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Elevation Mortgage Elevation Mortgage
  • Home
  • Mortgage Calculator
  • Mortgage Solutions
    • First Time Home Buyers
    • Home Renovation
    • Mortgage Renewal
  • Blog
  • Connect With Us
Nov 30

Take the Stress out of Buying Your First Home

  • Buying your first home, Getting ready for your mortgage renewal, Pre-Approvals are important

Buying a home should be fun, not stressful

When you are starting to think about buying your first home, there are a lot of things to consider. What is supposed to be an exciting time can oftentimes feel stressful. With that in mind, here are some ways to reduce the stress and get back to the excitement!

Get pre-approved!

By a human, not an online app or a computer system. Mortgage pre-approvals should take up to one hour (60 minutes, not the advertised 60 seconds). A pre-approval tells you your mortgage maximum (the highest approvable mortgage amount), provides an example payment, and introduces first time home buyers to interest rates, fine print, and all the options that a great mortgage should have (things like pre-payments to principle). We here to provide this service, at no cost to you!

Ask lots of questions!

This is the biggest financial decision of your life, ask lots and lots of questions. If you donโ€™t get the answer you want, you are not working with the right people. Do some research but remember that Google is full of lots of positives and lots of negatives so get familiar with the concepts and ideas but be open to advice. We will work with you to figure out what type of mortgage rate, lender and fine print works for your situation.

Consider both fixed and variable rates.

Be open minded when thinking about rates. Each financial and personal situation is unique, as is each rate decision. You will be dating the rate and marrying the home – interest rates, both fixed and variable are most often offered in five years terms. So all rates, including fixed rate will fluctuate over the 25 year amortization of your mortgage. Considering if you may be transferred to a new city due to work, if there are family or life changes on the horizon, or if you may decided home ownership is not the right choice and may sell the home. Try to consider five year periods of time – what could and might happen to change your home ownership plans? For any home buyer who isn’t sure if the five year plan is rock solid – a variable rate is important. For any rental property – consider a variable interest rate as well. For longer term planning, family homes, dream homes, and those who feel confident in a five to ten year plan on home ownership fixed rates can be the right choice.

Build a team of highly competent specialist in the mortgage, real estate, and legal areas.

When you buy a home, you do not pay realty feesโ€ฆ your realtorโ€™s services are free to you. The seller pays all realty feesโ€ฆ. you are literally obtaining the advice of a real estate expert at NO cost, so make sure you are choosing the right one. We work closely with a wide range of real estate professionals and would be happy to find the right match for you in terms of price point, area, type of home, and alignment. The same goes for home inspector and real estate lawyer. Surround yourself with professionals who have your best interests at heart.

Your bank does not care about you. Iโ€™m sorry, itโ€™s true.

We know, we hear it dailyโ€ฆ but I like my bank and Iโ€™m comfortable there. Iโ€™m sure you are but your bank does not have a single ounce of love or care for you. You are an account number. So donโ€™t let loyalty stop you from connecting with a mortgage expert and finding the right mortgage solution. Your best fit might just be a mortgage at your bank, but if you only talk to you bank you will not know. Bank mortgage reps only offer one mortgage product and one set of rates, and their advice is biased to the brand they work for. A mortgage broker has no loyalty to any lender or product, so they are able to suggest a multitude of options for you.

Everyone is going to have an opinion.

You dad, your friend, your grandfather, or your aunt who used to be a real estate agent 20 years ago will have lots of advice on the bank they prefer, interest rates, picking a realtor, and even the type of house you should chose. Unless that family member is a licensed expert in the mortgage, real estate, appraisal, or banking world, take their advice with a grain of salt. Trust your gut – you will know what works best for you and your situation.

Make it fun and enjoyable!

If you are surrounded by the right people, and you feel confident in your decisions and knowledge the process of buying your first home will not be stressful. It will be busy, there will be meetings, and documents, and forms to sign. But you should not feel any anxiety or stress. The process should feel exciting and when you get your keys in hand you should only feelย  confidence and happiness that you made the right decisions.

