Canadian mortgage guides
How rates are set, what you can afford, how private first and second mortgages work in Ontario, BC and Alberta, and how to use your home equity — explained in plain English, with worked examples and links to the official sources.
Mortgage basics
Mortgage Rates in Canada: How They're Set and How to Get the Best One
How Canadian mortgage rates are set — bond yields, prime and your own file — why posted rates aren't what you pay, and how to get the best rate.
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How to Use a Mortgage Calculator (and Read an Amortization Schedule)
Get real answers from a mortgage calculator: the four inputs, Canadian semi-annual compounding, reading an amortization schedule and what prepayments save.
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How Much Mortgage Can I Afford in Canada?
The GDS and TDS ratios, the stress test and the down payment rules lenders use to decide how much you can borrow — with a worked example.
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Fixed vs Variable Mortgage in Canada: How to Choose
Fixed rate or variable mortgage? How each works in Canada, the two kinds of variable, what it costs to break each one, and how to decide.
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Mortgage Broker vs Bank: Which Gets You the Better Mortgage?
How mortgage brokers and banks differ, how brokers are paid, how to check a broker's licence, and a checklist for comparing mortgage quotes.
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CMHC Mortgage Insurance: What It Costs and When You Need It
When you need CMHC mortgage insurance, the premium at each down payment level, provincial sales tax, and a worked example on a $600,000 home.
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HELOC Explained: How a Home Equity Line of Credit Works in Canada
How a home equity line of credit works in Canada: the 65% and 80% limits, HELOC rates, interest-only payments, and a worked example.
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The Smith Manoeuvre: Making Mortgage Interest Tax-Deductible in Canada
How the Smith Manoeuvre (Smith maneuver) turns mortgage debt into tax-deductible investment debt, what CRA's rules require, and the risks.
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Private Mortgages in Canada: How They Work, Who Lends and What They Cost
What a private mortgage is, who lends, how payments and terms work, approval criteria, why rates are higher, and the pros and cons — with 2026 numbers.
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Private First Mortgages: When You Need One and What It Really Costs
How a private first mortgage works, how it differs from a second, who lends, the 2026 rate and fee ranges, approval criteria and the exit plan.
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Private Second Mortgages: How They Work Behind Your First
How a private second mortgage works behind your first: combined loan-to-value, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs and pros and cons.
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Refinancing a Private Mortgage: Getting In, Getting Out and What It Costs
How to refinance with a private lender when a bank says no, and how to refinance out of a private mortgage back to a bank or B lender.
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Private Mortgage Renewal: What Happens When Your Term Ends
What happens when a private mortgage matures: renewal fees, switching lenders, extensions, criteria and how to plan the exit.
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Private Home Equity Loans: Borrowing Against Your Home When the Bank Says No
How a private home equity loan works when the bank says no: how much equity you can use, payments, terms, costs and the pros and cons.
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Private HELOCs: How a Private Home Equity Line of Credit Works
How a private home equity line of credit works, how it differs from a bank HELOC, fees on the limit, terms, criteria and pros and cons.
Read the guidePrivate mortgages by province
Ontario Private Mortgages: Rules, Costs and How They Work
How private mortgages work in Ontario: FSRA licensing, power of sale timelines, 2026 rates and fees, approval criteria and pros and cons.
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BC Private Mortgages: Rules, Costs and the New Mortgage Services Act
How private mortgages work in British Columbia under the new Mortgage Services Act: licensing, foreclosure, 2026 costs and criteria.
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Alberta Private Mortgages: Rules, Costs and How Foreclosure Works
How private mortgages work in Alberta: RECA licensing, court foreclosure, Law of Property Act protections, registration levy, costs and criteria.
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Second Mortgage in Toronto: How Private Second Mortgages Work
How a private second mortgage works in Toronto: how much you can borrow, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs and local rules.
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First Mortgage in Toronto: Private First Mortgages Explained
How a private first mortgage works in Toronto: who lends, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs, local rules and the exit plan.
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Second Mortgage in Ottawa: How Private Second Mortgages Work
How a private second mortgage works in Ottawa: how much you can borrow, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs and local rules.
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First Mortgage in Ottawa: Private First Mortgages Explained
How a private first mortgage works in Ottawa: who lends, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs, local rules and the exit plan.
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Second Mortgage in Mississauga: How Private Second Mortgages Work
How a private second mortgage works in Mississauga: how much you can borrow, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs and local rules.
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First Mortgage in Mississauga: Private First Mortgages Explained
How a private first mortgage works in Mississauga: who lends, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs, local rules and the exit plan.
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Second Mortgage in Hamilton: How Private Second Mortgages Work
How a private second mortgage works in Hamilton: how much you can borrow, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs and local rules.
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First Mortgage in Hamilton: Private First Mortgages Explained
How a private first mortgage works in Hamilton: who lends, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs, local rules and the exit plan.
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Second Mortgage in Vancouver: How Private Second Mortgages Work
How a private second mortgage works in Vancouver: how much you can borrow, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs and local rules.
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First Mortgage in Vancouver: Private First Mortgages Explained
How a private first mortgage works in Vancouver: who lends, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs, local rules and the exit plan.
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Second Mortgage in Surrey: How Private Second Mortgages Work
How a private second mortgage works in Surrey: how much you can borrow, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs and local rules.
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First Mortgage in Surrey: Private First Mortgages Explained
How a private first mortgage works in Surrey: who lends, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs, local rules and the exit plan.
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Second Mortgage in Calgary: How Private Second Mortgages Work
How a private second mortgage works in Calgary: how much you can borrow, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs and local rules.
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First Mortgage in Calgary: Private First Mortgages Explained
How a private first mortgage works in Calgary: who lends, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs, local rules and the exit plan.
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Second Mortgage in Edmonton: How Private Second Mortgages Work
How a private second mortgage works in Edmonton: how much you can borrow, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs and local rules.
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First Mortgage in Edmonton: Private First Mortgages Explained
How a private first mortgage works in Edmonton: who lends, payments, terms, approval criteria, costs, local rules and the exit plan.
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One call, a real broker, and a straight answer about what you qualify for and what it will cost. If we cannot beat what you already have, we will tell you that too.