario

Mortgages: Consumer Proposal & Bankruptcy

Key Features of Bankruptcy in Ontario

What are Commitment Fees?

Mortgage Availability in a Flood Zone

Canada’s Mortgage Stress Test

Who are Canada’s Private Lenders?

Who are Canada’s Mortgage Finance Corporations?

Canada’s Non-Federally Regulated Mortgage Providers

Who are Canada’s Mortgage Investment Corporations

Does the Stress Test Apply to Private Mortgages?

How Does the Stress Test Work?

American Financial Crisis in Canada?

What is Canada’s Mortgage Default Risk?

Why Canada Needed the Mortgage Stress Test?

What does the Stress Test Prevent?

5 Reasons to Escape the Rent Trap

Why Mortgages are Important to Canada’s Banks

Where You Get Your Mortgage

The Disappearing Office Space

Price of Commuting: Lost Time, Lost Life

Price of Commuting: The Daily Journey into Toronto

Is Ontario’s 407ETR The World’s Most Expensive Highway?

10 Ways Interest Rates Impact Housing Prices

10 Reasons Why Investment Demand Impacts Real Estate Prices

10 Ways Inflation Impacts Real Estate Prices

10 Ways Economic Conditions Impact Real Estate Prices

10 Reasons Real Estate is So Expensive

10 Ways Supply and Demand Impact Real Estate Prices

10 Ways ‘Location’ Impacts Real Estate Prices.

10 Ontario cities with Strong Property Value Appreciation

10 Fastest Growing Ontario Cities

Ontario’s Top Historical Cities

10 Factors Impacting Housing Supply

Ontario’s Worst Crime Cities

10 Shortest Ontario Commute Cities

Ontario’s 10 Most Affordable Cities

The Most Wanted Community Amenities

Ontario’s Top Lifestyle Cities

10 Variable Mortgage Strategies

What is a Trigger Point

How the Trigger Point Impacts Canadians

How to Lock in a Good Rate

How to Take Advantage of Refinancing Opportunities

How to Break a Mortgage

Unaffordable Canadian Cities

Difference between the Economy and Markets

Canadian Real Estate Lacks Capital

How to Control Inflation with Interest Rates

Interest Rates and the Canadian Dollar

The Inverted Yield Curve Omen

How the Bank of Canada Steers the Economy

How Do Credit Scores Work?

How Cred Cards Work

Cred Card Rewards. Who Pays?

The Perfect Time for a Variable Rate Mortgage

What is disability Insurance?

How to Choose the Right Term Length for a Fixed Mortgage

What is Critical Illness Insurance

How to Make the Most of Prepayment Privileges for a Fixed Mortgage

10 Fixed Mortgage Strategies

Why Life Insurance is the Best Mortgage Insurance

How to Optimize Payment Frequency for a Fixed Mortgage

Record Wildfires Impact Lumber Pricing

How Alberta Leaving CPP Impacts You

Why Canadian Interest Rates Remain High

How Much is Airbnb Driving Up Rents

Experts Predict Canadian Dollar Fall

Re-Zoning to Create Affordable, Safe Neighbourhoods?

Why America Thrives and Canada Struggles

Small Business Debt: A Growing Concern for Canada’s Economy

The Housing Market and the Power of Lower Rates

Navigating Changing Interest Rates and Debt in Canada

The Importance of Private Sector Involvement in Affordable Housing

Investing in Real Estate and Infrastructure: Harnessing Long-Term Cash Flows

Canadian REITS Need Capital

Defaulting on Your Mortgage? Exploring the Consequences and Solutions

Australia’s Warning to Canada

Why a 3-Year-Fixed Mortgage May be a Bad Choice in 2024

Buy a property for $10 in Ontario: Town Makes Homeownership Affordable

Why Immigrants are Crucial for Canada’s Economy

Millennials Brace for Economic Pain

Toronto Real Estate: Dominance of Investors and Its Implications

Are You Prepared? Homeowners Brace for Mortgage Renewals

40-Year Canadian Mortgages: What you need to know.