Now go out and shop for your new home with confidence!

Take the Stress out of Buying Your First Home

Take the Stress out of Buying Your First Home

Buying a home should be fun, not... read more →
November 30, 2022
You are pre-approved! What’s next in the mortgage process?

You are pre-approved! What’s next in the mortgage process?

Congratulations! You are pre-approved. Congratulations! You are formally pre-approved. A pre-approval means that our team... read more →
November 23, 2022
Ready to buy a home?

Ready to buy a home?

We are here... read more →
September 23, 2022
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    elevationmortgageyyc

    Andy Jeffery l Julie Jeffery - Serving Alberta and BC
    Happy May long weekend! Not a snow flake or cold w Happy May long weekend! Not a snow flake or cold wind to be found ๐Ÿ’—๐ŸŒด๐ŸŒบ๐ŸŸ๐Ÿฆœ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ–๏ธ๐ŸŒŠ
    Happy long weekend and happy Easter! Beautiful hik Happy long weekend and happy Easter! Beautiful hike today to kick off a few days of rest and relaxation!โ›ฐ๏ธ
    I know, we wish love made the world turn ๐Ÿ’™ It s I know, we wish love made the world turn ๐Ÿ’™ It sure helps but money and how itโ€™s earned, spent, saved and managed is so important to mortgage pre-approvals. Money is such an emotionally charged subject, itโ€™s complex and can be confusing. So we are here to really listen and support our clients. 

The strongest mortage applications are all about money. But not in the way you may think! ๐Ÿ’ฒ

Downpayment is important but mortgage approvals at 5% down are just as strong (in a lenders view) as those that are 20% down. ๐Ÿค“

Income is a critical driver of all mortgage applications. The amount of verifiable income, directly correlates, to the amount of a mortgage approval. That can be salary, hourly, seasonal, contract or self- employed. Consistency year over year is the key.๐Ÿ‘ท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿณ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐ŸŒพ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿผโ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿš€๐Ÿง‘๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿš’๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ”ง

We ask lots of questiond around income and collect all required documents to verify income at the preapproval stage. We want to be 100% confident that a lender will approve the mortgage application once our clients find the right property. ๐Ÿ™๏ธ

Debts are a big part of the equation. The less the better, but if there is enough income to support both the new mortgage amount and the debt then debt loads donโ€™t impact mortage pre-approvals. Credit scores are very important. 680 is a good benchmark for the minimum score a lender wants. Buy exceptions are made at lower levels. 

So donโ€™t let money and the stress it can bring keep you from deciding to start a mortage pre-approval! Itโ€™s just a conversation, with no pressure, and sharing of our mortgage knowledge and advice. โ˜บ๏ธ

๐Ÿ“ฒJulie 403-828-4832
๐Ÿ“ง julie@elevationmortage.ca

๐Ÿ“ฒ Andy 403-828-8832
๐Ÿ“ง andy@elevationmortgage.ca 

Give us a call or send an email. DM us or visit our website to book a meeting! Link in our bio.
    Itโ€™s so cold ๐Ÿฅถ! Arenโ€™t we all dreaming of w Itโ€™s so cold ๐Ÿฅถ! Arenโ€™t we all dreaming of warm, cozy spaces in our homes? ๐Ÿค

Our clients just purchased a quaint and beautiful cottage style home in Sunnyside. Absolute stunner!
Thereโ€™s something wonderful about a renovated heritage home. The cozy factor is very high. The neighbourhood is established, highly walkable and the streets are lined with trees. Sounds perfect! So exciting. 

