by Allen Ehlert | September 5, 2026 | Mortgage Terms, Mortgages, Personal Finance
In the ever-evolving landscape of Canadian real estate, rising home prices have made it increasingly challenging for many buyers to enter the market. As a result, gifted funds for down payments have become a significant enabler for many prospective homeowners,...
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 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 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 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 11, 2026 | Mortgage Terms, Mortgages, Personal Finance
A Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) is not a traditional mortgage but a type of revolving credit secured against the equity in your home. Canadians are very creative in their use of HELOCs using them for everything from investing, to debt consolidation, to using...
by Allen Ehlert | August 10, 2026 | Mortgage Terms
In Canada, the liquidity ratio refers to a financial metric used to measure an individual’s or a company’s ability to cover short-term obligations with their liquid assets. Liquid assets are those that can be quickly converted into cash without significant loss in...
by Allen Ehlert | August 9, 2026 | Mortgage Terms, Mortgages, Personal Finance
When entering the world of homeownership, understanding the dynamics of your mortgage is crucial for financial planning. Among the key concepts in mortgage management is amortization. This article aims to demystify mortgage amortization, differentiate it from the...
by Allen Ehlert | August 7, 2026 | Mortgage Terms
In Canada, an exempt contribution typically refers to contributions made to certain types of registered accounts that do not trigger immediate tax consequences or that do not count against contribution limits in specific situations. The term is most commonly...