London Addresses Homeless Crisis

The Impact of Mortgage Rates on Residential Property Values

Household Financial Stress Over High-Interest Rates

What’s So Special About 2% Inflation

How Much is Air BnB Driving Up Rent Prices?

Know the Dow, Build Your Down Payment

Mortgage Cash-Out Refinance in Ontario

Mortgage Refinance Options in Ontario

Becoming a Mortgage Guarantor

Mortgage Co-Signer: Risks & Responsibilities

Understanding Tenants in Common Ownership

Understanding Joint Tenancy Ownership

Getting a Joint Mortgage

Why the First Time Home Buyer Incentive Program was Cancelled.

Navigating the CMHC Newcomers Program

Manulife One: Mortgage and Bank Account

Canada’s New 30 Year Mortgage

Leverage Simcoe County Homeownership Program

Leveraging Peel’s BNI Homeownership Bridge Program

Leveraging GTA’s Habitat for Humanity

Leveraging the Kingston Homeownership Program

Leveraging the Dufferin Country Homeownership Program

Leveraging the Chatham/Kent Homeownership Program

Leveraging Gateway Muskoka Homeownership Program

Brantford’s B-Home Homeownership Program

Region of Waterloo Affordable Home Ownership Program

Leverage the Niagara Homeownership Program

Regional and Municipal Homeownership Programs

Mortgage Document Frustration

 

Mortgages for Co-Ops

Mortgages for Co-Ops

The idea of a co-op might raise an eyebrow. You’ve probably heard the term before, maybe in a Manhattan movie — but in Canadian real estate? Not so common. And the truth is, financing a co-op isn’t quite the same as getting a regular condo mortgage. So let’s walk through what makes them different, what lenders look for, and how you can still make it happen if you’ve got your heart set on one.

read more
Realtor Bias: Sabotaging Thoughts

Realtor Bias: Sabotaging Thoughts

You’ve walked a thousand clients through negotiations, listings, and mortgage options. You’re no rookie. But here’s the kicker: even the most seasoned real estate pros fall into mental traps—cognitive biases—without realizing it. These biases aren’t about intelligence. They’re about how our brains are wired to shortcut decisions.

read more
Realtors Doing the Hard Things

Realtors Doing the Hard Things

Every realtor I know has a hustler’s heart. You show up. You grind. You prospect, follow up, and juggle a dozen balls in the air while smiling through it all. But if we’re being honest—and we should be—there’s a layer beneath the open houses and social media reels where the real work lives. It’s not about marketing or mortgage math. It’s about doing the hard things: the gut-wrenching, emotionally taxing decisions and conversations that separate the merely successful from the truly exceptional.

read more
How to Introduce Yourself as a Realtor

How to Introduce Yourself as a Realtor

Ever walk into a networking event, open house, or even a coffee shop meeting and think, “How do I start this without sounding like I’m trying too hard?” We’ve all been there. Introducing yourself as a realtor—authentically and memorably—is one of those social skills that’s simple on the surface but can make or break your first impression.

read more
How to Handle Introduction Rejection

How to Handle Introduction Rejection

Let’s be real—as a realtor, you walk into a lot of rooms. Some are warm and welcoming. Others? Ice cold. You say your name, flash your smile, extend a hand… and you get a nod, a grunt, or worse, a look past your shoulder like you’re invisible. It stings. But if you’re going to thrive in this business, you need to know how to bounce back from these chilly introductions without letting them eat you alive.

read more
The Impact of Rejection on a Realtor’s Self-Esteem

The Impact of Rejection on a Realtor’s Self-Esteem

There’s no sugarcoating it—rejection stings. And in real estate, it’s everywhere. Clients who ghost. Listings you lose. Open house visitors who never call back. Even colleagues who barely nod when you introduce yourself at an event. If you’ve ever felt like you’re taking hit after hit, you’re not alone. It’s not just a bad day—it can feel like a slow erosion of your confidence. And when rejection becomes routine, it doesn’t just impact your business—it wears on your self-worth.

