• MMT App
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • French
  • Find an Expert
  • Home
  • Mortgage Prep
  • Buying a Home
  • Renewal
  • Commercial
  • Rates & Lenders
  • More Value
  • Economic Insights
  • Our House Blog
  • MMT App
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • French
  • Find an Expert
  • All
  • Lifestyle
  • Mortgage Tips
  • Enriched Tips
  • Products
  • Real Estate

Published by DLC Marketing Team

April 13, 2021

Market Smarts: Home Buying Guide.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is one of Canada’s three mortgage insurers. Beyond insuring mortgage, CMHC also offers consumer guidance in the form of a unique step-by-step guide for home buying Canada, which the organization has dubbed the “roadmap” to home ownership.

The 27-page guide, Homebuying Step By Step is available on CMHC’s website. This guide is a manual for homeownership, breaking down the phases potential buyers will need to consider when looking to get into the housing market.

What Homebuyers Should Know

This guide focuses on preparation being the key to homeownership success, and touches on many things for homeowners to keep in mind. A few good guidelines when considering purchasing a home, including debt management, necessary documents, pre-approval, and more!

Debt-to-Income Ratio

According to the CMHC, a homebuyer’s monthly housing costs should never exceed 32 percent of their average gross monthly income. This includes monthly mortgage payments, property taxes, condo fees and heating expenses. It is also recommended that a family’s debt load, such as car loans and credit card payments, should never exceed 40 percent of the average monthly income. While this recommendation may be somewhat conservative, remaining within these guidelines will ensure that you will be able to afford your debts, while maintaining future financial stability.

Necessary Documents

This guide also includes a segment regarding the documents a home buyer will need for a mortgage. When you meet with your lender or mortgage broker it is recommended that you have these documents handy, which include things like personal identification, proof of a down payment, proof of income, proof of savings and investments and details of current debt.

Mortgage Pre-Approval

CMHC also recommends that people get pre-approved for a mortgage before they start looking for a home. Getting pre-approved can prevent future roadblocks when you find your dream home, and ensures that subject-to-financing clauses won’t be an issue. It also guarantees the rate for up to 120 days, so that you can access the best mortgage once you’ve found the right home.

Sources for a Mortgage

This guide also discusses the various sources for mortgages, which include: banks, trust companies, credit unions and pension funds. As always, it is recommended that you shop around before you make a decision. Hiring a mortgage broker is another great resource, as they are able to access rates for more than one lender. The guide advises asking real estate agents, friends or family members for recommendations on a lender or broker.

Along with the above, this guide also details information about your credit score, mortgage loan insurance, home considerations, the mortgage process and home management. There are also very detailed financial calculations, which factor in costs that many new homebuyers might not even think about, such as groceries, dining out and hobbies. In addition, you will find information about:

  • Principles that help buyers determine how much they can safely afford to spend on housing.
  • A list of the upfront and ongoing costs of homeownership.
  • Information on how to prepare for a meeting with a lender or broker.
  • Definitions of key terms to know when buying a home.
  • Explanation of mortgage basics and tips for how to manage your mortgage.
  • Tips on how to maintain your home and protect your investment.

The underlying theme of the guide is to prevent Canadians from getting in over their heads in debt when buying a home. This guide also shows just how far mortgage brokers have come in Canada, with them mentioned alongside banks throughout.

If you are looking to purchase your first home, contact a Dominion Lending Centres mortgage broker today for expert advice! It is our job to help find the best mortgage product for YOU.


Share this:
Tags: cmhc homebuyer homebuyer guide mortgage
Categories: Mortgage Tips Categories:

Recommended articles.

View More

Refinancing Your Mortgage in 2025

December 10, 2024

Refinancing your mortgage can be a smart financial move for many reasons, and as your trusted mortgage advisor, I’ve seen how much it can benefit homeowners! Ideally, refinancing is done […]

Read More

First-Time Homebuyer Benefits

November 12, 2024

Buying your first home is a significant milestone! While you’re thinking about your affordability and what type of home you want to own, we have some exciting updates around first-time […]

Read More

What the Bank of Canada Rate Drops Mean for YOU!

October 29, 2024

With the Bank of Canada rate decreases throughout the summer and into September, I thought this would be a great opportunity to update you on what this means for your […]

Read More

The Benefit of Rate Holds

August 20, 2024

Being on the path to purchasing your first home is one of the most exciting and most rewarding moments in life! To help make the mortgage process smoother, one of […]

Read More

Closing Costs – The Real Numbers You Need to Budget For

July 23, 2024

Buying a home is one of the most exciting ventures in life! To ensure it goes smoothly, you need to have a proper budget in place to protect your financial […]

Read More
  • Find an Expert
  • Home
  • Mortgage Prep
  • Buying a Home
  • Renewal
  • Commercial
  • Rates & Lenders
  • More Value
  • Economic Insights
  • Our House Blog
  • MMT App
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • French
  • Find an Expert

© 2025 Dominion Lending Centres Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions