March 11, 2013. Got quoted today in Mortgage Broker News, about registering former grow-ops with the regulatory authorities.  Not a good idea, in my opinion, it will narrow lender choice and hurt real estate investors and innocent home buyers.  A properly remediated property

Is this you or someone you know? You are a new investor and have dreams of building a real estate portfolio. You have your primary residence and there is some locked-in equity, but gosh darn, your existing mortgage term is not expiring in the near future.

Many consumers think that mortgages can only be obtained by walking into a ‘bricks and mortar’ retail bank. But the mortgage lending world goes far beyond that. There are so many mortgage options and lenders available,

Previously I discussed the mortgage pre-approval, which is the first step in the mortgage approval process. Here is a basic rundown of the rest of the process, from purchase offer acceptance to closing day.

You may have heard the terms Home Equity Line of Credit, HELOC, readvanceable mortgage, ‘Smith Manoeuvre’ used by sophisticated investors. It is a popular strategy with sophisticated investors, but how does it actually work?

You hear the terminology ‘pre-approval’ often, but do you know exactly what it entails? One of the biggest misconceptions is that a pre-approval commitment from a lender is a guarantee of financing…it is simply just

In a previous blog, I covered the basics on the GDS (gross debt service) and TDS (Total debt service) ratios.  Rental income is treated differently from your regular gross income earnings. How rental income is calculated

Debt ratios are fundamental to mortgage approval. The purpose of the ratio is to assess whether you, the borrow, can service your existing debt plus the new debt that you are applying for. The typical mortgage lender expects

Sept 4, 2012. If you’re seeking a home equity line of credit (HELOC) or readvanceable mortgage equalling 66%-80% of your home’s value, it would be wise to act soon. Rumour has it that some banks may start cutting back on their HELOC lending limits this month. This move relates to

June 21, 2012 The Federal Government announced  four new clampdowns on insured mortgages (more than 80% loan to value) that will quickly come into effect on Monday, July 9th, 2012.