read more
How to Be a More Likeable Realtor

How to Be a More Likeable Realtor

When you think about being a successful realtor, charisma and likeability might not be the first traits that pop into your head—but they absolutely should be. Picture yourself stepping into a room full of potential clients; the way you walk, talk, gesture, and even tilt your head can dramatically affect how people perceive you. But don’t worry! Even if you’ve never thought of yourself as the charismatic type, science-backed strategies can transform you into the realtor people can’t wait to call again.

read more
Turning Realtor Activity Into Flow

Turning Realtor Activity Into Flow

You know those days where everything just clicks? You’re dialed in, the calls are smooth, the showings are crisp, and your clients are hanging on your every word like you’re reading from a script they didn’t even know they wrote. That feeling—that seamless, focused zone where you forget the clock exists—isn’t a fluke. It’s called flow. And no, it’s not just something for elite athletes or TED Talkers. You, as a realtor, can access it, build it, and live in it far more often than you think.

read more
Turning Realtor Errors Into Insight

Turning Realtor Errors Into Insight

There’s nothing like the sting of a botched listing presentation or a deal-killer clause you missed in the agreement to make you mutter, “Seriously, again?” But what if every flub—big or small—wasn’t proof you’re doomed to repeat history, but rocket fuel for the seasoned, resilient pro you’re becoming? Let’s dive into how your brain is wired to convert miscues into mastery and how you, as a realtor, can ride that wiring to the bank (and the closing table).

read more
Why Can’t We Build Homes

Why Can’t We Build Homes

“Supply, supply, supply.”
If you’ve spent any time in the world of Canadian housing policy—or if you’ve even just watched the evening news—you’ve probably heard that phrase tossed around as the magic bullet to solve our housing crisis. But here’s the real question: If we all agree that we need more homes, why can’t we just build them?

read more
Hidden Housing Costs: Provincial Downloading

Hidden Housing Costs: Provincial Downloading

We talk a lot about high home prices in Ontario—land costs, construction costs, interest rates. But there’s a quieter, less visible factor that doesn’t get enough airtime: provincial downloading.

In plain terms, downloading is when the provincial government offloads responsibilities and costs onto municipalities—without providing the funding to go with it. And when municipalities are left holding the bill, they turn to one of the few revenue tools they have: development charges.

read more
Provinces Make Housing Expensive

Provinces Make Housing Expensive

If you’ve ever wondered why Ontario’s cities are straining to pay for everything from public housing to transit to stormwater pipes, the answer lies in a quiet but powerful political strategy called “downloading.” It’s the art of pushing responsibility down the ladder—without sending the dollars to match.

read more
Understanding Your Debt Relief Options

Understanding Your Debt Relief Options

Managing overwhelming debt can feel intimidating, but Canada offers several debt-relief solutions tailored to varying financial situations. Each option comes with distinct implications for your credit score and overall financial health. Here, we outline key...

read more
5 Reasons to Escape The Rent Trap

5 Reasons to Escape The Rent Trap

Renting can offer advantages over buying, such as flexibility, lower upfront costs, and freedom from maintenance responsibilities. However, for most people, renting is not a lifestyle choice; it is an economic necessity. Most people would buy something if they could....

read more
Ever Consider a Co Op?

Ever Consider a Co Op?

let me introduce you to an underrated gem that’s been quietly helping people live affordably for decades: co-operative housing — or co-ops, for short.

read more

Featured Publications

Articles

Book: “The Program”

  • Part 1 – Building Your Down Payment
  • Part 2 – Mortgage Payoff Strategies
  • Part 3 – Building Wealth Through Real Estate

Get a free subscription to “The Mortgage Insider” containing rate updates and financial strategies!

The Mortgage Insider Newsletter