Mortgage field notes
Read the contract behind the calculation.
Original explainers for the questions that arrive before an offer, at renewal, and after the last payment.
Before accepting mortgage payment relief: a written-offer checklist
Use a Canadian mortgage relief checklist to ask your lender for written payment terms, balance changes, costs, dates and a plan for what happens next.
Planning · 9 minPaying Off Your Mortgage: The Game Changer Is What You Do Next
A practical plan for the cash flow, paperwork, protection, and new priorities that follow your final mortgage payment.
Borrowing · 8 minThe Darlene Early Reverse Mortgage Case: Fraud Claims and Homeowner Safeguards
What the reported Darlene Early dispute shows about mortgage fraud, title checks, independent advice, and responding to an unfamiliar loan.
Borrowing · 10 minHow to Get Preapproved for a Mortgage Without Overstretching
Prepare documents, compare lenders, protect your budget, and understand what a mortgage preapproval does not guarantee.
Borrowing · 8 minMortgage Quote Checklist: Compare the Price, Terms, and Tradeoffs
Learn what belongs in a useful mortgage quote and how to compare rate, APR, fees, penalties, and cash required.
Mortgage basics · 9 minFixed-Rate Mortgage Guide: Stable Payment, Real Tradeoffs
Understand what stays fixed, what can still change, and how term, amortization, penalties, and renewal affect a fixed-rate mortgage.
Mortgage basics · 9 minHow to Calculate Mortgage Payments and Check the Result
Learn the fixed-payment formula, compounding conventions, total housing costs, and the assumptions behind a mortgage calculator.
Mortgage basics · 10 minWhat Is a Reverse Mortgage? Costs, Triggers, and Equity
Understand how a reverse mortgage converts home equity into cash, how the balance grows, and what homeowners and families should review.
Borrowing · 9 minPrivate Mortgage Guide: When Bank Financing Is Not the Fit
Understand private mortgages, short terms, fees, exit plans, due diligence, and the risks of borrowing outside mainstream bank channels.
Borrowing · 7 minRocket Mortgage: What It Is and How to Compare an Online Lender
An independent overview of Rocket Mortgage and a neutral checklist for comparing an online mortgage option with other lenders.
Market · 8 minMortgage Rates News: Read the Signal Without Chasing the Headline
A dated July 2026 mortgage-rate update for Canada and the United States, plus a framework for turning market news into a payment range.
Planning · 10 minMortgage Renewal Calculator Canada Guide
Estimate a Canadian mortgage renewal payment, compare stay-versus-switch costs, and prepare for rate, term, and amortization decisions.
Borrowing · 10 minMortgage Penalty Calculator Canada Guide
Estimate a Canadian mortgage prepayment penalty, understand three-month-interest and IRD methods, and test the full refinance break-even cost.
Mortgage basics · 8 minMortgage Amortization Schedule Calculator Canada Guide
Build a Canadian mortgage amortization schedule, read principal and interest by payment or year, and understand what changes at renewal.
Planning · 8 minMortgage Extra Payment Calculator Canada Guide
Compare one-time, annual, and recurring mortgage prepayments in Canada, including interest saved, payoff time, and contract limits.
Planning · 8 minClosing Cost Calculator Canada Guide
Estimate cash to close in Canada, including Ontario, Toronto, and British Columbia transfer taxes, fees, adjustments, and a reserve.
Borrowing · 8 minMortgage Refinance Break-Even Calculator Canada Guide
Calculate mortgage refinance break-even in Canada using payment savings, penalties, fees, amortization, and a realistic holding period.
Planning · 8 minRent vs Buy Calculator Canada Guide
Compare renting and buying in Canada using equity, unrecoverable costs, investment opportunity cost, selling costs, and time horizon.
Planning · 9 minPorting a Mortgage in Canada: Questions to Ask Before You Move
Learn how mortgage portability works in Canada, when it may avoid a prepayment penalty, and what to compare before selling and buying.