The changing mortgage world

Tracy Head • September 13, 2022

One night last week, I met with several other brokers after a learning session we attended. The group included brokers from B.C., Alberta and Ontario.


Our evening included a great discussion about the changes we are seeing in our mortgage applications these days.


It is rare for most of us to see a straightforward application where all of the pieces line up. The common theme around the table was how more often than not, our clients are having to consider different ways to qualify for their mortgages.

What do I mean by all of the pieces lining up?


In an ideal world, clients will have squeaky-clean credit with limited consumer debt, have stable employment and have the appropriate down payment saved and ready to go.


For bonus points, they are able to find a home they love in their price range and preferred neighbourhood and negotiate an accepted offer.


More often than not, we are finding that some or most of the pieces don’t line up at first glance.


I am seeing more families buying homes together – several generations contributing to the down payment and coming together so that they have enough income to qualify for the home they want to purchase.


COVID-19 affected many peoples’ finances. Some took advantage of payment deferral options even if they didn’t need to, and that has been questioned by lenders. By virtue of their type of work, many clients went weeks or even months with reduced or no income, which led to bumps in their credit.


With interest rates rising the goal post has been moved a little further away so either more income or a larger down payment is needed to qualify for the same mortgage amount.


Our conversation turned to financial management and savings habits. We talked about different ways to build your savings and the importance of having a safety net set aside for the unexpected things life throws at us.


We then shifted into different options for helping clients qualify for the mortgages they need. What was particularly interesting to me was that regardless of the province or city we are working in, these brokers are all experiencing a sense of frustration with how clients seem to be facing more and more barriers to entering the housing market.


I was grateful for this conversation as it reinforced that, as brokers, we do have many tools and products available to help our clients get into their new homes.


Although interest rates are rising, housing prices are dropping in many markets. Even with higher rates, based on lower purchase prices we are starting to see the scale levelling out a little with monthly payments.


If you have been concerned about affordability with rates on the move it is a great idea to reach out to your mortgage person to see what you qualify for before you head out shopping.

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.