As first-time buyers with not-so-typical incomes, we were a little overwhelmed going into the mortgage application process, but Shanna directed the process flawlessly. She was incredibly organized and on top of everything, always one step ahead of the process to ensure we wouldn’t run into any hiccups or issues. In the end, she was able to secure us a mortgage with great terms. We would not hesitate to recommend Shanna to anyone!
ABOUT ME
Being a mortgage broker comes naturally to me. In fact, it’s a perfect blend of my love for numbers and my passion for helping people fulfill their dreams.
I began working on achieving my own dreams at a young age. I started in the hospitality industry when I was only 15 years old. While working my way up to management level, I earned a Commerce degree with a major in Finance from the world-renowned, UBC Sauder School of Business.
Those years of working hard and going to school taught me the invaluable importance of discipline and a good work ethic. They also exposed me to thousands of people who shared their personal stories with me: stories of their own dreams and the challenges they faced to achieve them. Your stories made me a better listener.
I understand everyone is as unique as his or her story. And so are their needs. I also understand that home ownership is one of the biggest lifetime dreams most of us share. But it can be stressful and confusing to navigate your way through the process of finding the right mortgage for you. Let me help. I bring 5 years of experience to the table.
I don’t want to work ‘for’ you, I want to work ‘with’ you to design a mortgage that is the right fit for you not only today but also for tomorrow and years to come. My commitment to you is for the long haul. It doesn’t end when you sign the mortgage papers and move into your dream home.
I will be available to help you each step of the way throughout your time as a mortgage holder; whether it’s time for a mortgage renewal or you want to refinance. I’ll make sure you keep more of your hard-earned money in your pocket by finding you the best rate possible.
Let me show you that
'IT’S EASIER THAN YOU THINK’
SERVICES
HOME PURCHASE
If you’re looking to buy a property, unless you have all the cash necessary in the bank, chances are you’ll need to get a mortgage! With so many options and mortgage products available, where do you start? You’re in the right place. Instead of working with a banker who represents a single line of products, when you work with me, an independent mortgage professional, I can represent you to several institutions, and you can pick the best mortgage product that suits your individual needs. In most cases, my services are at no added cost to you!
PRE-APPROVALS AND RATE HOLDS
Okay, you have decided now is the time to buy a new property! It may be your first or your hundredth, in any case, the house hunting process starts by understanding how much purchasing power you have. Contact me anytime to get a mortgage pre-approval and secure a 120 day rate hold. This way you will be able to shop with confidence, and you’ll be protected against rising rates.
REFINANCE
Are you looking to access some of the equity built up in your home? Maybe you want to consolidate some debts, start a new business, buy a vacation or investment property, or spend the next eight years in a vineyard… regardless, let’s discuss all your mortgage refinance options!
REVERSE MORTGAGES
One of the benefits of working with an independent mortgage professional is the wide variety of products we are able to offer our clients. The reverse mortgage is one such product. It’s unique in the fact that it allows homeowners 55+ to borrow against the equity in their home without any credit or income qualification. In fact, there are no payments to a reverse mortgage, instead, the principal amount of the loan grows each month. Want to learn more, contact me anytime!
RENEWAL
If you are within six months of your mortgage renewal, or if your existing lender has sent you a renewal offer in the mail, please don’t just sign the offer, contact me directly, and I can give you a second opinion, and in most cases save you money. There is always room to negotiate, or to find a completely new lender. My goal is to save you money, I can’t do that, unless you give me a call!
FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS
Are you looking to get into the housing market, but have no idea where to start? That’s great. I love working with first time home buyers. I understand that you have questions, and that you’ll probably have even more questions after your initial questions have been answered. Buying your first home is a big deal. I’m here to walk you through the process. Getting your financing in order is step one. Please contact me anytime. I’d love to work with you.
WHATEVER MORTGAGE PRODUCT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR,
I'D LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU.
MEDIA
I always keep my blog up to date so you can stay informed.
