TMG The Mortgage Group Canada

09/17/2026

Tidying up your finances before a mortgage application feels like the responsible thing to do, which is why it stings to learn that closing an old credit card can lower your score.

Length of credit history counts. The card you have carried the longest is often the one doing the most work for you, and closing it shortens your record.

Utilization matters more than most people expect. Carrying a balance above roughly 30 percent of your limit pulls a score down even when every payment has been made on time.

Timing is the other piece. Several credit applications in a short window read as risk, so a car loan or store card while you are mortgage shopping works against you.

Scores also update on the lender's reporting cycle rather than instantly, so changes made the week before an application usually land too late to help.

Buying next year? Reach out this month and we will map out what actually moves the needle.

09/16/2026

If your pre-approval came back smaller than the online calculator promised, there is a reason, and it is not you.

Lenders do not qualify you at the rate you will actually pay. They test you at a higher one, to check that you could still carry the mortgage if your circumstances changed. The number you are approved for reflects that test, not the payment that will show up on your statement.

This is why so many people walk into a pre-approval feeling confident and walk out feeling deflated. Nothing has gone wrong. The calculator was simply answering a different question than the lender was asking.

The practical fix is to find out your real number before you start looking, not after you have fallen for a house. It narrows the search instead of widening it, and saves you touring places that were never financeable.

Planning to buy this fall? Send us a message today and we will work out what you can actually borrow.

09/15/2026

09/15/2026

TMG CEO Mark Kerzner captured it best.

Veronica Love’s induction into the Canadian Mortgage Hall of Fame recognizes far more than an impressive career. It reflects her leadership, mentorship and unwavering commitment to strengthening Canada’s mortgage brokerage industry.

Congratulations from all of us at TMG!

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I am so proud that Veronica was just selected as one of this year's inductees (along with Paul Bruce and Sabeena Bubber) into the Canadian Mortgage Hall of Fame.

Veronica is an outstanding leader and mentor - not just in her role as an executive with TMG and Enterprise Partners, but for our Association and industry as well.

Veronica is a champion for the mortgage brokerage industry in Canada. Perhaps her greatest strength is that she instinctively thinks about what is best for our industry and uses her platform to advocate for the interests of our profession at every opportunity.

I am also grateful that we work for a company that has fostered and encouraged so many outstanding industry leaders. Veronica is now the 6th person from TMG The Mortgage Group to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, with countless more serving on association Boards and volunteering across the industry.

Because of her leadership, the Canadian mortgage industry is stronger, more connected and better prepared for the future .... which in my view, is the very definition of a Canadian Mortgage Hall of Fame inductee.

Proud.

~ Mark Kerzner

09/03/2026

September brings a shift in routines for many families. School schedules, childcare, commuting and everyday expenses can all change how the monthly budget feels.
If your family has grown, your priorities have changed or your mortgage renewal is approaching, this may be a good time to consider whether your current mortgage still fits your life.
A TMG Mortgage Broker or Agent can help you review the full picture and better understand the options available to you.

09/02/2026

Need to access equity partway through your term?

Breaking the mortgage isn't your only option. Blending and extending combines what you currently owe with the new funds you need and resets the term, usually without triggering a full break penalty.

It's particularly useful when you're renovating, consolidating debt, or helping family, and you'd rather not lose the terms you already hold.

Not every lender offers it, and the terms available on the new portion vary quite a bit, so it's worth asking about specifically rather than assuming.

Whether blending actually beats breaking and starting fresh depends entirely on your numbers. Sometimes the penalty is worth paying.

Send us your numbers before you commit to the renovation or the purchase. We'll run blending against breaking side by side and show you which one costs you less.

08/31/2026

The fall market starts earlier than most people expect.

Late August is when it quietly begins to take shape. Listings that sat through July start moving, and new ones get prepared for September.

Getting your financing sorted before that happens means you're ready when the right place appears, rather than scrambling to catch up while someone better prepared writes the offer.

A pre-approval also tells you what you're genuinely working with, which narrows the search instead of widening it. That alone makes the whole process considerably less exhausting, and it saves you from falling for something you can't actually finance.

If you've been watching from the sidelines this summer, and plenty of people have been, this is the week to stop watching.

Message us and we'll get your pre-approval in place before the fall listings arrive. It costs nothing and there's no obligation attached.

08/28/2026

Commercial mortgages work on different logic than residential.

Lenders look first at what the property earns. The central question is debt service coverage, essentially whether the net operating income comfortably exceeds the payments, rather than how your personal ratios look on paper.

Down payments are typically higher and amortizations often shorter, which changes the cash you need up front and the payment you'll carry.

Lease quality matters as well. Strong tenants on long leases genuinely change what a lender is willing to do, sometimes dramatically.

Timelines run longer too. Appraisals, environmental reports and underwriting all take more time than residential, so the financing conversation needs to start well before you need to close.

None of this makes commercial harder, just different.

Looking at a property? Send us the details before you write an offer. We'll tell you what a lender will want to see while you still have time to line it up.

08/26/2026

Back to school, back to budget.

September has a way of arriving all at once. Tuition, supplies, activities, and a calendar that fills overnight.

Looking at your mortgage and your household budget together, before all of that lands, takes some of the pressure off later. It doesn't need to be a big exercise. Often it's a single conversation.

If seasonal costs end up on credit cards every fall, that's a pattern worth reviewing rather than repeating. It's an extremely common one, and there's usually something that can be done, whether that's consolidating, adjusting your payment structure, or simply planning the timing differently.

And if you have a renewal coming in the next year, the fall budget and the renewal are really one conversation rather than two.

Book a short review with us before the month is out. Twenty minutes now is a great deal easier than a scramble in October.

08/24/2026

Helping your child buy their first home?

You'll likely be asked to co-sign, and often nobody mentions there's a second option worth considering.

A co-signer goes on title as a joint owner of the property, with all of the tax and estate implications that carry. A guarantor backs the debt without going on title, which keeps ownership clean and simple.

Both are fully responsible for the payments if your child can't make them, so neither is a small commitment and neither should be signed casually.

There's a wrinkle people rarely hear about. Being on title to a second property can affect your own principal residence exemption when you eventually sell, so this is worth a word with your accountant alongside us.

Most parents are only ever offered one of the two.

Before you sign anything, book a conversation with us. We'll walk you and your child through both routes and what each one means for your taxes, your estate and your own home.