Mortgage & Finance
Mortgage rates, financing, and home loan guides for Ontario buyers
What Is a Variable Mortgage ‘Trigger Rate’ — and Why It’s Less Scary in 2026
What is a variable mortgage trigger rate? According to the Bank of Canada, about 75% of Canadian variable mortgages have fixed payments, and at the trigger rate the whole payment covers only interest. Here's how the trigger rate, the trigger point, the rough math, and 2026's lower rates change the risk for GTA borrowers.
Selling and Buying at Once: How Mortgage Porting and Break Penalties Work
Selling one home and buying another in Canada? According to FCAC, porting lets you move your existing mortgage balance, rate and terms to the new property and avoid a prepayment penalty. Here is how porting, blended top-ups, and the 3-months-interest vs IRD penalty math actually work for GTA owners.
Before You Buy a GTA Rental: The Cash-Flow and Affordability Math to Run First
Buying a GTA investment/rental property? Run this cash-flow math before you offer: minimum 20% down on a non-owner-occupied rental (According to CMHC), the mortgage stress test at the greater of contract rate + 2% or 5.25% (According to OSFI), rent vs carrying costs, and cap rate vs cash flow.
How to Get Your Free Credit Report in Canada — A Buyer’s and Renter’s Guide
In Canada you have a legal right to a free credit report from Equifax and TransUnion. Checking your own is a soft inquiry that won't lower your score. Learn report vs. score, the 300–900 range, what mortgage lenders and landlords want, and how to dispute errors.
Mortgage Prepayment Privileges in Canada: Pay Down Faster, Penalty-Free
What are mortgage prepayment privileges in Canada? A guide to lump-sum payments and payment increases, how bank limits differ, open vs. closed mortgages, the penalty for exceeding them, and how to use privileges before the 2026 renewal wave.
How to Actually Measure Investment Property Returns: Cash-on-Cash, Cap Rate, and IRR
Cap rate, cash-on-cash, and IRR each answer a different question. A clear guide to the formulas, when to use each, and common mistakes, with examples.
Does Pre-Approval Guarantee Your Mortgage? Pre-Approval vs Final Approval
Does a mortgage pre-approval mean you're guaranteed the loan? The difference between pre-approval and final approval: why it isn't a guarantee, what can still kill final approval, and the stress-test qualifying rate.
Toronto’s Vacant Home Tax: 5 Things Buyers Must Know (2026)
A 2026 buyer's guide to Toronto's Vacant Home Tax (VHT): the current 3% of CVA rate, what counts as vacant, the annual declaration, how unpaid tax becomes a lien that transfers to the buyer, and closing due diligence.
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