by Allen Ehlert | September 4, 2026 | Lender, Mortgages
Neo Financial could be the sleeper mortgage option you didn’t know you needed If you still think Neo Financial is mainly the company you see at mall kiosks pitching credit cards, fair enough. That is how a lot of Canadians first met the brand. But that picture...
by Allen Ehlert | September 2, 2026 | Mortgage Terms, Mortgages, Personal Finance
Choosing between a fixed and variable mortgage can feel a bit like deciding whether to pack an umbrella when the sky looks perfectly blue. You may save money by travelling light, or you may get caught in a downpour. The truth is that neither mortgage is automatically...
by Allen Ehlert | September 2, 2026 | Mortgage Terms, Mortgages, Personal Finance
A fixed mortgage can feel like putting a fence around one of your household’s biggest expenses: for the length of your term, the interest rate—and usually the required principal-and-interest payment—stays put. That certainty is valuable, but it is not free and it is...
by Allen Ehlert | September 2, 2026 | Mortgage Terms, Mortgages, Personal Finance
Mortgage providers in Canada are either federally or provincially regulated. Canada’s chartered banks are federally regulated while many other lenders (see below) are not. Getting a mortgage from a non-federally regulated mortgage provider in Canada has both...
by Allen Ehlert | September 1, 2026 | Mortgage Terms, Mortgages, Real Estate
Imagine you and your partner are excited to buy your first home in Ontario. You spend your weekends looking at homes, dreaming of your future, and planning your perfect space. But then, you start to worry about the extra costs, like the land transfer tax. That’s...
by Allen Ehlert | August 31, 2026 | Mortgage Terms, Mortgages, Real Estate
Buying a home in Canada is often described as a cornerstone of achieving financial stability and building generational wealth. But the dream of homeownership has become increasingly challenging, with the federal government’s mortgage stress test adding another...
by Allen Ehlert | August 30, 2026 | Mortgages, Personal Finance, Real Estate
In the realm of personal finance and lifestyle design, real estate often serves as a cornerstone. It represents not only a significant financial investment but also a profound lifestyle choice. As a former realtor, financial advisor, and mortgage agent, I’ve...
by Allen Ehlert | August 29, 2026 | Mortgages, Real Estate
When purchasing a property, the condition of home inspection gives the buyer the right to hire a professional home inspector to assess the property’s condition. If significant issues are uncovered, the buyer can renegotiate the price, request repairs, or cancel...
by Allen Ehlert | August 28, 2026 | Economy, Mortgages, Real Estate
The structure of the regulatory framework for the mortgage industry in Canada is intricate and multi-layered, involving federal, provincial, and municipal entities along with key market participants such as the Bank of Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing...
by Allen Ehlert | August 27, 2026 | Mortgages, Real Estate
A home appraisal and a home inspection serve different purposes in the home-buying process, with distinct focuses and outcomes. Here’s a summary of their key differences: Purpose Home Appraisal: Determines the market value of a property. Primarily conducted for...
by Allen Ehlert | August 26, 2026 | Mortgages, Real Estate
In real estate transactions, an appraisal condition is a clause in the Agreement of Purchase and Sale that makes the buyer’s obligation to complete the purchase contingent upon the property’s appraised value meeting or exceeding the agreed-upon purchase...
by Allen Ehlert | August 25, 2026 | Mortgage Terms, Mortgages
Canadians are changing their preferences for mortgages. With a recent decrease in interest rates and speculation that more could be coming, brokers have been advising their clients to return to variable-rate mortgages from the 5-year fixed mortgages that have been the...
by Allen Ehlert | August 24, 2026 | Mortgage Terms, Personal Finance
In Canada, insolvency refers to a financial state where an individual or a business is unable to meet their debt obligations as they come due. This typically means that the person or company cannot pay their bills or other debts and may owe more than they own in...
by Allen Ehlert | August 23, 2026 | Mortgages
The recent introduction of 40-year mortgages by Equitable Bank in Canada signifies a significant transition in the real estate market. This article will examine the impact of these extended mortgage terms, the difficulties encountered by developers, and the ongoing...
by Allen Ehlert | August 22, 2026 | Mortgages, Real Estate
Navigating the real estate market can be complex, especially when conditions like “sale of current property” clauses—commonly referred to as Sale of Buyer’s Property (SBP) conditions—come into play. With the cooling real estate market, these conditions...
by Allen Ehlert | August 21, 2026 | Mortgages, Real Estate
A rural property is not automatically a farm. For example, a detached home on five acres with a well, septic system and no meaningful farming operation may still qualify as a rural residential property. Conversely, substantial farming income, cultivated acreage,...
by Allen Ehlert | August 20, 2026 | Mortgage Terms, Mortgages
Think you’re stuck with your mortgage for 25 years? Think again. What if I told you there may be hidden tools within your mortgage agreement that could save you tens of thousands of dollars—and shave years off your mortgage payment timeline? Even more important than...
by Allen Ehlert | August 19, 2026 | Mortgages, Personal Finance
Divorce is hard enough emotionally. But when there’s a house and a mortgage involved, things can get financially complicated very quickly. The mortgage contract doesn’t care about the separation agreement. From the lender’s perspective, if both of you signed the...
by Allen Ehlert | August 18, 2026 | Mortgage Terms, Mortgages, Real Estate
When purchasing a condo, buyers often focus on factors like location, amenities, and square footage. However, one of the most critical aspects that can impact both the value and financial health of a condo is the reserve fund. A condo reserve fund is a crucial...
by Allen Ehlert | August 17, 2026 | Mortgage Terms
An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is a type of employee benefit plan that gives workers ownership interest in the company. In an ESOP, companies provide their employees with stock ownership, often at no upfront cost to the employees. ESOPs are typically used as...
by Allen Ehlert | August 16, 2026 | Mortgages, Personal Finance
With interest rate hikes, homeowners are facing the potential detonation of a financial bomb tied to their mortgages, the trigger rate. Let’s get into how a trigger point on a fixed-payment, variable mortgage can have such a strong impact on Canadians: Impact of...
