Plain-English mortgage guides from Easy Mortgage Canada, arranging mortgages across Ontario through BRX Mortgage Inc. (FSRA brokerage licence #13463).https://easy-mortgage.ca/en-cahttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/buying-pre-construction/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/buying-pre-construction/Why the builder's approval is not a mortgage, what interim occupancy actually costs you, and the gap that catches buyers when the appraisal happens years after the price was agreed.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTBuyinghttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/gifted-down-payments/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/gifted-down-payments/What a gift letter has to say, why lenders want the money sitting in your account before closing, and the conditions that quietly turn a gift into a loan.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTBuyinghttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/how-lenders-count-rental-income/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/how-lenders-count-rental-income/Two lenders can look at the same rent and reach answers hundreds of thousands apart. Offset against add-back, what counts as provable rent, and why the basement apartment may not help.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTIncomehttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/how-mortgage-brokers-get-paid/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/how-mortgage-brokers-get-paid/Who pays the broker on a normal residential mortgage, when a borrower pays a fee instead, and the conflicts of interest worth asking about before you sign anything.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTBasicshttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/mortgage-on-maternity-or-parental-leave/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/mortgage-on-maternity-or-parental-leave/Lenders can use your pre-leave salary rather than your leave benefits, but only with the right letter. What to ask your employer for, and what goes wrong.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTIncomehttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/when-a-mortgage-application-is-declined/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/when-a-mortgage-application-is-declined/Why lenders say no, why a decline from one lender is not a decline from the market, and the order to work through it in before you apply anywhere else.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTApplyinghttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/when-the-appraisal-comes-in-low/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/when-the-appraisal-comes-in-low/Lenders fund against appraised value, not the price you agreed. What a shortfall means, who pays it, and the options when the number lands under the offer.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTBuyinghttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/where-your-down-payment-can-come-from/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/where-your-down-payment-can-come-from/Lenders care where the money came from as much as how much it is. Savings, the FHSA, an RRSP withdrawal, a gift, sale proceeds and borrowed funds, and what each one has to prove.Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTBuyinghttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/co-signers-and-guarantors/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/co-signers-and-guarantors/Helping family buy is common and generous. It is also a full legal obligation, and the difference between the two roles matters.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTApplyinghttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/documents-you-need-to-apply-for-a-mortgage/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/documents-you-need-to-apply-for-a-mortgage/The documents lenders ask for, why each exists, and the small things that hold files up. Get these together and approval takes days.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTApplyinghttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/fixed-or-variable-rate-mortgage/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/fixed-or-variable-rate-mortgage/The question is not which one wins. It is which one you can live with, and what the penalty looks like if your plans change partway through.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTChoosinghttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/from-accepted-offer-to-closing-day/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/from-accepted-offer-to-closing-day/What actually happens in the weeks between a seller saying yes and the keys changing hands, and the points where deals go wrong.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTBuyinghttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/porting-your-mortgage-when-you-move/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/porting-your-mortgage-when-you-move/Porting lets you move house without paying a penalty. How it works, the deadlines that catch people, and when it is not worth doing.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTMovinghttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/prepayment-privileges-explained/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/prepayment-privileges-explained/Lump sums, payment increases and accelerated frequency. What your prepayment privileges allow, and which ones are worth using.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTOwninghttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/separation-divorce-and-the-mortgage/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/separation-divorce-and-the-mortgage/How the spousal buyout program lets one partner keep the home, why a separation agreement comes first, and what happens if you simply do nothing.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTLife changeshttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/term-versus-amortization/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/term-versus-amortization/A plain explanation of the mortgage vocabulary that trips people up, and why confusing term with amortization leads to bad decisions.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTBasicshttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/the-mortgage-stress-test-explained/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/the-mortgage-stress-test-explained/Why lenders qualify you at a higher rate than the one you are offered, how the calculation works, and the 2024 change that exempts switches at renewal.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTQualifyinghttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/what-a-home-costs-beyond-the-mortgage/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/what-a-home-costs-beyond-the-mortgage/Property tax, insurance, condo fees, utilities and maintenance. The costs that decide whether a home is comfortable or tight, and which ones lenders count.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTOwninghttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/what-breaking-your-mortgage-costs/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/what-breaking-your-mortgage-costs/Three months interest or the interest rate differential, why the second one is sometimes enormous, and the posted rate trick that makes it worse.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTCostshttps://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/what-lenders-see-in-your-credit/https://easy-mortgage.ca/knowledge-base/what-lenders-see-in-your-credit/The score is one line on a long report. Here is what else is on it, which parts move the decision, and what to fix before you apply.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTCredit