Advanced Equity Lending Corp, 8035 Reigate Road, Burnaby, BC (2026)

06/12/2026

Vancouver real estate was built on one line:

“They aren’t making any more land.”

Mountains. Ocean. Border.
That was the story.

But maybe the real story was never land.

Maybe it was permission.

On June 2, Vancouver City Council moved forward a plan that could affect 13,679 properties across 17 Village areas.

That’s roughly 14% of all properties in the city.

If passed, many quiet residential blocks could be pre-zoned for buildings up to six storeys, often with shops at street level.

Same dirt. Different rules. Completely different economics.

And here’s the part that caught my attention.

A 329-page report was released on a Thursday.

Council moved it forward on Monday.

No lengthy debate.
No dramatic council showdown.
The public hearing?

July 14. Right in the middle of FIFA World Cup Final week.

Go figure.

Now, whether you’re for density or against it isn’t really the point.

The bigger point is this:
A house is not just a house.
A lot is not just a lot.

In Vancouver, one of the most valuable things attached to a property may not be the structure, the view, or even the address.

It may be what the city allows you to do with it.

If you’re selling in one of these areas, buyers may start looking at your property differently.

If you’re buying in one of these areas, you’re not just buying the neighbourhood as it exists today.

You’re buying what zoning allows it to become tomorrow.

That quiet street may not stay quiet.

That single-family lot may not be viewed as single-family land for much longer.

This isn’t just a housing story.
It’s a land value story.
A neighbourhood story.
A generational wealth story.

Most people are watching interest rates.

A handful are watching zoning.

History suggests the second group often sees the future first.

So here’s my question:

If Vancouver can’t create more land, but can dramatically change what can be built on the land we already have…

Did the old real estate rule just get rewritten?

06/10/2026

The Bank of Canada held rates today.

That’s not the story.

The real story is this:

Canada’s economy is slowing, housing activity is down, business investment is weak, and unemployment is hovering around 6.6%.

Yet inflation is still sitting close to 3%.

That’s a tough place to be.

Lower rates may help borrowers.

Higher rates may help fight inflation.

But neither one solves the bigger issue.

Life in Canada has become expensive faster than many people’s ability to pay for it.

A generation ago, a house was a goal.

Today, for many, it feels like a lottery ticket.

And it’s not just housing.

It’s groceries, insurance, property taxes, utilities, childcare, transportation, and the monthly cost of simply existing.

The Bank of Canada can influence borrowing costs.

It cannot create affordability.

That’s the uncomfortable truth.

Every day I speak with homeowners, retirees, young families, self-employed people, and parents trying to help their kids get started.

Most aren’t looking for shortcuts.

They’re looking for a chance.

A chance to get ahead.

A chance to help their children.

A chance to retire with dignity.

A chance to stop feeling like they’re working harder every year just to stand still.

So yes, the rate stayed at 2.25% today.

But for many Canadians, the question is still the same:

When does life start feeling affordable again?

06/07/2026

Imagine someone walks into a store and steals a $500 TV.

We all know what happens.

Police.
Charges.
Criminal record.

Now imagine someone knows years earlier that the money being raised is in serious trouble.

Not $500.
Not $5,000.
Not even $500,000.

We’re talking about more than $285 MILLION from trusting investors.

And according to the OSC settlement, by no later than 2021, they knew — or should have known — there were serious liquidity problems.

Yet the money kept coming in.
Investors kept trusting.
Promissory notes kept being sold.

And many people were left holding the bag.

That is the part of the Claire Drage story that should make every Canadian stop and think.

Because when this happens in the white-collar world, the language suddenly changes.

It is no longer called what ordinary people would call it.

It becomes “regulatory enforcement.”
It becomes a ban.
It becomes paperwork.
It becomes “don’t do it again.”

That is what bothers me.

Not because more rules fix everything.

But because trust is the foundation of mortgages, lending, investing, and frankly, society itself.

If someone keeps taking money after they know there is little or no realistic chance people are getting paid back, most Canadians don’t see a compliance issue.

