Every First-Time Buyer Program in BC, and How They Stack on One Purchase
Six programs help first-time buyers in BC, and they use three different definitions of first-time buyer. Some stack on the same purchase, one pair forces a choice, and one of them only works if you opened an account years before you started looking.
Michael Lee · 9 min read
Buying With Family or Friends in BC: The Ownership Structure Decides Everything Later
Two or more people buying one home in BC choose between joint tenancy and tenancy in common at the moment of registration, and that one line on the title decides who inherits a share, whether the shares can be unequal, and how hard it is for one owner to leave. Sort it out before the offer, because changing it later can trigger property transfer tax.
Michael Lee · 9 min read
Rent-to-Own and Vendor Take-Back Mortgages in BC: How They Work, and Where Buyers Get Hurt
Rent-to-own gives you a lease plus the right to buy later, and the option fee you pay for that right is usually gone if the purchase does not close. A vendor take-back has the seller lending you part of the price, sitting behind your bank in second position. Both are legal in BC, and both need a lawyer before you sign.
Michael Lee · 9 min read
Home Insurance Before Completion: The Step Buyers Forget Until the Last Week
Your lender will not release the mortgage money until it has proof of fire insurance naming it as loss payee. That proof is usually wanted several days before completion, not on the day. Start the insurance conversation the week your subjects are removed.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Leasehold Property in Metro Vancouver: What You Own and Why the Remaining Term Decides Everything
A leasehold buyer purchases the right to occupy a home for a fixed number of years, while a public landlord keeps the land. The remaining years on that lease drive both the price and whether a lender will fund the purchase. Check the expiry date on title before anything else.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
The Mortgage Stress Test: Why You Qualify for Less Than You Expect
Federally regulated lenders must qualify you at the higher of your contract rate plus two percentage points, or 5.25%. On a Metro Vancouver purchase that gap decides which listings you can write an offer on.
Michael Lee · 8 min read
Bridge Financing: How to Buy Before You Sell in Metro Vancouver
Bridge financing lets you use the equity in your current home before it closes, so you can buy your next one without waiting. It's not automatic, and it isn't your only option. Here's how it actually works.
Michael Lee · 7 min read
Mortgage Pre-Approval: What Lenders Actually Check in 2026
A pre-approval isn't a five-minute estimate, it's a documented, credit-checked review that also has to clear OSFI's stress test. Here's what lenders actually verify, and how it differs from pre-qualification.
Michael Lee · 8 min read