Lender criteria in Bas-Saint-Laurent
Borrowing capacity rests on two ratios: what the housing costs against your income, and what all your debts weigh together. In a condo, the condo fees go into the calculation and cut your capacity more than most buyers expect.
Documents before comparison
Two years of notices of assessment, recent pay stubs, an employment letter and three months of statements for the down payment. For a condo, add the declaration of co-ownership, the syndicate’s budget and the state of the contingency fund. An underfunded one worries the lender as much as it should worry you.
The price and the value
Your offer price only counts if recent sales back it up. Where comparables are scarce in Bas-Saint-Laurent, the appraisal can land under what you agreed to pay, and you make up the difference in cash. The lender won’t finance that gap.
Your income, your down payment
Income proof, down payment source, debts, monthly budget. That’s what the file is built from.
Comparing the conditions
Rate is the easy part to compare. On a purchase in Bas-Saint-Laurent, two offers mostly differ in the penalty to break the term, how much you can prepay each year, and whether the mortgage follows you to your next home.
Paperwork before sending
Send everything at once. Every round of "we still need one more document" adds days, and the delays come from third parties (employer, bank, appraiser), not from the lender’s analysis.
To prepare
What to gather.
- Financing goal
- Income records
- Current debts
- Property or security
- Required timing
- Eligible lenders
Frequently asked
Can the file be reviewed remotely?+
Yes. It all runs by phone, email or video call, and documents go through online. We can meet in person, but most files get settled without anyone having to travel.
What down payment is needed for a first purchase?+
5% on the first $500,000, then 10% on the portion above. Under 20%, mortgage insurance is added to the loan. In a condo, the condo fees also count in your ratios.