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Category: Purchasing a New Home (63 posts)
How a Mortgage Broker Can Save First-Time Buyers Money This Summer
May 29, 2025 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
How a Mortgage Broker Can Save First-Time Buyers Money This Summer Summer is one of the most popular times to buy a home in Atlantic Canada, and for first-time buyers, it can be both exciting and o ... [read more]
Spring Market Mortgage Trends in Atlantic Canada
May 16, 2025 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Spring Market Mortgage Trends inAtlantic Canada: What 2025 is Telling Us Spring has finally arrived in Atlantic Canada, and so has the busiest real estate season of the year. From Halifax to St. Jo ... [read more]
How We Help First-Time Buyers Succeed
May 1, 2025 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
How We Help First-Time Buyers Succeed Buying your first home is one of the biggest and most exciting financial steps you’ll ever take. But if you’re a first-time buyer, the process can ... [read more]
Home Sweet Home: Falling in Love with Homeownership
February 14, 2025 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Falling in Love with Homeownership Valentine’s Day is all about love—so why not extend that love to your home? Whether you’re looking to buy your first house, upgrade to a dream h ... [read more]
Why Now May Be a Great Time to Buy a Home
November 7, 2024 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Why Now May Be a Great Time to Buy a Home Buying a home in Atlantic Canada this fall could be a smart move for several reasons, particularly given the region's unique mix of affordability, quality ... [read more]
Fall into Homeownership: Seasonal Benefits of Buying in Atlantic Canada
September 26, 2024 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Fall into Homeownership: Seasonal Benefits of Buying in Atlantic Canada As the vibrant colors of autumn grace Atlantic Canada, potential homebuyers may find that this season offers unique advantag ... [read more]
Changes Coming to Canadian Mortgage Rules
September 20, 2024 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Changes Coming to Canadian Mortgage Rules Canada is set to introduce significant changes to its mortgage rules starting in December 2024, aiming to improve affordability, especially for first-time ... [read more]
Lessons Learned from First-Time Home Buyers
June 26, 2024 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Lessons Learned from First-Time Home Buyers Buying a home for the first time is a significant milestone, especially in a dynamic market like Canada's. Here are key lessons from first-time home buye ... [read more]
10 Mistakes to Avoid as a First-Time Homebuyer
June 21, 2024 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
10 Mistakes to Avoid as a First-Time Homebuyer Buying a home for the first time is a significant milestone, and avoiding common pitfalls can help ensure a smoother process. Here are key mistakes to ... [read more]
The Difference Between Mortgage and Rent
May 9, 2024 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
The Difference Between Mortgage and Rent The concepts of mortgage and rent represent two fundamentally different approaches to housing and property financing. The difference between a mortgage and ... [read more]
How To Save For A Down Payment
April 25, 2024 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
How To Save For A Down Payment Saving for a mortgage down payment is an important financial goal for many. Achieving it requires planning, discipline, and sometimes creativity in managing your fin ... [read more]
Preparing to Meet with a Mortgage Broker
March 7, 2024 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Preparing to Meet with a Mortgage Broker Preparing for a meeting with a mortgage broker is essential to ensure that you get the best advice and assistance in finding the right mortgage for your nee ... [read more]
Navigating New Beginnings: New to Canada Mortgages
November 30, 2023 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Navigating New Beginnings: New to Canada Mortgages Canada's it an attractive destination for newcomers. If you're a recent immigrant, you may be excitedly settling into your new life but might be f ... [read more]
Affordable Homeownership: Asking the Right Questions
October 11, 2023 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Affordable Homeownership: Asking the Right Questions Owning a home is a dream cherished by many Canadians, a significant milestone that marks financial stability and security. In the pursuit of aff ... [read more]
Empowerment Through Financial Literacy
October 5, 2023 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Empowerment Through Financial Literacy Achieving the dream of homeownership is a significant milestone in many people's lives. However, the path to owning a home can be daunting, especially for tho ... [read more]
Expert Tips: Navigating Home Affordability