My go to interior designer for stunning, warm, thoughtful and super cosy design is @amberinteriors. Every room is perfection. Such great style. Enjoy and stay warm today!
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      Contact Us

      ELEVATION MORTGAGE

      julie@elevationmortgage.ca
      Julie: 403.828.4832

      andy@elevationmortgage.ca
      Andy: 403.828.8832

      elevationmortgageyyc

      Andy Jeffery l Julie Jeffery - Serving Alberta and BC
      Happy May long weekend! Not a snow flake or cold w Happy May long weekend! Not a snow flake or cold wind to be found ๐Ÿ’—๐ŸŒด๐ŸŒบ๐ŸŸ๐Ÿฆœ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ–๏ธ๐ŸŒŠ
      Happy long weekend and happy Easter! Beautiful hik Happy long weekend and happy Easter! Beautiful hike today to kick off a few days of rest and relaxation!โ›ฐ๏ธ
      I know, we wish love made the world turn ๐Ÿ’™ It s I know, we wish love made the world turn ๐Ÿ’™ It sure helps but money and how itโ€™s earned, spent, saved and managed is so important to mortgage pre-approvals. Money is such an emotionally charged subject, itโ€™s complex and can be confusing. So we are here to really listen and support our clients. 

The strongest mortage applications are all about money. But not in the way you may think! ๐Ÿ’ฒ

Downpayment is important but mortgage approvals at 5% down are just as strong (in a lenders view) as those that are 20% down. ๐Ÿค“

Income is a critical driver of all mortgage applications. The amount of verifiable income, directly correlates, to the amount of a mortgage approval. That can be salary, hourly, seasonal, contract or self- employed. Consistency year over year is the key.๐Ÿ‘ท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿณ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐ŸŒพ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿผโ€๐Ÿ’ผ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿš€๐Ÿง‘๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿš’๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ”ง

We ask lots of questiond around income and collect all required documents to verify income at the preapproval stage. We want to be 100% confident that a lender will approve the mortgage application once our clients find the right property. ๐Ÿ™๏ธ

Debts are a big part of the equation. The less the better, but if there is enough income to support both the new mortgage amount and the debt then debt loads donโ€™t impact mortage pre-approvals. Credit scores are very important. 680 is a good benchmark for the minimum score a lender wants. Buy exceptions are made at lower levels. 

So donโ€™t let money and the stress it can bring keep you from deciding to start a mortage pre-approval! Itโ€™s just a conversation, with no pressure, and sharing of our mortgage knowledge and advice. โ˜บ๏ธ

๐Ÿ“ฒJulie 403-828-4832
๐Ÿ“ง julie@elevationmortage.ca

๐Ÿ“ฒ Andy 403-828-8832
๐Ÿ“ง andy@elevationmortgage.ca 

Give us a call or send an email. DM us or visit our website to book a meeting! Link in our bio.
      Itโ€™s so cold ๐Ÿฅถ! Arenโ€™t we all dreaming of w Itโ€™s so cold ๐Ÿฅถ! Arenโ€™t we all dreaming of warm, cozy spaces in our homes? ๐Ÿค

Our clients just purchased a quaint and beautiful cottage style home in Sunnyside. Absolute stunner!
Thereโ€™s something wonderful about a renovated heritage home. The cozy factor is very high. The neighbourhood is established, highly walkable and the streets are lined with trees. Sounds perfect! So exciting. 

My go to interior designer for stunning, warm, thoughtful and super cosy design is @amberinteriors. Every room is perfection. Such great style. Enjoy and stay warm today!
      Did you complete a mortage pre- approval in 2024? Did you complete a mortage pre- approval in 2024? Well itโ€™s time for an update! 

We are reaching out to our pre-approved clients from 2024 and updating mortgage pre-approval details, chatting about lender options and interest rate changes.๐Ÿค“ 

As we head into the spring housing market - itโ€™s time to update your mortage pre-approval details. 

Income may have changed, maybe you received a bonus or overtime pay in 2024? A salary or hourly rate of pay increase? Or maybe you reduced your work hours?

Debt loads on credit cards and lines of credit fluctuate so itโ€™s best to update the details. A new car loan added into a mortage application can be very impactful. 

