Ask it here first.

For most residential mortgages from prime lenders, no — the lender pays the brokerage when your mortgage funds. If your file needs an alternative or private lender and a fee applies, you'll see it in writing before you commit to anything.

NextStart your file

No. I pull your credit once and use that single application with the lenders that suit your file. Credit bureaus also treat several mortgage enquiries made in a short shopping window as one check, so comparing lenders properly doesn't punish your score.

NextStart your file

A bank's employee can only offer you that bank's own products. I'm licensed to place your mortgage with lenders across the Dominion Lending Centres network — big banks, credit unions, monoline and alternative lenders — so one application reaches whichever of them fit your file.

NextStart your file

Yes — Mortgage Agent Level 1, licence M25001787, with Affinity Mortgage Solutions Inc., brokerage licence 13093, part of Dominion Lending Centres. Mortgage brokering in Ontario is regulated by FSRA, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. I'm also a licensed real estate Sales Representative.

NextStart your file

Across Ontario. Most of my clients are in the Greater Toronto Area, but the process works the same by phone, video and e-signature anywhere in the province.

NextStart your file

5% on the first $500,000 of the purchase price and 10% on the portion above that, up to $1.5 million. Homes at $1.5 million or more need at least 20% down. With less than 20% down, the mortgage needs default insurance.

NextFirst-time buyers

If you put down less than 20%, the mortgage has to be insured against default — through CMHC, Sagen or Canada Guaranty. It protects the lender, not you, and you pay the premium, which is normally added to your mortgage balance rather than paid up front.

NextFirst-time buyers

Typically 90 to 120 days, with your rate held for that window. If you haven't found a home by the time it lapses, we refresh it.

A pre-approval isn't a final approval — once you have a property, the lender still has to approve the home itself.

NextFirst-time buyers

Land transfer tax, legal fees, title insurance, a home inspection, and adjustments for prepaid property tax or utilities. As a rule of thumb budget roughly 1.5–4% of the purchase price, and I'll narrow that once we know your deal. Buying inside Toronto means a municipal land transfer tax on top of the provincial one.

NextFirst-time buyers

The First Home Savings Account, the Home Buyers' Plan for RRSP withdrawals, and Ontario's land transfer tax rebate, with a further rebate inside Toronto. Contribution limits and rebate thresholds shift from budget to budget, so confirm the current figures with me rather than planning around a number you read months ago. More under first-time buyers.

NextFirst-time buyers

Lenders measure what share of your income goes to housing and to total debt, then apply a stress test — you have to qualify at the higher of your contract rate plus two percentage points, or 5.25%.

Which is why the number you qualify for and the number you're comfortable paying are rarely the same. We work from both.

NextFirst-time buyers

About four to six months before your maturity date. Many lenders hold a rate for 120 days, which gives us time to compare offers properly instead of signing the first renewal letter that arrives.

NextMortgage renewal

Usually very little, provided you move at maturity rather than breaking the term early. There can be discharge or transfer fees, and lenders often cover them to win your business. Qualifying rules for straight switches have also loosened in recent years — worth asking where they stand when your renewal comes up.

NextMortgage renewal

Often, yes — up to 80% of your home's current value under standard refinance rules. Whether it makes sense depends on your equity, your existing rate, and what breaking the term now would cost against waiting for renewal.

NextMortgage renewal

On a variable-rate mortgage, usually three months' interest. On a fixed-rate mortgage, the greater of three months' interest or the interest rate differential — and the IRD can be very large.

I'll get the exact figure from your lender in writing before you decide anything.

NextMortgage renewal

More than most people realise: extending your amortization, moving to a lender with better terms, blending your rate, or refinancing to fold higher-interest debt into the mortgage. The one poor option is signing the renewal letter without comparing anything. See mortgage renewal.

NextMortgage renewal

Often, yes. Some lenders read business bank statements, contracts and add-backs rather than only the income on your tax return, and two years of self-employment history helps a lot. See self-employed.

NextSituations I handle

A decline at one bank is one lender's rules, not a verdict. We look at why they said no, work out which part of the file needs attention, and either find a lender whose criteria fit or build a short plan to get you there. See bank declined.

NextSituations I handle

When timing or the file doesn't fit a traditional lender yet — a closing date that can't wait, an unusual property, or credit that needs another year to recover. It's short-term and costs more, so it should never be arranged without an exit plan. See private mortgage.

NextSituations I handle

Not automatically. Alternative and private lenders weigh the property and your overall picture more heavily than a bank does. Frequently the right answer is a shorter-term solution now, plus a deliberate plan to move you to prime pricing at renewal.

NextSituations I handle

Yes — several lenders run newcomer programs that don't require a long Canadian credit history, though they will want to see your status, your income and your down payment. Bring your permanent residency or work permit documents to the first call.

NextSituations I handle

Photo ID, proof of income — pay stubs and a job letter, or business statements and Notices of Assessment if you're self-employed — ninety days of history on your down payment, and the property details. After the first call I'll send a list built around your file rather than a generic checklist.

NextSend your details

Once your documents are in, an initial lender decision usually takes a few business days. Conditions — appraisal, income verification — follow after that, and a straightforward purchase commonly runs two to four weeks from application to funding.

NextSend your details

Yes. In Ontario a real estate lawyer closes the transaction, registers the mortgage and handles the funds. If you don't have one, I can point you to a few who are used to working on these timelines.

NextSend your details

An independent estimate of the property's value, ordered by the lender to confirm the security is worth what you're borrowing against. Some insured purchases skip it; refinances and alternative lending almost always require one.

NextSend your details

You can get pre-approved, which fixes your budget and holds a rate. A full approval needs an actual property, because the lender is approving the home as much as it's approving you.

NextSend your details

No — the two roles are licensed and disclosed separately, and I'll always tell you plainly how I'm paid on each side. Most clients find one person coordinating both simpler, not riskier. More on the real estate page.

NextReal estate

Strongly recommended. It tells us your real budget, flags any problems early, and lets you make a credible offer the day you find the right place instead of scrambling for financing afterwards.

NextReal estate

Yes, and it's a common situation. Bridge financing can cover the gap when your purchase closes before your sale does, so you aren't forced to move twice or accept a weaker offer.

NextReal estate