Menno van Driel

It’s nice to purchase your new home. It’s even nicer to purchase one and know, ahead of time that you can definitely afford the home. You would talk to your mortgage expert for that to get “pre-approved”.

You got to know how much money there is in your wallet before going shopping. It's the same with getting a mortgage pre-approval before looking at houses.

Many people actually take the ste ...

In a variable rate mortgage, the interest rate you pay will fluctuate with the bank’s prime rate. Since rates are extremely low now, many people dare not sign up for variable rates because they can only go up, they may believe.

Only a year or two ago, a variable mortgage product was the choice of money-savvy borrowers, a way to save on mortgage interest payments.

It’s not hard to see that f ...

There really are no standard or average mortgage type loans on the Sunshine Coast, some are large, some are small, some run briefly, others still have a ways to go. Variety rules on our local mortgage market.

Everybody's financial situation is different so it's not easy to make general statements. It's that and people's privacy that gives us little access to their financial information.

Rig ...

If you find that going in to see your banker is akin to having a root canal done, then you’re not alone. Here’s a simple trick to make the best of your bank visit and also to perhaps even begin enjoying it: to learn a bit more about it.

A modern approach to mortgage banking is to let the mortgage broker or mortgage representative come to you. As commissioned sales people, they will come runn ...

Super low interest rates have been with us now for years. The entire Canadian real estate market has been benefiting from these low rates and so have we, right here on the beautiful BC Sunshine Coast.

Years of "emergency" low interest rates have turned into what appears to be a fairly stable low interest environment that we've got quite used to.

Nobody is surprised any longer when the Bank ...

It’s a common human desire to own a home; we usually get to that point by taking out a mortgage loan, sometimes a rather large one. Home ownership comes full circle once the mortgage is paid off entirely. What freedom!

Most people are absolutely delighted when they are finally all-approved for their mortgage loan. Once the mortgage loan is all paid off, the joy becomes the greatest.

One can ...

How would you like to enjoy your mortgage loan? Would you like a short term, a longer term, a fixed rate or a variable rate. There are several important choices to be made before you sign on the dotted line.

It's never been an easy and straightforward choice: what term should you choose for your mortgage and also what type: fixed or variable; or even: hybrid.

Mortgage choices, no matter how ...

When you’ve heard of the Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CMHC), then you know exactly the money source I’m talking about. It’s the money from your bank of choice, backed by mortgage default insurance from CMHC.

Money is cheap, right now, we all know that; thanks to low interest rates. Yet, you still have to pay back the loan, at one point. CMHC guarantees to the banks that you wil ...

On the BC Sunshine Coast, we have a deal for you that’s absolutely amazing. With extremely attractive home values and a superb proximity to the Vancouver market, you may have just found out about something very special.

A nice house in a beautiful and attractive location is great. But can you afford it? With great purchase prices on the Sunshine Coast and low interest rates, perhaps you can! ...

When you apply for a mortgage loan and you tell your banker just a little bit of a lie, would that be okay just to get the loan approved or would that actually not be permitted? The full answer to this simple question might surprise you.

We're blessed with excellent bankers, mortgage brokers and mortgage specialists on the Sunshine Coast. However, they can only help if you tell them the whol ...