Mortgage guides

Plain-English answers for Canadians buying, renewing or refinancing.

First-time buyers First-time home buyer guide: what to know before you buy in Canada Down payments, the FHSA, the Home Buyers’ Plan and the stress test. 8 min readRead Renewals Mortgage renewal in Canada: 5 steps before you sign Your renewal letter is an opening offer, not your only option. 6 min readRead Refinancing Refinancing your mortgage in Canada: when it makes sense Penalties, the 80% limit and alternatives like blend-and-extend. 7 min readRead Pre-approval Mortgage pre-approval: what it does (and doesn’t) guarantee Rate holds, documents and how to protect your approval. 5 min readRead Self-employed Getting a mortgage when you’re self-employed How lenders calculate business income, and your options. 7 min readRead Rebuilding credit Getting a mortgage with bruised credit, and a plan to rebuild Lender tiers, real costs and a path back to prime rates. 7 min readRead