They see something much simpler.
They see theft wearing a suit.
And that’s a conversation worth having.

What am I missing?

06/06/2026

Vancouver is now the 3rd hardest city on earth to afford a home.

Let that sink in.
Not Canada.
Not North America.

Earth.

We are sitting beside Hong Kong and Sydney in a global affordability crisis, and somehow the public conversation still keeps blaming the wrong people.

It’s not just buyers “needing to save more.”

It’s not just young people “expecting too much.”

It’s not just mortgage brokers, realtors, landlords, investors, builders, banks, or immigrants.

It’s a system that has allowed housing to become disconnected from local incomes.

When the average home is almost 12 times the median household income, the math is no longer a budgeting problem.

It’s a structural problem.

The problem isn’t that homes became too expensive.

The problem is that incomes never kept up.

One is a housing story.
The other is an economic story.

And until we start treating the second one, we’ll never solve the first.

Because eventually this stops being a conversation about affordability.

And becomes a conversation about who gets to call Vancouver home.

06/04/2026

Sometimes the best messages hit you when you least expect them.

While working out this morning, a great song came on: Aiming by Christopher.

The funny thing is, for a moment I thought he was singing “Amen” instead of “Aiming.”

And it got me thinking…

Maybe life is a little of both.

You keep aiming.
You keep moving.
You keep working.

Maybe life is simply this:

Keep aiming.

And have enough faith to say amen before you know how the story ends.

Just a thought from this morning’s workout. 🎯🙏

GrowthMindset

06/04/2026

Major changes are happening in the mortgage industry right now.

As disclosure requirements increase, I’ve been thinking about the difference between transparency and trust.

The new rules are designed to give borrowers more information, more disclosure, and more protection.

That’s a good thing.

An informed borrower is almost always in a better position than an uninformed one.

But it also raises an interesting question...

Does more disclosure automatically create more confidence?

A borrower can receive a stack of documents, disclosures, and acknowledgements and still be unsure whether they’re receiving good advice.

Because trust has never come from paperwork alone.

Trust comes from competence.

Trust comes from experience.

Trust comes from honesty.

Trust comes from someone being willing to tell you what you need to hear, even when it’s not what you want to hear.

Over the years, I’ve advised people not to borrow.

I’ve recommended they wait.

I’ve suggested options that made less money for me because I believed they were the right solution for the client.

Those decisions don’t show up on a disclosure form.

But they’re often the moments that build the most trust.

The mortgage industry is moving toward greater transparency, and that’s a positive step for consumers.

But transparency alone isn’t the foundation of confidence.

The best outcomes happen when transparency, competence, and trusted advice work together.

Curious what others think...

Can disclosure create trust?

Or is trust earned differently?

👇 Let me know your thoughts.

05/31/2026

Nobody stopped to ask two simple questions:

Who’s it for?
What’s it for?

Instead, the mortgage system slowly evolved trying to create one model that could work for everyone.

And that’s usually where systems start breaking down.

Because eventually, the entire system became optimized for one specific type of borrower:

T4 income.
Predictable salary.
Clean credit.
Low debt ratios.
Perfectly packaged paperwork.

And if you fit that box, the system works beautifully.

But real life rarely fits perfectly into a box.

The self-employed business owner who writes off expenses.
The retiree with substantial equity but lower reported income.
The homeowner rebuilding after divorce, illness, business slowdown or temporary credit issues.
The person sitting on significant equity but no longer fitting the formula.

These people aren’t necessarily risky.

They just don’t fit the model the system was built around.

And over time, something interesting happened:

The model quietly became the definition of a “good borrower.”

Not because it’s universally true…
but because the system repeated the same story long enough that people stopped questioning the model.

They started questioning themselves instead.

The strongest businesses and systems usually know exactly who they’re built for.

Advanced Equity Lending was built for homeowners who may not perfectly fit the bank’s box… but still have substantial equity, real-world experience, and options.

That clarity is what people feel.

Not perfection.

