Creating your dream home

Tracy Head • November 4, 2023

Having troubles finding your dream home? Are the houses in your price range looking a little dated? If you find a home in your preferred neighbourhood that has the features you want, but needs a little updating, you may want to think about a Purchase Plus Improvements mortgage.


This option is designed for people who wish to purchase a home that may require some immediate upgrades:


  • updated electrical service
  • sewer hookup
  • a new roof
  • central air
  • a new furnace
  • new siding
  • eaves
  • soffits
  • fascia
  • doors
  • windows
  • a new kitchen
  • carpeting
  • or any other renovation that would increase the value of the home. 


It is important to know that this program covers permanent updates to the home, but cannot be used for moveable assets such as appliances. This can be a great solution if you find a house you love but realize that it will take some time to save for any renovations that you want to do.


Here’s how it works. Let’s assume that you have a five per cent down payment. Before the mortgage financing is finalized, you will collect written quotes for the repairs or improvements to be done.


When the application for financing is submitted, the request is made for 95 per cent of the purchase price plus 95 per cent of the cost to complete the improvements.


It is important to know that the lender will hold-back the improvement portion of the mortgage until the work has been completed and inspected, normally within 30-60 days of closing.


Once the work has been completed, the lender will advance the balance of the funds and the contractor can be paid.

This means that you will need to find a way to cover the cost of the renovations temporarily, or work with a contractor who is willing to be paid at the end of the project. Some clients use a credit line to cover the costs until the mortgage funds are released.


What does this mean? Let me give you an example, with the client putting five per cent down:


Purchase price:               $400,000 X 95% = $380,000


Cost of improvements:     $40,000 X 95% = $38,000


Total mortgage:               $440,000 X 95% = $418,000


An application is made for a mortgage in the amount of $418,000, which represents 95 per cent of the purchase price plus 95 per cent of the improvements.


On the closing date, the mortgage advanced to complete the purchase is $380,000 plus the original five per cent from the purchaser’s down payment ($20,000), which provides sufficient funds to complete the purchase of $400,000.

The seller is paid in full and the house is transferred in to the name of the purchaser.


After closing, the contractor completes the improvements (normally within 30-60 days after the closing) and the lender advances the hold-back of $38,000.The purchaser pays the additional five per cent of the cost of the improvements ($2,000) and the $40,000 owed to the contractor can be paid. 


Last summer, I worked with clients who bought a rural property. When the septic inspection was done, they were told that the system was on its last legs.They made the decision to use a Purchase Plus Improvements mortgage and replaced the system before they ran into difficulties.


I’ve also work with clients who used the program for cosmetic upgrades.They renovated their kitchen and bathrooms and changed out all of the flooring.They essentially moved in to a brand new home in the area they wanted to live.


The appraisal at the end of their project showed an increase in value of almost $75,000 based on $35,000 worth of improvements they had done.


With this program, purchasers are happy because they have done extensive improvements to their homes with a minimal cash outlay (the balance was financed with their mortgage).


In both cases they get to enjoy an updated home without scrimping and saving to come up with the funds for improvements.

Tracy Head

Mortgage Broker

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Early Renewal

By Tracy Head • August 27, 2025
Does an early renewal make sense? 2020 was a very busy year for home buying and mortgages. This means that 2025 is and has been a busy year for mortgage renewals as the majority of clients seemed to choose five year terms in 2020. I’ve had lots of conversations with my own and new clients about whether it makes sense to renew early. Each conversation is slightly different based on client needs and their individual circumstances. Most of the time I suggest that clients stay with their current lenders until their renewal dates because their current interest rates are anywhere between 1.6 per cent and 2.79 per cent. If you don’t need to make any immediate changes it makes the most financial sense to stay put until your term runs out. We can start the process of either switching or refinancing mortgages four months ahead of your renewal date and lock in a rate for you. As a generalization, when people ask about doing a straight switch (not adding any money to their mortgage) I will do a survey of what interest rates are available so they can go back to their lender to try to negotiate a great rate. Time and time again I’ve worked with clients on switches for them to cancel at the last minute as their current lender finally sharpens the pencil rather than lose the client. This is why I always try to help people negotiate with their current lender rather than put everyone through the work of having a new mortgage approved. If clients are wanting to add money to their mortgage to pay out consumer debt or pay for home renovations that changes things a bit. Some lenders are more aggressive with their refinance rates so it makes sense to make a move. Another situation has popped up this week that has had me crunching numbers for multiple clients. One of my favorite lenders came out with a quick-close rate special that is pretty hard to pass up. The fine print is that the new mortgage has to finalize within thirty days. I have been working on a refinance at renewal for clients that is set to close at the beginning of November. I took a look at how their current lender calculates the payout penalty when they are this close to renewal. It turns out they charge daily interest instead of a three-month interest penalty or interest rate differential. So I did the math. If we pay out early to take advantage of this great interest rate their payout penalty is around the $1000 mark. Over the term of the new mortgage they will save approximately $5500 in interest cost and their monthly payment will be about $85 per month less. Even after they pay out the penalty to move a bit early they will still be $4500 ahead over the term of their mortgage. This is one of the few times I’ve recommended that it makes sense to move forward ahead of the renewal date.  If you have a renewal coming up over the next few months I’d say it’s a good idea to connect with your mortgage person to look at what rates are available now and figure out whether it makes sense to consider making a move sooner rather than later. Lenders will pop up with rate specials from time to time so it is worth having your mortgage professional keep an eye open for you as your renewal date comes closer. It may just save you a significant amount of money.

Purchase Checklist

By Tracy Head • August 11, 2025
Last week was a vivid reminder of the importance of finalizing your home insurance as soon as you are within thirty days of your closing date on a home purchase. I had three clients with purchases closing on the Friday after the fire broke out in Peachland. All three had to push their closing dates back because they couldn’t get their insurance in place due to an active fire. Thinking about this led me to consider a few of the key steps involved when purchasing a home. I’ve written about this in prior columns but I feel a reminder is never a bad idea. There are a few areas of crossover between the guidance your realtor gives you and the advice you receive from your mortgage person. When your realtor writes your purchase contract there are some standard conditions that are added to the agreement. You will generally see the following: Subject to the purchaser obtaining satisfactory mortgage financing Subject to the purchaser having a home inspection conducted Subject to the purchaser arranging home insurance Subject to review of strata documents if applicable Subject to the sale of the purchasers’ current home if applicable The financing end is obviously our responsibility. I do double-check with my clients that they have taken care of the other conditions. Most realtors are great at offering support to their clients with respect to addressing the relevant conditions. In some cases I feel like realtors tell clients the steps they need to take but my guess is that the whole process can feel or become overwhelming. Before I give my clients the ok to remove their financing subject I confirm that they have taken care of the home insurance as this is one piece they sometimes miss.  If you are going through the process of purchasing a home my suggestion is keep a notebook (aging myself by suggesting a paper version) or a list on your phone to keep track of your must-do tasks as you go through the process. I have a checklist that I’m happy to share if you would like a copy.