06/11/2026
Austin is 24 year old. He is a union apprentice based in B.C, and on paper he looked ready to buy tomorrow. ✨
He works a rotation in northern BC — two weeks on site, then a week home. Big cheques landing every payday. Because he was making a lot each pay period, he was certain he could qualify for a mortgage and get started looking for a house.
Austin is just finishing his first full year in his trades program. His first year was mostly schooling and although he did work up north for a half a year or so, only a bit of it was in 2025 so that year's income doesn't look like much at all. Not only that but a big piece of his pay is a tax-free living-out allowance, and because it's non-taxable, no lender will count it toward qualifying. The remainder is a lot of overtime which lenders want a two-year history before they'll consider using it on the application.
Here's what most people don't realize: bringing in a lot of money each payday doesn't always mean you can use all of it to qualify.
None of that meant no. It meant he just needed a plan. He's maxing his First Home Savings Account, protecting his credit, and letting his overtime build a two-year history so he can buy the home he wants when the timing is right.
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