FinancialLiteracy Branding BusinessGrowth

05/29/2026

A buddy of mine just got back from Japan and said something that really stuck with me.

He told me that over there, he heard reverse mortgages referred to as “Home Pensions.”

That phrase changes everything.

Because in Canada, “reverse mortgage” sounds scary.

It sounds like debt.
It sounds risky.
It sounds like a last resort.

But “Home Pension” feels different.

It suggests using part of the wealth already stored inside your home to help fund the retirement you’re actually living.

And honestly, maybe Canada needs that reframe.

Because many Canadians retire with most of their net worth locked inside their home.

That may look impressive on paper.

But if your equity can’t help with groceries, property taxes, home repairs, debt, helping family, or sleeping better at night…

what is it really doing?

At some point, trapped equity starts to feel less like financial security…

and more like a museum exhibit you happen to live inside.

A reverse mortgage is not magic.

The balance grows. Interest compounds. You still have to pay taxes, insurance, and maintain the home.

And it’s not right for everyone.

But for the right homeowner, maybe the better question isn’t:

“Will the balance grow?”

Of course it will.

The better question is:

“Could using part of my home equity give me more retirement breathing room without forcing me to sell, move, or add another monthly payment?”

That’s the conversation Canada needs to have.

Because being house rich does not pay the bills.

And sometimes the home you spent your life paying for may also be part of the retirement plan you’re trying to live.

RetirementPlanning CanadianRealEstate VancouverRealEstate MortgageBroker RetirementIncome MortgageTips FinancialFreedom

05/29/2026

Everyone keeps talking about the mortgage renewal wave like it’s just a homeowner cliff.

It’s not. It’s also a small business cliff.

Because when a family’s mortgage payment jumps $800, $1,200 or even $1,500 a month, that money doesn’t magically appear. It gets pulled from somewhere else.

It was going to restaurants, travel, kids sports, home renovations, retail shopping, local contractors, date nights and weekend getaways.

Now it gets redirected into debt servicing.

And speaking of bank mortgages, I just read the latest bank numbers: RBC reported roughly $5.5 billion, TD about $4.25 billion, and CIBC roughly $2.47 billion in net income.

THAT’S FOR ONLY 3 MONTHS.

So while households are trying to find another $1,000+ a month just to stay in the same house, the banking system is reporting billions every 90 days.

I’m not saying banks are evil. I’m saying the money has to come from somewhere.

And when enough families pull back at the same time, the ripple hits fast: restaurants get quieter, contractors get fewer calls, retailers see smaller purchases, gyms lose memberships, and local businesses feel the squeeze.

This was never just a housing story. It’s a cash-flow story.

And cash flow is the oxygen of the real economy.

InterestRates Canada MortgageBroker

05/27/2026

63 today.

And if I’m being honest… that hits a little differently than I expected.

In my head, I still feel about 38.

I still train. Still work. Still dream. Still love great food, good conversations, travel, family, and laughing hard.

But somewhere along the way, you realize something:

Time does catch up.

Not all at once.

Quietly.

Your kids become parents. Your grandkids start growing faster than seems possible. Your body starts negotiating with you some mornings instead of simply cooperating.

And suddenly, life starts to look a little clearer.

I had just returned from a couple of weeks away and got off the plane to see my granddaughters, Lia and Ella, running toward me yelling, “Gaga!”

For the record, I tried for “Grampion.”

It was immediately rejected by management.

And honestly?

I wouldn’t change “Gaga” for anything.

Then on the 23rd, baby Sofija arrived.

Three grandkids now.

That happened fast.

At 63, I’m realizing the basics were never basic.

Eat good food. Move your body. Protect your sleep. Keep learning. Spend time with people who lift you up.

And stop letting draining people rent space in your head for free.

Because eventually you realize:

Health is wealth.
Peace is underrated.
Time is precious.
Family is everything.

And being fully present with the people you love may actually be what winning looks like.

63 doesn’t feel like the end of anything.

It feels like clarity.

Like finally understanding what actually matters.

Advanced Equity Lending Corp

06/12/2026

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