Isabel Santos Mortgage Broker
Your mortgage, made clear before you sign.
For Vancouver Island buyers, movers and owners renewing: every option compared across lenders, every cost explained, every step planned with you.
An example payment
$3,282 a month
On a $720,000 home with $144,000 down, at 4.79% over 25 years.
Payment calculatorFrom a client
Isabel explained every option and every cost before we signed anything. Buying our first home felt calm.
- 10
- Years helping Island families
- Source: Broker’s own record, sample
- 400+
- Mortgages arranged
- Source: Broker’s own records, sample
- 30+
- Lenders and credit unions
- Source: Broker’s lender list, sample
- EnglishFilipino
- Speaks
How I can help
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Your first home
A budget you are comfortable with, a pre-approval you can rely on, and every step to the keys explained before it happens.
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Moving up or across
I time your sale and purchase, arrange any bridge financing and keep your realtor and lawyer in step.
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Renewing
Four months before your term ends, I compare your lender’s offer with the wider market and set the options side by side.
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Refinancing
I set the penalty and costs beside what you would gain, so you can see whether using your equity is worth it.
Plain answers, from the first call to the keys.
I grew up in Nanaimo and spent seven years at a credit union before becoming a broker, so I could work for my clients rather than one lender. I compare offers across banks, credit unions and monoline lenders, explain each in plain language, and stay with you until the keys are in your hand.
Book a consultationI would rather spend an extra hour explaining than have you sign something you are unsure of.
Calculator
What would the payment be?
Indicative, not a lender decision or a pre-approval. Fixed rate, compounded semi-annually; mortgage insurance and taxes not included.
An example rate. Enter the one you’ve been quoted.
Estimated monthly payment
$3,282
Mortgage amount $576,000
Which kind of mortgage fits you?
Choose a type to see how it behaves. Your broker will compare real offers for your situation.
The rate and the payment stay the same for the whole term.
- Your payment
- Stays the same for the term, often five years.
- If rates change
- Nothing changes until renewal.
- Breaking early
- The penalty is usually the greater of three months’ interest or an interest rate differential, which can be large.
- Suits you if
- You want a predictable budget and expect to keep the mortgage for the term.
The rate moves with the lender’s prime rate; the payment often stays the same.
- Your payment
- Usually fixed; more or less of it goes to principal as prime moves.
- If rates change
- Rising rates mean slower repayment, and payments can be reset if rates rise far enough.
- Breaking early
- The penalty is usually three months’ interest.
- Suits you if
- You can live with change, or may sell or refinance before the term ends.
Like variable, but the payment itself changes whenever prime changes.
- Your payment
- Goes up or down with the prime rate.
- If rates change
- You feel it in your next payment; your repayment schedule stays on track.
- Breaking early
- The penalty is usually three months’ interest.
- Suits you if
- Your budget has room to absorb payment changes.
A credit line secured by your home that you draw on and repay as you need.
- Your payment
- Can be interest only on what you have used.
- How much
- In Canada the revolving part is limited to 65% of the home’s value, and 80% together with a mortgage.
- The rate
- Usually prime plus a margin, so it moves with prime.
- Suits you if
- You want flexible access for renovations or investments and a plan to repay.
An open mortgage can be paid off anytime; a closed one costs less but limits prepayment.
- Open
- Repay any amount at any time without a penalty, at a higher rate.
- Closed
- A lower rate, with yearly prepayment limits set by the lender and a penalty to break.
- Often used
- Open for a short time before a sale or a lump sum; closed for most homeowners.
- Suits you if
- You know exactly when you will pay a large amount down.
General information, not advice. Terms differ between lenders.
What clients say
Isabel explained every option and every cost before we signed anything. Buying our first home felt calm.
We moved from Victoria and bought here in the same month. Isabel had the bridge loan arranged before we listed.
She started on our renewal months ahead and laid three offers side by side. The choice was easy.
Questions clients ask
When should we first talk?
Before you start viewing homes, ideally. Knowing your budget early makes every later step calmer.
How much do I need for a down payment?
At least 5% on the first $500,000 of the price and 10% on the part above it, up to $1.5 million. Under 20% down, the mortgage needs default insurance.
Can’t I just sign my lender’s renewal letter?
You can, and sometimes it is the right choice. Comparing first takes a few weeks if you start early, and the first offer is often not the only one.
What do you charge?
On most residential mortgages there is no fee to you. If a file ever needs one, you will see it in writing before anything is signed.
Send your documents securely
Upload everything from your phone or computer. It goes straight to Isabel’s secure document storage in Canada, with a checklist made for your situation.
- Tell us a little about you and your plans
- See exactly which documents your situation needs
- Upload them, and you’re done
Send your documents (opens in a new tab)
Sample site: this opens a sample upload page in a new tab. On a live site, it opens the broker’s own.
- No account to create
- Works on your phone
- Stored in Canada
Start with a thirty-minute call
Tell me where you are and where you hope to be. You will leave with a clear next step, whether or not you work with me.