Straight answers to the questions people actually ask.

A consultation is always free. On most residential mortgages the lender pays Tisha's compensation, so there is no fee to you. If a file requires an alternative or private lender with a fee, you will know the exact amount in writing before you commit to anything.

Your bank can only offer its own products. Tisha compares banks, credit unions, monoline lenders and alternative lenders, and she negotiates on your behalf. She also works around your schedule, not banking hours, and as a former underwriter she builds files that get approved.

Often within a couple of business days once Tisha has your documents. The first conversation takes about fifteen minutes and nothing is needed to start.

Brantford, Brant County and Paris, Hamilton, Cambridge, Woodstock, Simcoe and Norfolk County, and clients across Ontario. Most of the process happens by phone, email and secure document upload, so distance is rarely an issue.

5% of the first $500,000 and 10% of the portion above that for an owner-occupied home, up to the insured price cap. 20% or more for most rental properties and for purchases at or above the cap.

Lenders qualify you at the greater of your contract rate plus 2% or 5.25%, to prove you could handle higher payments. Your actual payments are at your contract rate. It reduces borrowing power, which is why Tisha runs the numbers before you shop. Read more in What is the stress test?

Gross Debt Service (housing costs as a share of income, usually capped at 39%) and Total Debt Service (housing plus all other debts, usually capped at 44%). They decide how much you can borrow. Tisha explains them with a worked example in TDSR and GDSR explained.

Roughly 1.5% to 4% of the purchase price: land transfer tax (with a first-time buyer rebate of up to $4,000 in Ontario), legal fees, title insurance, home inspection and adjustments. The calculator gives a quick estimate.

Up to 80% of your home's appraised value, less your current mortgage balance. A HELOC's revolving portion is capped at 65% of value.

Four to six months before maturity. That gives time to hold a rate, compare lenders and switch if it is worth it, often with the new lender covering the costs.

Usually three months' interest for a variable rate, and the greater of three months' interest or the interest rate differential for a fixed rate. Tisha gets the exact figure from your lender before you decide.

It depends on your tolerance for change and your budget. Fixed locks your payment; variable follows prime and can go either way. Tisha's honest take is in The variable or fixed rate dilemma.

Most lenders hold a rate for 90 to 120 days. If rates fall before closing, you get the lower rate.

No. They are current rates available to qualified borrowers through our lender partners, OAC and E&OE, and they change with the market. Tisha quotes you the rate you qualify for and locks it in writing.

Yes. Alternative lenders can approve files that banks decline, and Tisha pairs that with a plan to improve your credit and move back to prime pricing at renewal. Read What's your credit score? for where to start.

Absolutely. Tisha works with lenders that qualify on bank statements and real business income, not just the net income on your tax return. See self-employed mortgages.

In Ontario, Level 2 agents have completed additional education and are licensed to arrange mortgages with a wider range of lenders, including private and alternative lenders, on top of the banks and credit unions a Level 1 agent can access.