Managing Separation: Be Informed During a Spousal Buyout
When a couple decides to separate, the fate of their shared residence inevitably becomes a question. If the house is jointly owned, several options are available to the partners. The simplest...
How to Maximize the Use of Your Home Equity Line of Credit
The possibility of obtaining a home equity line of credit (HELOC) is attractive for many homeowners, but it comes with specific conditions and careful management. The answer to the question "Can I...
Understanding the Home Equity Line of Credit
Marie and Jacques, homeowners for over ten years, sit at their kitchen table to discuss their future plans. Their children are now grown and gone, and they are considering renovating their home to...
Fixed or variable: which is best for you?
Should you stick with the stability of a fixed mortgage rate or roll the dice with a variable? It’s one of the most difficult decisions faced by new homebuyers and homeowners who are renewing...
Make sure you are ready to sign at the notary.
Recently, you've invested time engaging with various key players in the acquisition of your future home: the seller, the real estate agent, the mortgage broker, the inspector, the banker... Since...
Buying a new home? You may be eligible for a GST and QST rebate!
Buying a new home can be an exciting project, but it comes with its share of government fees. Traditionally, when you buy a new home, you must pay the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Quebec...
Unlocking Financial Options for Aging in Place: A Guide to Reverse Mortgages for Supporting Your Parents' Independence in Retirement
If your parents wish to age in place but you believe they don't have sufficient funds to cover the cost of such a choice, there is an alternative solution. Reverse mortgages can provide your parents...
Optimizing Your Assets: The Benefits of Mortgage Refinancing"
Mortgage refinancing sometimes gets a bad rap, often likened to recklessly tapping into one's home equity as though it were an ATM. However, this viewpoint only paints a partial picture. Beyond the...
What is a Renovation Purchase Mortgage?
Discover How the Sandra Allard Team Can Fulfill Your Dream What is a Renovation Purchase Mortgage?Introduction If you dream of the perfect home but it needs a few touches to shine, you've come to...
Can't find the property you want to buy?
Shabby carpeting , splintered moldings, a bathroom from a bygone era, and a kitchen with old melamine cabinets…There always seems to be something wrong when looking around for a potential new...
A home equity line of credit... Why not?
A home equity line of credit is very useful for real estate projects. Whether you want to renovate your home, buy a second home, or use it as a backup in case of unforeseen circumstances, your...
Debt consolidation via a mortgage
Debt consolidation consists in borrowing a single amount of money with a financial institution to pay all of your debts. This way, you end up with a single payment which greatly facilitates the...
7 questions to ask yourself before buying a house to renovate
You found a house to die for, but it needs a lot of TLC? You want to buy a house to renovate it and sell it in 2, 5 or 10 years? Before starting a project of this scale, ask yourself the following 7...
Refinancing your mortgage can make your dream kitchen a reality!
You may wonder whether there is a way to use your mortgage to finance a specific project, such as a kitchen renovation. Let’s take a look at how it is not only possible, it is actually the most...
5 tips for a greener home
5 tips for a greener home Sustainable development, energy efficiency, environmental responsibility... It’s not a fad, it’s a lifestyle. According to a 2017 study by Sagen, more...
The questions you need to ask before deciding to move or upgrade your home
We often want to move because we want a bigger home. However, several factors, such as hesitating to leave a neighbourhood your family is fond of or the high cost of a larger home, might lead us to...
Use your RRSP as a down payment on a your real estate purchase.
How can you use your RRSP as a down payment on a real estate purchase? How do financial institutions manage this procedure? It’s really quite simple. If you are considered a first-time...
Itching to renovate your home? Here's how to make it happen.
After a visit with me at my office, Vanessa and Thomas decided to renovate their home to bring it up to date. They even took the opportunity to add a garage! Fifteen years ago, they paid $150,000...
Buying a property needing major renovation? Careful planning will bring big savings!
For some years, you can no longer refinance* a mortgage for more than 80% of the market value of a home. We have noticed that many of our clients return to our offices seeking mortgage refinancing in...
What do we do if we just made an offer on a house, but haven’t sold our condo yet?
Start by asking yourself this one all-important questions: could you qualify for 2 mortgage loans – your current one on your condo and a new one for the house you want to buy? In effect, even...
Finance your new swimming pool with your mortgage loan
Paul has just been woken up at 7 AM by the noisy machines digging his neighbor’s new pool. Curious by nature, Paul goes to speak with his neighbor, Robert, busy surveying the work....
Has confinement given you the urge to renovate?
During this crisis period, we find ourselves spending a lot of time at home. And with the arrival of spring, renovations projects are very likely to bloom everywhere! We’d like to take a few...
Important changes coming to mortgage financing standards
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is currently studying the possibility of applying another major change that will affect anyone looking to purchase or refinance a...
CMHC mortgage insurance premiums have been increased.
January 17th, 2017, the CMHC announced an increase in their mortgage insurance premium rates as of March 17th 1st of this year. This means that if you submit your insured financing to your...
A private lender could help you find the missing funds needed to complete the construction of your home.
Louise and Roger decided to build their own home. Since they have a lot of construction and renovation experience they figured, “Why not build our own dream home and take advantage of our...
Make sure you have cash on hand to act quickly on a good deal!
Emmanuel and Julie were looking for an attractive rental property to invest the equity they had accumulated over the years on their home. Several criteria guided their search: they wanted one near...
Discover the grants available when you become a homeowner.
Did you know…? You can obtain government grants when you purchase your first home. You are entitled to free services concerning energy efficiency (Éconologis) when you are a new homeowner;...