You may have discussed purchasing a home with immediate family, and they offered a gift of downpayment funds? Savings also fluctuate, so now is the time to review your mortage pre-approval details. 

Prime has reduced, this will continue throughout 2025. Now is the time for expert advice on rate choices! 

If you are pre-approved at your bank - you need a second opinion. ๐Ÿ‘‹๐Ÿป We work with many lenders and can review lender policy and interest rate options at all lenders both during your pre-approval and again when you have an excepted offer on a home. Donโ€™t miss out on the option to shop your interest rate and to understand lender fine print. 

#yyc #yycmortgages #yycrealestate #yycmortgagebroker
      BIG NEWS! ๐Ÿšจ The Bank of Canada announced a 0.25 BIG NEWS! ๐Ÿšจ The Bank of Canada announced a 0.25% Prime Rate reduction this morning! ๐Ÿ“‰ Economists expect another .50% this spring and up to an additional 1% this year. We may need to shine our ๐Ÿ”ฎ - with so many factors in play, including inflation, unemployment, economic growth or lack of, and the dreaded tariff talk - itโ€™s a wait and see environment as to how low Prime will go. 

For today, this means lower interest rates for many of you - IF you have a variable rate mortgage OR a line of credit.๐Ÿก Fixed rates are just that - fixed and set for the term. Variable rates move up or down or stay steady based the Prime rate. Most lenders now have a Prime rate of 5.20%. Variable rates are always Prime and a discount off of Prime. Each lender sets their unique discount. This is what we โ€œshopโ€ for our clients - the discount off of Prime, the fine print relating to the mortgage and most importantly, a great variable rate with a lender that allows and offers  competitive fixed rates if and when you want to lock in. ๐Ÿค“

Ready to see how this affects you?
DM us or visit our website to book in with us. Letโ€™s explore your options and find the best mortgage solution for your needs.

#MortgageRates #BankofCanada #HomeBuying #FinancialGoals #ElevationMortgage
      Winter magic at @mountengadine! Favourite place. ๐Ÿ’™ Snow showing, fat bikes, winter hikes, Nordic skiing and the most stunning scenery. The food is epic and all included in the price. Such a great value. Lunch break with my guitar player. ๐Ÿ˜ #mountengadinelodge #canadianrockies #albertalodge
      2024 camera roll. ๐Ÿ“ธ โœจWhat a year. โœจ One of 2024 camera roll. ๐Ÿ“ธ โœจWhat a year. โœจ One of the best, ever! 

In early 2024, we set intentions to build the life of our dreams, focused on adventure, authenticity and home. ๐Ÿคฉ Our 2024 words were fun - fitness - family - finance. 

Beyond grateful for our little family โค๏ธ, two amazing teens (proud of these kids for digging into new experiences and achieving goals) and great friends (new and old), love and kindness, a bit of magic ๐Ÿช„๐Ÿ”ฎ, my husbandโ€™s fantastic coffee โ˜•๏ธ and breakfast skills, his capacity for fun, musical taste ๐ŸŽถ and his willingness to always say yes to my wild new ideas, our business and and clients (๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป gratitude for a great year), travel, foodie experiences and exploring. Nature gave us so much charity in 2024. What a gift. 

2025 is all about simplicity - strength - service. Highly recommend choosing a few words to go back to when the path is unclear. ๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿป 

Happy New Year, sending our best wishes and love to friends, near and far, for an incredible, healthy and fun 2025! 

๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ‘‹๐ŸปJulie (and Andy) 

๐Ÿšž๐ŸŒบ๐ŸŒˆโ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿพ๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒ™๐ŸŒŠ๐ŸŒฟ๐Ÿฅพ๐Ÿ”๏ธ๐Ÿฆ…๐ŸŒŽ๐Ÿ’ง๐Ÿž๏ธโ˜๏ธ๐ŸŒฑ๐ŸŒณ๐ŸฆŒ๐Ÿ„๐ŸŒ ๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿป๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป๐Ÿ˜˜
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