September 29, 2023 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Expert Tips: Navigating Home Affordability Canada stands out as a beacon of opportunity for homebuyers. With its diverse cities, stunning landscapes, and robust economy more and more people are co ... [read more]
How to Overcome Mortgage Challenges
August 10, 2023 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
How to Overcome Mortgage Challenges Getting a mortgage has its own set of challenges. Overcoming these challenges requires careful preparation, research, planning and understanding of the mortgage ... [read more]
How To Navigate the Mortgage Market
July 20, 2023 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
How To Navigate the Mortgage Market Buying a home is a significant financial decision, and securing the right mortgage is crucial to the process. While some individuals choose to work directly wit ... [read more]
Consider the Different Types of Homes You Can Buy
June 29, 2023 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Consider the Different Types of Homes You Can Buy When it comes to buying a home, the options can seem overwhelming with numerous types of homes available in the market. We will explore the differe ... [read more]
Explaining Rate Holds
June 15, 2023 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Explaining Rate Holds Every potential buyer should be familiar with the term “rate hold”, especially if you have worked with us previously. Home buyers who need a mortgage to purchas ... [read more]
The Difference Between Being Pre-Qualified and Pre-Approved
April 14, 2023 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
The Difference Between Being Pre-Qualified and Pre-Approved After eight successive rate hikes, the Bank of Canada held its benchmark policy rate steady to 4.5% in March 2023. As a result, som ... [read more]
What is the First Time Homebuyer Incentive?
March 31, 2023 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
What is the First Time Homebuyer Incentive? The first-time homebuyer (FTHB) incentive program is a shared-equity mortgage with the Canadian government that helps qualified FTHBs reduce their monthl ... [read more]
What is a Mortgage Pre-Approval?
January 19, 2023 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
If you've decided that you want to buy a home, the first step you should take isn't necessarily going online and looking at listings, or touring an open house. Before all of that, you need to know ... [read more]
5 Things Home Buyers Always Forget During the Home Buying Process
November 4, 2022 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Five Things Home Buyers Always Forget During the Home Buying Process Buying a home can sometimes feel slightly chaotic, especially if you’re trying to sell your home at the same time! Home ... [read more]
Advice for Single Homebuyers
September 2, 2022 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Advice for Single Homebuyers Buying a home is an exciting experience for anyone, and even more of a milestone when you’re doing it solo, but it can be a little different when you’re pur ... [read more]
3 Advantages of a Pre-Approval
July 8, 2022 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
3 Advantages of a Pre-Approval While getting pre-qualified can give you a ballpark estimate on what you can afford, getting pre-approved is where the real magic happens. Mortgage pre-approval mean ... [read more]
Purchase Plus Improvements Mortgage
June 29, 2022 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Purchase Plus Improvements Mortgage. When it comes to shopping for your perfect home, it can be hard to find the exact one ready to go! If you are looking into a home that requires improvements, th ... [read more]
Home Buying A-Team: The Key Professionals
May 6, 2022 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Home Buying A-Team: The Key Professionals There are four major components to any successful home buying A-Team: your mortgage professional, realtor, home inspector and lawyer. Each of these individ ... [read more]
BENEFITS OF HOME OWNERSHIP
April 29, 2022 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
BENEFITS OF HOME OWNERSHIP So, you have decided to utilize your buying power in the Canadian retail market and are looking to purchase a home – congratulations! This is a great step t ... [read more]
Why You Need A Home Inspection
April 22, 2022 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Why You Need A Home Inspection A home inspection isn’t a legal requirement when you buy a home in Canada. Yet, it’s certainly a wise decision for the largest purchase you will likely ... [read more]
Investment Properties
March 10, 2022 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Investment Properties So, you are looking to purchase a second property! Congratulations! This is a great opportunity for you to expand your financial portfolio and ensure stability for the futur ... [read more]
Renting Vs. Buying: What You Need to Know!