One of the major qualifiers lenders look at when considering your application for mortgage financing is your debt service ratios. Now, before we get started, if you prefer to have someone walk through these calculations with you, assess your financial situation, and let you know exactly where you stand, let’s connect. There is no use in dusting off the calculator and running the numbers yourself when we can do it for you! However, if you’re someone who likes to know the nitty-gritty of how things work instead of simply accepting that's just the way it is, this article is for you. But be warned, there are a lot of mortgage words and some math ahead; with that out of the way, let’s get started! “Debt servicing” is the measure of your ability to meet all of your financial obligations. There are two ratios that lenders examine to determine whether you can debt service a mortgage. The first is called the “gross debt service” ratio, or GDS, which is the percentage of your monthly household income that covers your housing costs. The second is called the “total debt service” ratio, or TDS, which is the percentage of your monthly household income covering your housing costs and all your other debts. GDS is your income compared to the cost of financing the mortgage, including your proposed mortgage payments (principal and interest), property taxes, and heat (PITH), plus a percentage of your condo fees (if applicable). Here’s how to calculate your GDS. Principal + Interest + Taxes + Heat / Gross Annual Income Your TDS is your income compared to your GDS plus the payments made to service any existing debts. Debts include car loans, line of credit, credit card payments, support payments, student loans, and anywhere else you’re contractually obligated to make payments. Here’s how to calculate your TDS. Principal + Interest + Taxes + Heat + Other Debts / Gross Annual Income With the calculations for those ratios in place, the next step is to understand that each lender has guidelines that outline a maximum GDS/TDS. Exceeding these guidelines will result in your mortgage application being declined, so the lower your GDS/TDS, the better. If you don’t have any outstanding debts, your GDS and TDS will be the same number. This is a good thing! The maximum ratios vary for conventional mortgage financing based on the lender and mortgage product being offered. However, if your mortgage is high ratio and mortgage default insurance is required, the maximum GDS is 39% with a maximum TDS of 44%. So how does this play out in real life? Well, let’s say you’re currently looking to purchase a property with a payment of $1700/mth (PITH), and your total annual household income is $90,000 ($7500/mth). The calculations would be $1700 divided by $7500, which equals 0.227, giving you a gross debt service ratio of 22.7%. A point of clarity here. When calculating the principal and interest portion of the payment, the Government of Canada has instituted a stress test. It requires you to qualify using the government's qualifying rate (which is higher), not the actual contract rate. This is true for both fixed and variable rate mortgages. Now let’s continue with the scenario. Let’s say that in addition to the payments required to service the property, you have a car payment of $300/mth, child support payments of $500/mth, and between your credit cards and line of credit, you’re responsible for another $700/mth. In total, you pay $1500/mth. So when you add in the $1700/mth PITH, you arrive at a total of $3200/mth for all of your financial obligations. $3200 divided by $7500 equals 0.427, giving you a total debt service ratio of 42.7%. Here’s where it gets interesting. Based on your GDS alone, you can easily afford the property. But when you factor in all your other expenses, the TDS exceeds the allowable limit of 42% (for an insured mortgage anyway). So why does this matter? Well, as it stands, you wouldn’t qualify for the mortgage, even though you are likely paying more than $1700/mth in rent. So then, to qualify, it might be as simple as shuffling some of your debt to lower payments. Or maybe you have 10% of the purchase price saved for a downpayment, changing the mortgage structure to 5% down and using the additional 5% to pay out a portion of your debt might be the difference you need to bring it all together. Here’s the thing, as your actual financial situation is most likely different than the one above, working with an independent mortgage professional is the best way to give yourself options. Don’t do this alone. Your best plan is to seek and rely on the advice provided by an experienced independent mortgage professional. While you might secure a handful of mortgages over your lifetime, we do this every day with people just like you. It’s never too early to start the conversation about mortgage qualification. Going over your application and assessing your debt service ratios in detail beforehand gives you the time needed to make the financial moves necessary to put yourself in the best financial position. So if you find yourself questioning what you can afford or if you want to discuss your GDS/TDS ratios to understand the mortgage process a little better, please get in touch. It would be a pleasure to work with you, we can get a preapproval started right away.
If you’re thinking about buying a property, but you’re not sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s discuss how getting pre-approved is one of the first steps in your home buying journey. Just like you wouldn’t go into a restaurant without knowing if you have enough money to buy your meal, it’s not a good idea to be shopping for a home without an understanding of how much you can afford. You can browse MLS from your couch all you want beforehand, but when you’re ready to start looking at properties with a real estate agent, you need a pre-approval. Now, as there may be some confusion around exactly what a pre-approval does and doesn’t do, let’s discuss it in detail. First of all, a pre-approval is not magic, and it’s not binding. A pre-approval is not a contract that will guarantee mortgage financing despite changes to your financial situation. Instead, a pre-approval is simply the first look at your overall financial health that will point you in the right direction before you’re ready to apply for a mortgage. Said in another way, a pre-approval is a map that gives you the plan to secure an actual approval. After going through the pre-approval process, you’ll know how to qualify for a mortgage and at what amount. When considering your mortgage application, lenders look at your income, credit history, assets vs liabilities, and the property itself. Working through a pre-approval will cover all these areas and will uncover any major obstacles that might be in your way of securing financing. The best time to secure a pre-approval is as soon as possible; it’s never a bad idea to have a plan. Here are a few of the obstacles that a pre-approval can uncover: You’ve recently changed jobs, and you’re still on probation Your income relies heavily on extra shifts or commissions You’re unaware of factual mistakes or collections on your credit report You don’t have an established credit profile You don’t have enough money saved for a downpayment Additional debt is lowering the amount you qualify for Really anything you don't know that you don't know Even if you believe you have all your ducks in a row, working through the pre-approval process with an independent mortgage professional will ensure you have the best chance of securing a final approval. As a point of clarity, a pre-approval is not the same as a pre-qualification. This is not typing a few things into a website, calculating some numbers, and thinking you’re all set. A pre-approval includes providing your financial information, looking at your credit report, discussing a plan for securing mortgage financing with a mortgage professional, and even submitting documents ahead of time. Mortgage financing can be a daunting process; it doesn’t have to be. Having a plan in place and doing as much as you can beforehand is essential to ensuring a smooth home buying experience. As there is no cost for getting a mortgage pre-approval, there is absolutely no risk. Consider starting the process right now! If you’d like to walk through your financial situation and get pre-approved for a mortgage, let’s talk. It would be a pleasure to work with you!
