A mortgage specialist works for you, not the bank. We sit down with you, figure out your goals and what you actually need, and then find the mortgage that fits.

We're independent, so we aren't tied to one bank or lender — we have relationships with many of them. Because we know the market well, we can lay out the options that make sense for your situation, explain the trade-offs in plain language, and help you pick the right one.

Usually, no. In most cases the lender you choose pays us a referral fee. You'll still have the normal costs of setting up any mortgage — legal and closing costs, for example — and we go through those with you along the way.

There are occasional exceptions, such as working with a lender that doesn't pay brokers. If a fee ever applies, we'll discuss it and agree on it with you up front, before we go down that road.

A broker helps you get a better deal from a lender — banks included. Walk into a branch on your own and you only see that bank's products, and the application looks at a lot: your credit, existing loans, job, income history and more.

A broker knows which lenders suit your credit history, income and equity, and where the better rates are. That's why, for most buyers, it pays to have someone shopping the market for you.

There isn't really a "typical" broker fee, because for most clients there isn't one. What you will have are out-of-pocket costs for setting up the mortgage and closing on the property, and you'll know about those well before closing day.

It helps to know how the industry works: the cost of the service is built into the mortgage rate no matter who you use — a bank's in-branch advisor, a bank mortgage specialist paid on commission, or an independent broker with access to many lenders.

The lender does. Whether you go through a bank advisor, a bank's commissioned mortgage specialist or an independent broker, the cost of the service is built into the pricing of the mortgage.

Even at your own bank, the application usually gets passed from the branch to the bank's separate mortgage arm. Same company, different department. The difference with a broker is that we can take your file to many lenders, not just one.

Some lenders are only available through brokers, and many of them offer the kind of flexibility that really matters to borrowers — plus competitive rates.

More choice means more competition, and more competition means better pricing for you. With only a handful of options, prices drift up. With dozens of lenders competing, they have to sharpen their pencils.

Forty-odd years ago, people thought brokers were only for borrowers the bank had turned away. That just isn't the case anymore.

Brokers are a big part of what keeps the mortgage market competitive. By giving you options, we make the banks work harder for your business — and you get access to lenders and products you'd never see walking into a single branch.

Honestly, nothing. With us, the best place to start is a 20-minute phone call. If we get far enough, the only thing we may ask for is your SIN — everything else you'll know off the top of your head.

On that first call we can usually answer almost all of your questions. Many people hang up knowing how much they qualify for and what down payment makes the most sense for them.

Fair question — and the honest answer is that you don't have to use one. You don't need a lawyer to go to court, a travel agent to book a trip or a mechanic to change your brakes, either.

But those professionals exist for a reason, and they bring real value. If you see the value we bring — time saved, stress avoided and a better deal — then we'd love to help.