January 28, 2022 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Renting Vs. Buying: What You Need to Know! When it comes to the Canadian housing market, there are lots of options for where to live! From renting an apartment to owning a single-family home, it al ... [read more]
First-Time Home Buyer
January 21, 2022 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
First-Time Home Buyer. Being on the path to purchasing your first home is one of the most exciting and most rewarding moments in life! While people don’t always dream of the perfect mortgag ... [read more]
What is Title Insurance and Other FAQ's
November 1, 2021 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
What is Title Insurance and Other FAQ's Title insurance can easily seem like another unnecessary add-on to the already complicated and costly process of buying a house, but nothing could be furt ... [read more]
13 First-Time Home Buyer Tips
August 5, 2021 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Being a first-time home buyer can be a fun and exciting experience, but it can also make you a bit nervous. It’s easy to make mistakes along the way that can end up costing you later, especial ... [read more]
The Mortgage Financing Process
July 22, 2021 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
The Mortgage Financing Process. The number one question for any potential homebuyer or someone new to the mortgage process is “what does this process entail?”. The following is a simple ... [read more]
Are You Ready for Home Ownership?
July 5, 2021 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Are You Ready for Home Ownership? While most people know the main things they need to buy a home, such as stable employment and enough money for a down payment, there are a few other factor ... [read more]
Moving On Up! Yes, yes you can!
June 18, 2021 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Moving on UP! Life is constantly changing from your career to your family as we climb up the ladder of life. With these life changes, your current home may no longer be working for ... [read more]
How to Get Your Down Payment
May 21, 2021 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
How to Get Your Down Payment A down payment is one of the most essential aspects of every mortgage application and new home purchase. In Canada, home purchases require a minimum cash payment from y ... [read more]
10 First-Time Homebuyer Mistakes
April 23, 2021 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
10 First-Time Homebuyer Mistakes. As a first-time buyer, there are some homebuyer mistakes you should avoid to ensure a smooth and successful experience: Thinking you don’t need a real estat ... [read more]
Planning for a Mortgage - Understanding your Credit Score
February 25, 2021 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Planning for a mortgage. What you need to know and why a DLC Ideal Mortgage Professional can help! Understanding your Credit Score One of the important factors in home ownership is understandi ... [read more]
It’s All About The Property
January 13, 2021 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
It’s All About The Property When your mortgage application goes through the approval process, they are not only looking at you, but also the property in question. In fact, sometimes when an a ... [read more]
How Much Home Could Your Rent Buy?
November 27, 2020 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
How Much Home Could Your Rent Buy? Take a look at how much mortgage your current monthly rent could cover. Your monthly rent cheque doesn’t have to be money out the window. It could be build ... [read more]
Buying Your First Home
October 23, 2020 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Buying your first home can be an overwhelming experience. But finding the right mortgage doesn't have to be difficult . With access to over 30 lenders, including most of the major banks, credit uni ... [read more]
Bank of Canada Cuts Benchmark Mortgage Rate
August 19, 2020 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Bank of Canada Cuts Benchmark Mortgage Rate Good news for some residents out there looking to purchase a home. On August 12, the Bank of Canada lowered its five-year conventional mortg ... [read more]
How Do Lenders Verify Your Down Payment?
