Latest posts
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Rolling Debt Into Your Mortgage: The Math Before the Monthly Payment.
Rolling credit card debt into your mortgage almost always lowers the monthly payment. Whether it lowers what you actually pay depends entirely on what you do with the money you free up. Here is the arithmetic, using the average balance an Albertan is carrying. Equifax Canada Market Pulse, second quarter 2026 Average non-mortgage debt, Alberta…
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Thinking About a Basement Suite? What the Refinance Rules Allow.
Borrowing against your home normally stops at 80% of its value, and you can spend the money on whatever you like. There is one route that goes to 90% instead, and the trade is simple: every dollar has to go into building a suite, and the insurer has to approve it before anyone picks up…
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Saving for a First Home? The FHSA and Home Buyers’ Plan Rules That Matter.
There are two registered accounts built for one purpose: getting you into a first home. They can both be used on the same purchase, the Home Buyers’ Plan repayment rules changed again for 2026, and the most expensive mistake is waiting until you are ready to buy before opening the FHSA. First home savings rules,…
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New to Canada and Buying in Edmonton: What You Actually Need
It is easy to assume you need years in Canada, or a long Canadian credit history, before you can get a mortgage. Neither is a requirement. CMHC’s newcomer program sets no minimum period of residency, and there are ways to establish credit if your Canadian history is limited. CMHC Newcomers program Minimum down payment 5%…
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Self-Employed in Alberta? Here Is What Lenders Actually Look At.
If you have an accountant, part of their job is keeping your taxable income as low as the rules allow. Then you apply for a mortgage, and a lender looks at the income on your Notice of Assessment and qualifies you on that figure. Both of those things are working as designed. They just pull…
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Renewing Your Mortgage This Year? Read This Before You Sign.
If your mortgage comes up for renewal in the next year, the letter your lender sends you is going to look like a decision that has already been made. It is not. It is an opening offer, and the rules changed in 2024 in a way that makes shopping it considerably easier than it used…
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What It Actually Takes to Buy in Edmonton Right Now
The August numbers for the Greater Edmonton Area are out, and they are the quietest of the year so far. That matters less than what most headlines will tell you. The more useful question, if you are thinking about buying here, is what each kind of home actually asks of you up front. So here…
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The Bank of Canada Held Again. What That Means for Your Mortgage.
The Bank of Canada held its policy rate at 2.25% again on September 2. That is the seventh hold in a row. If you have a mortgage, or you are about to get one, the useful question is not what the Bank did. It is what the Bank holding actually changes for you, and the…
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What Edmonton Buyers Should Know About Prices and CMHC Rules Right Now
Where the Edmonton market sits in 2026, and how the current CMHC down payment and insurance rules shape what you can qualify for.