Guides by Brinda Varada
Government incentives and grants for Alberta homeowners and buyers
Searching for Alberta home buyer grants turns up a long list, and most of it is not what it looks like. Some programs are loans secured against the home, some are only for existing owners, and one is currently closed. Here is what each provincial and Calgary program actually is.
September 22, 202614 min read
Improving your credit score before you apply for a mortgage
Every Canadian credit guide publishes the same pie chart of percentages. The federal consumer agency says plainly that the bureaus do not share their formulas. Here is what is actually known, and what to do with it.
September 16, 202611 min read
Where your mortgage rate actually comes from
The Bank of Canada cut, so why did nothing happen to your quote? Because the Bank does not set mortgage rates, and by its own account lenders do not follow it one for one. Here is the chain, link by link.
September 16, 202612 min read
Fixed or variable, and the four other mortgage choices that cost more
Everyone asks whether to take fixed or variable. Four other choices on the same page decide more money, and one of them can quietly stop your payments from touching the principal at all.
September 5, 202612 min read
How much home you can afford in Calgary, worked out properly
Your maximum is set by two ratios and then cut by a stress test that removes about seventeen per cent of it. Here is the arithmetic, worked against real Calgary prices, including the car payment finding that contradicts most advice on the subject.
September 4, 202611 min read
Mortgage pre-approval in Alberta: what the number means and why it can still fall through
A pre-approval is a rate hold and an estimate, not a promise. Understanding the two ratios behind the number tells you why your maximum is what it is, and why the house itself can still sink the deal after you have been approved.
September 4, 202610 min read
The minimum down payment in Alberta, and what it actually costs you
The rule is not a flat percentage. It is tiered, it changed in December 2024, and one federal page still publishes the old cap. Here is what you actually need, worked out in dollars, with the Alberta detail no national guide mentions.
September 4, 202611 min read