December 13, 2019 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
How Do Lenders Verify Your Down Payment? Saving for a down payment is one of the biggest challenges facing people wanting to buy their first home. To fulfill the conditions of your mortgage approva ... [read more]
Do's and Don'ts Before Your Mortgage Funds
November 29, 2019 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Do's and Don'ts Before Your Mortgage Funds While you may have a pre-approved or approved mortgage, it doesn't fund until the day you close on your new home. Keep the following tips in mind to ensur ... [read more]
Planning for Homeownership
November 22, 2019 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
PLANNING FOR HOMEOWNERSHIP Two years is an important time frame when it comes to buying your first home. According to a recent study, nearly one-fifth of aspiring first-time homebuyers expect to bu ... [read more]
5 Mistakes of First Time Home Buyers
November 1, 2019 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
5 Mistakes of First Time Home Buyers Buying a home might just be the biggest purchase of your life—it’s important to do your homework before jumping in! Here are the 5 mistakes first ... [read more]
4 Costs to Consider As A First-Time Homebuyer
August 12, 2019 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
4 Costs to Consider As A First-Time Homebuyer The most organized and detail oriented first-time homebuyer can often overlook some unexpected costs that come with the purchase of their new home. Her ... [read more]
5 Mortgage Tips To Help You Afford A Home
July 12, 2019 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
5 Mortgage Tips To Help You Afford A Home Buying a home is more difficult now than ever—and this is not news to anyone! No matter where you live, the recent stress testing measures, increas ... [read more]
Home Buyer Tax Credit
June 7, 2019 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Home Buyer Tax Credit When you purchase a home as a first time home buyer, you have a third benefit on top of the First Time Home Buyers’ Program and the Home Buyers Program- the Home Buyer T ... [read more]
6 Ways To Get A Down Payment
May 31, 2019 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
6 Ways To Get A Down PaymentWhen is it time to think about saving for a down payment? I would say about a year before you think about buying a home. While that’s ideal in today’s world, ... [read more]
Make Plans to Move Into Your New Home
May 17, 2019 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Make Plans to Move Into Your New Home There’s nothing quite like stepping into your dream home for the very first time. You have achieved your goal of homeownership! However, the journey f ... [read more]
Why Realtors Want You To Have A Pre-Approval
April 18, 2019 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Why Realtors Want You To Have A Pre-Approval You’ve decided that you want to buy a home and you call up a realtor to show you a listing and the first question they ask is “How much are ... [read more]
Tips for Buying Your First Home
January 25, 2019 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Tips for Buying Your First HomeSo you’re wanting to buy a new home? That is some very exciting news. First question, are you prepared?!We all know big-item purchases are scary. It’s expe ... [read more]
Why Realtors want you to have a Pre-Approval
January 18, 2019 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Why Realtors want you to have a Pre-Approval You’ve decided that you want to buy a home and you call up a realtor to show you a listing and the first question they ask is “ How much are ... [read more]
Buying Your First Home? Here are 7 tips!
November 1, 2018 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Buying Your First Home? Here are 7 tips! As a licensed Mortgage Broker, I am often asked “what do I need to know when buying my first home?” Everyone has their own aims and object ... [read more]
First Time Mortgages: Expectations Vs. Reality
September 20, 2018 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
First Time Mortgages: Expectations Vs. Reality First-time homebuyers are one of our favourite clients! It’s great to work alongside them and teach them the in’s and out’s abou ... [read more]
5 Things Millennials Need to Know When Buying Real Estate
August 30, 2018 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
5 Things Millennials Need to Know When Buying Real Estate There are 9 million Millennials in Canada, representing more than 25 percent of the population. Born between 1980 and 1999, the eldest ar ... [read more]
The 3 Steps that take you from Pre-Approval to Your New Home
August 10, 2018 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
The 3 Steps that take you from Pre-Approval to Your New Home Picture this: You’ve finally been able to put away enough for a down-payment on your dream home. It’s taken you five years o ... [read more]
Homeownership: 4 Signs You are Ready
June 1, 2018 | Posted by: Keith Leighton
Homeownership: 4 Signs You are Ready Most people know the primary things they need to buy a home: stable employment and enough money for a down payment. However, there are a few other factors that ... [read more]
Five Tips for First-Time Home Buyers
February 28, 2018 | Posted by: Nick Hamblin
Five Tips for First-Time Home Buyers Although mortgage debt is ‘smart’ debt, buying your first home is a huge financial decision and there is a lot to think about. It’s one of ... [read more]
