Richards Mortgage Group Articles

Canada's banking regulator has once again updated its "B20" guidelines for residential mortgage underwriting, this time to include a financial stress test for buyers who don't need CMHC-mortgage insurance. OSFI (the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions) said today that the changes will come into force the first day of January 2018 and will "reinforce a strong and prudent regulatory regime for residential mortgage underwriting in Canada."

Prospective homeowners may get excited by the market or the prospect of home ownership and decide that now is the right time to look into buying a home...but sometimes they get the cart before the horse and start house shopping before the have been pre-approved for a mortgage. The pre-approval process is a way for buyers to get insight on potential obstacles and learn more about what mortgage lenders want from applicants. Preparing for a mortgage loan in advance will help avoid surprises and speed a buyer's final mortgage approval when the right house is found. You'll also be taken more seriously.

About 1 in 6 working Canadians are self-employed and, in recent years, the self-employed mortgage qualifying rule book has changed considerably. These evolving rules have created significant challenges for those seeking mortgage financing, and the property you can qualify for might not be what you expected....

How to Choose a Home Inspector in Canada The practice of making an offer to purchase conditional upon a home inspection is becoming more prevalent, but many consumers have no idea how to choose a qualified inspector.

Way back, my first home was a mobile home in Calgary's Greenwood Village mobile home park, out in the northwest part of the city. It was actually a nice park, and the mountains were visible, and lots of places to walk our dog. Our first home is the one in the centre of the picture, and the little shed I built is still standing out back. We couldn't qualify for a mortgage back then for reasons I didn't understand, so we bought it for $22K with a little help from the Bank of Mom & Dad. It was a great home.

Gerry is all smiles now. When Shauna and Gerry called me, they were paying almost $2000/mo rent + utilities and desperately wanted to buy their own home and quit paying rent, but just couldn't seem to get on track for a mortgage approval. Now they are interviewing prospective tenants.