Emptying the Nest: How Parents are Helping their Kids Buy Homes

James DeVuyst • February 21, 2019

For parents who have the means to help their kids buy a home in today’s pricey environment, gifting money towards a down payment is one of the best way to do it.

In February 2018, the Financial Post ran a story about adults still living with their parents. The figures are staggering. The number of adults still living at Parents Inn—as the Post affectionately referred to it—is up 13.3 per cent since 2001. For reference, young adults living with a spouse or partner is down 14.6 per cent.

For many boomers who, through modern healthcare and better habits, have been given a second chance at a teenager’s existence (albeit with more money and less mobility), their kids are definitely cramping their style.

“I’m 66 years old,” says Steven James (not his real name), a retired mechanic from Oakville. “I didn’t work my butt off for the last 48 years to share my bathroom with my son.”

Steven’s not alone. Boomers across the country are done with multi-generational living. And it’s gotten to the point where they’re throwing money at the problem. Of Canadian parents recently polled by CIBC , 76 per cent would give their kids a financial boost to help them move out, get married or move in with a partner.

But these days, given the average price of a starter home and the state of employment for young people (the record low since 1976 was still over 10 per cent), it’s going to take more than just a “boost.”

If you’re in a position to help your kids buy a home (and help yourself reclaim your home), you have many options. But a gift—otherwise known as a living inheritance—is among the most sensible. Here are three reasons why:

1. Gifting money makes the most sense for tax reasons.

As a baby boomer, you’re in the middle of an unprecedented wealth transfer that CIBC capital markets estimates to be in the range of $750 billion in cash, property and investment holdings. If you’re in the position to not need the money coming to you, that windfall will just amount to a big tax hit. However, if you were to turn around and gift it to your kids, it’s no longer a tax burden for you or them (unlike in the U.S., Canada has no gift tax). This Globe and Mail article delves into the long-term tax implications of gifting money: namely less for your kids to pay in estate tax when you die.

For all intents and purposes, gifting money is a way to take it off your books, without putting it on your kids’ books.

2. Gifting money makes the most sense for legacy reasons.

Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.

This old proverb neatly sums up what happens when large sums of money are passed down through a family. You’ve no doubt heard of wealthy heirs who finally get their hands on the family fortune, only to squander it away within a generation.

While you still have some control over where your money goes, gifting a portion of it towards the purchase of an appreciating asset for your children is sensible.

You won’t want to gift that money in the form of straight cash—it would be too easy for your kids to spend it haphazardly.

And you won’t want to gift a piece of property over to your kids. This is seen as a gift of assets “in-kind” and the Canada Revenue Agency will treat the transaction as if you sold the property at fair market value. You’ll be hit with a tax bill for 50 per cent of the capital gains, which could be substantial on an inherited property bought decades ago.

To gift the money for a real estate purchase, you’ll sign a letter confirming that the money is a gift and isn’t required to be paid back. On the morning of signing day, you’ll transfer the funds to your kid’s account (most primary lenders need to see money in the account before they complete the mortgage transaction).

3. Gifting money makes the most sense for legal reasons.

If you want to help your kids with their mortgage and you don’t have the liquidity to hand over a sizeable amount of cash, the other option is to co-sign or guarantee their mortgage. The problem with this approach is varying degrees of liability. By co-signing or guaranteeing the loan, you are assuming responsibility if things go wrong for your child if they can’t pay their mortgage. You can potentially be putting your financial future at stake.

In other words, you’d have to have the utmost objective confidence that there’s no risk of them defaulting on their mortgage.

Gifting a portion or all of the down payment, like gifting anything else, severs the tie you have with the money. None of it belongs to you, nor does the liability that comes with how it will be used.

But the best part of gifting your kids money to buy a home…

…will come when you are invited over for the first time and can see the fruits of all your labour: a better life for your children and their family.

This article was written by Dan Yurman and was originally published here on Canadian Mortgage Trends on March 13th 2018.

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Fixed-Rate or Variable-Rate Mortgage?

By James De Vuyst • May 22, 2025

If you're looking to buy a new property, refinance, or renew an existing mortgage, chances are, you're considering either a fixed or variable rate mortgage. Figuring out which one is the best is entirely up to you! So here's some information to help you along the way. Firstly, let's talk about the fixed-rate mortgage as this is most common and most heavily endorsed by the banks. With a fixed-rate mortgage, your interest rate is "fixed" for a certain term, anywhere from 6 months to 10 years, with the typical term being five years. If market rates fluctuate anytime after you sign on the dotted line, your mortgage rate won't change. You're a rock; your rate is set in stone. Typically a fixed-rate mortgage has a higher rate than a variable. Alternatively, a variable rate is not set in stone; instead, it fluctuates with the market. The variable rate is a component (either plus or minus) to the prime rate. So if the prime rate (set by the government and banks) is 2.45% and the current variable rate is Prime minus .45%, your effective rate would be 2%. If three months after you sign your mortgage documents, the prime rate goes up by .25%, your rate would then move to 2.25%. Typically, variable rates come with a five-year term, although some lenders allow you to go with a shorter term. At first glance, the fixed-rate mortgage seems to be the safe bet, while the variable-rate mortgage appears to be the wild card. However, this might not be the case. Here's the problem, what this doesn't account for is the fact that a fixed-rate mortgage and a variable-rate mortgage have two very different ways of calculating the penalty should you need to break your mortgage. If you decide to break your variable rate mortgage, regardless of how much you have left on your term, you will end up owing three months interest, which works out to roughly two to two and a half payments. Easy to calculate and not that bad. With a fixed-rate mortgage, you will pay the greater of either three months interest or what is called an interest rate differential (IRD) penalty. As every lender calculates their IRD penalty differently, and that calculation is based on market fluctuations, the contract rate at the time you signed your mortgage, the discount they provided you at that time, and the remaining time left on your term, there is no way to guess what that penalty will be. However, with that said, if you end up paying an IRD, it won't be pleasant. If you've ever heard horror stories of banks charging outrageous penalties to break a mortgage, this is an interest rate differential. It's not uncommon to see penalties of 10x the amount for a fixed-rate mortgage compared to a variable-rate mortgage or up to 4.5% of the outstanding mortgage balance. So here's a simple comparison. A fixed-rate mortgage has a higher initial payment than a variable-rate mortgage but remains stable throughout your term. The penalty for breaking a fixed-rate mortgage is unpredictable and can be upwards of 4.5% of the outstanding mortgage balance. A variable-rate mortgage has a lower initial payment than a fixed-rate mortgage but fluctuates with prime throughout your term. The penalty for breaking a variable-rate mortgage is predictable at 3 months interest which equals roughly two and a half payments. The goal of any mortgage should be to pay the least amount of money back to the lender. This is called lowering your overall cost of borrowing. While a fixed-rate mortgage provides you with a more stable payment, the variable rate does a better job of accommodating when "life happens." If you’ve got questions, connect anytime. It would be a pleasure to work through the options together.