A question that comes up from time to time when discussing mortgage financing is, “If I have collections showing on my credit bureau, will that impact my ability to get a mortgage?” The answer might have a broader implication than what you might think; let's spend a little time discussing it. Collections accounts are reported on your credit bureau when you have a debt that hasn’t been paid as agreed. Now, regardless of the reason for the collection; the collection is a result of delinquency, it’s an account you didn’t realize was in collections, or even if it’s a choice not to pay something because of moral reasons, all open collections will negatively impact your ability to secure new mortgage financing. Delinquency If you’re really late on paying on a loan, credit card, line of credit, or mortgage, and the lender has sent that account to collections, as they consider it a bad debt, this will certainly impact your ability to get new mortgage financing. Look at it this way, why would any lender want to extend new credit to you when you have a known history of not paying your existing debts as agreed? If you happen to be late on your payments and the collection agencies are calling, the best plan would be to deal with the issue head-on. Settle the debts as quickly as possible and work towards establishing your credit. Very few (if any) lenders will even consider your mortgage application with open collections showing on your credit report. If you’re unaware of bad debts It happens a lot more than you’d think; people applying for a mortgage are completely unaware that they have delinquent accounts on their credit report. A common reason for this is that collection agencies are hired simply because the lender can’t reach someone. Here’s an example. Let’s say you’re moving from one province to another for work, you pay the outstanding balance on your utility accounts, change your phone number, and make the move. And while you think you’ve paid the final amount owing, they read your meter, and there is $32 outstanding on your bill. As the utility company has no way of tracking you down, they send that amount to an agency that registers it on your credit report. You don't know any of this has happened and certainly would have paid the amount had you known it was due. Alternatively, with over 20% of credit reports containing some level of inaccuracy, mistakes happen. If you’ve had collections in the past, there’s a chance they might be reporting inaccurately, even if it's been paid out. So as far as your mortgage is concerned, it really doesn’t matter if the collection is a reporting error or a valid collection that you weren’t aware of. If it’s on your credit report, it’s your responsibility to prove it’s been remediated. Most lenders will accept documentation proving the account has been paid and won’t require those changes to reflect on your credit report before proceeding with a mortgage application. So how do you know if you’ve got mistakes on your credit report? Well, you can either access your credit reports on your own or talk with an independent mortgage advisor to put together a mortgage preapproval. The preapproval process will uncover any issues holding you back. If there are any collections on your bureau, you can implement a plan to fix the problem before applying for a mortgage. Moral Collections What if you have purposefully chosen not to pay a collection, fine, bill, or debt for moral reasons? Or what if that account is sitting as an unpaid collection on your credit report because you dispute the subject matter? Here are a few examples. A disputed phone or utility bill Unpaid alimony or child support Unpaid collections for traffic tickets Unpaid collections for COVID-19 fines The truth is, lenders don’t care what the collection is for; they just want to see that you’ve dealt with it. They will be reluctant to extend new mortgage financing while you have an active collection reporting on your bureau. So if you decide to take a moral stand on not paying a collection, please know that you run the risk of having that moral decision impact your ability to secure a mortgage in the future. If you have any questions about this or anything else mortgage-related, please connect anytime! It would be a pleasure to work with you!
LENDERS
I've developed excellent relationships with many lenders across the country, let's figure out which one has the best product for you.
HAPPY CLIENTS
My friend recommended that I call Shanna to discuss my mortgage options. I’m so happy I did. She was very accessible, explained the process in a way that made sense to me, provided me with excellent council, and ensured I got the financing to secure the purchase of a new build condo. There was a lot of back and forth paperwork, but in the end Shanna did an amazing job keeping things on track. I highly recommend her if you need mortgage financing. I have since referred several friends who have had similar experiences to mine.
Daniel Magnussen | Condo Owner, Langley, BC.