Mortgage Advice to Help You Through a Separation

By James De Vuyst • May 8, 2025

With the latest stats claiming that about half of marriages end in divorce and with around three-quarters of Canadians being homeowners, it’s important to know how to handle your mortgage if you decide to separate. Here’s a quick list of things to consider. Keep making your payments. A mortgage is a legally binding contract between you and the lender. It doesn’t take marriage into account. If your name appears on the mortgage, you're responsible for making sure the regular payments are made. A marital breakdown does not give you an excuse not to make your mortgage payments. If, during your marriage, you've relied on your spouse to make the mortgage payments and you aren’t certain payments are being made after separating, it's in your best interest to contact the lender directly to verify your mortgage is being paid. If payments aren't being made, it could affect your credit score or worse; the lender could start foreclosure proceedings. There is always a financial cost to break your mortgage. When working through how to split your finances, you decided to either refinance your mortgage, remove someone from the title, or sell the property, keep in mind that you will incur legal costs. If you’re in the middle of a term, the penalty for breaking your mortgage might be significant, especially if you have a fixed-rate mortgage. It’s certainly worth contacting your mortgage lender directly to verify the cost of breaking your mortgage. Having that information accessible when writing out your separation agreement will provide increased clarity. Listing your marital status as separated or divorced. When completing a mortgage application for securing new mortgage financing, when you list your marital status as separated or divorced, you can expect that a lender will want to see your legal separation agreement or your divorce papers. The lender wants to make sure you aren’t responsible for support payments. So if you haven’t finalized the paperwork, expect delays in securing mortgage financing. It could be harder to qualify for a new mortgage. With the separation of assets also comes the separation of incomes. If you qualified for your existing mortgage on a double income, you might find it hard to maintain the same quality of lifestyle post-separation. This is where careful planning comes in. Working closely with your independent mortgage professional will ensure you understand exactly where you stand. You’ll want to put together a plan for how to handle the mortgage on the matrimonial home. Purchasing the matrimonial home from your ex. There are special considerations given to people going through a separation to buy out the matrimonial home. Instead of looking at the transaction like a refinance where you can only borrow up to 80% of the property’s value, lenders will consider one spouse buying out the other up to a 95% loan to value ratio. This comes in handy when dividing assets and liabilities. Navigating the ins and outs of mortgage financing isn’t something you have to do alone. If you're going through a separation and you’d like to discuss all your mortgage options, please connect anytime. It would be a pleasure to walk you through the process.

What is a Second Mortgage?

By James De Vuyst • April 24, 2025

If you're not all that familiar with the ins and outs of mortgage financing, the term "second mortgage" might cause a bit of confusion. Many people incorrectly assume that a second mortgage is arranged when your first term is up for renewal or when you sell your first home. They think that the next mortgage you get is your "second mortgage." This is not the case. A second mortgage is an additional mortgage on a single property, not the second mortgage you get in your lifetime. When you borrow money to buy a house, your lawyer or notary will register your mortgage on the property title in what is called first position. This means that your mortgage lender has the first claim against the sale proceeds if you sell your property. If you happen to default on your mortgage, this is the security the lender has in repossessing your property. A second mortgage falls in behind the first mortgage on your property title. When you sell your property, the lawyers will use the sale proceeds to pay off your mortgages in sequence, the first position mortgage is paid out first, and the second mortgage is paid out second. After both mortgages are paid off completely, you get the remaining equity. When you secure a second mortgage, you continue making payments on your first mortgage as per your mortgage agreement. You must also then fulfill the terms of the second mortgage. So why would you want a second mortgage? Well, a second mortgage comes in handy when you're looking to access some of your home equity, but you either have excellent terms on your first mortgage that you don't want to break, or you’d incur a huge penalty to break your first mortgage. Instead of refinancing the first mortgage, a second mortgage can be a better option. A second mortgage is often used as a short-term debt consolidation tool to help provide you with better cash flow. If you’ve accumulated a considerable amount of high-interest unsecured debt, and you have equity in your home, you can secure a second mortgage to lower your overall cost of borrowing. If you'd like to know more about how a second mortgage works, or if you'd like to discuss anything related to mortgage financing, please connect anytime!