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Yearly Mortgage Checkup

Is your mortgage still pulling its weight?

You've changed since you signed. Your mortgage hasn't noticed. Five quick questions, two minutes, and you'll know whether it's still winning for you — or whether there's money on the table. If you're good, we'll say so and leave you alone.

What we look at (all eight)
Free · Any lender · Two minutes · Nobody calls unless there's a reason to
Hello Mortgage mascot in a doctor's coat holding a checkup clipboard
Two minutes. Five questions.No documents, no account, no waiting for someone to phone you back.
Any lender. Client or not.Big bank, credit union, one you've never heard of — same eight checks, same straight answer.
In your corner, not the bank'sIf you're on track, we tell you. The bank profits when you overpay. We don't.
What we look at

Eight places a mortgage quietly leaks money.

None of them show up on your statement. All of them show up in your bank account, eventually. Here's each one, what to ask yourself, and the real Alberta math — so you can see where you stand before we ever talk.

  1. Still winning, or quietly overpaying?01
    Your rate

    Still winning, or quietly overpaying?

    Rates move every week. Yours has been sitting in the same spot since the day you signed. That's not loyalty — that's a default setting.

    Worth asking
    • What's today's best rate for the years you have left?
    • What would it cost to leave — three months' interest, or the scary one?
    • Fixed or variable for the next stretch?
    • If renewal's inside 120 days, why are you still paying last year's rate?
    Here's the playHalf a point on a $400,000 mortgage is about $110 a month — north of $6,000 over a five-year term. If the penalty to leave is $3,000, you're ahead before year two. If it's $14,000, you stay put and we plan the renewal instead. Either way you know — and you're not guessing.
    See today's Alberta rates →
  2. The one date the bank needs you more than you need it.02
    Your renewal

    The one date the bank needs you more than you need it.

    Most people find out about their renewal from a letter with a rate already typed in. The bank is counting on you signing it between dinner and dishes.

    Worth asking
    • When, exactly, does your term end?
    • Did you know switching lenders is free inside 120 days?
    • Is the letter their best rate, or their first one?
    • What term length fits where your life's heading?
    Here's the playWe hold a rate 120 days out, put every lender in Canada in the ring, and hand your bank the number to beat. If they match it, you stay — zero hassle. If they don't, you move and the new lender covers the legal work. That's Renewal Defense. It's included, and it's the reason our clients don't dread the letter.
    How Renewal Defense works →
  3. Monthly payments getting a little rude?03
    Your month

    Monthly payments getting a little rude?

    The payment that fit two years ago didn't meet the daycare bill, the car, or what groceries cost now. Tight isn't a character flaw. It's a signal.

    Worth asking
    • Is the mortgage crowding out the savings account?
    • Has your income changed since you signed — either direction?
    • Would $300 a month change how the month feels?
    • Are the cards carrying what the paycheque used to?
    Here's the playThree levers make a payment smaller: the rate, the runway, and what's folded into it. Stretching a $400,000 mortgage back to 30 years frees about $200 a month. Moving $25,000 of card debt into it usually frees more. Sometimes we pull one lever. Sometimes all three. A mortgage you can breathe around is a mortgage you win with.
    The Payment Relief Plan →
  4. The most expensive roommate you'll ever have.04
    Your cards

    The most expensive roommate you'll ever have.

    Canadians are carrying a record $2.6 trillion in debt. A credit card at 21% sitting beside a mortgage at four-and-change is paying rent to the wrong landlord.

    Worth asking
    • What's the real total across cards, lines and the car?
    • What's the blended rate on all of it?
    • Is your credit score sliding because the cards are full?
    • What would one payment, at mortgage rates, do to your month?
    Here's the playRoll $30,000 of card and loan debt into the mortgage and most people find $600 or more a month they didn't have. The credit score usually recovers within six months, which also raises what you qualify for next time. Appraisal reimbursed, legal fees earmarked from the proceeds — because the point is more money in your pocket, not less.
    Run your payment relief numbers →
  5. Your house has been saving without you.05
    Your equity

    Your house has been saving without you.

    Alberta homes went up. Your balance went down. The gap in between is yours — at mortgage rates — if you decide to use it on purpose.

    Worth asking
    • What's the place actually worth today?
    • What do you owe — and what's the difference?
    • Is there a reno, a rental, or a rainy-day line that would earn its keep?
    • Line of credit or refinance — and does either touch your rate?
    Here's the playA $520,000 home with $330,000 owing has roughly $86,000 within reach. A home equity line leaves your mortgage alone and costs nothing until you draw on it. A refinance resets the rate but can fund a kitchen for a fraction of what a renovation loan charges. Used deliberately, it's the cheapest money you'll ever borrow. Used on a whim, it's just debt with a nicer name.
    What could you unlock? →
  6. Own it sooner — without feeling it.06
    Your finish line

    Own it sooner — without feeling it.

    Most mortgages let you pay 15–20% extra a year and bump the payment annually, penalty-free. Most people use exactly none of it.

    Worth asking
    • Are you paying bi-weekly, or just monthly with extra steps?
    • Where did the tax refund go?
    • Could you round the payment up $100 without noticing?
    • Would a lump sum before renewal make the next term cheaper?
    Here's the playAccelerated bi-weekly alone takes three to four years off a 25-year mortgage. An extra $200 a month on $400,000 saves around $45,000 in interest. Five thousand dollars at the principal beats five thousand dollars at the mall — and we'll tell you which moves your lender allows before you make them.
    Try a lump sum →
  7. Know your exit before you need one.07
    Your fine print

    Know your exit before you need one.

    You're exactly as flexible as your mortgage contract says you are. The year you need to know your penalty is the wrong year to find out.

    Worth asking
    • Three months' interest, or the big one (IRD)?
    • If you move, can the mortgage come with you?
    • Can you borrow more without breaking it?
    • Any limits on paying it down or refinancing mid-term?
    Here's the playTwo homeowners. Same $400,000 fixed mortgage, same rate. One breaks it at a big bank and pays $13,800. The other is with a lender you've never seen a commercial for and pays $3,900. Nothing was different except who they signed with. Know which one you are before it's a decision.
    Check your penalty →
  8. Different house on the horizon?08
    Your next move

    Different house on the horizon?

    More room, less lawn, a rental, a lake lot. The mortgage decision comes before the listing — and the order you do things in changes what you pay.

    Worth asking
    • Take your rate with you, borrow more, or break and start fresh?
    • How much of your equity becomes the next down payment?
    • Sell first, or buy first?
    • What would a pre-approval with a 120-day hold let you offer?
    Here's the playTaking your rate with you skips the penalty and keeps a below-market rate alive. Borrowing more on top of it lets you upsize without breaking anything. Sometimes breaking wins outright, because today's rate is that much better than yours. We run all three before you call a realtor, so you shop with a number instead of a hope. Make your winning move — on purpose.
    Buying your next home →

Eight leaks. Two minutes. One straight answer.

Why this one's different

You should leave with an answer, not a voicemail.

Most "checkups" are a contact form wearing a lab coat. You fill it in, someone phones you, and the pitch starts. Ours hands you the verdict first — then decides whether a call is even worth your time.

The usual "checkup"This one
What you get on the spotA thank-you screen Your verdict, what's flagged, and the math behind it
If nothing's changedSomeone calls anyway "You're good" — and we mean it
Who it's forMostly their own clients Any Alberta homeowner, any lender
Your rate vs. today'sLater, over the phone Right now, against our live board
The catchThe pitch There isn't one. We're paid by the lender, not you
Checkup questions

The stuff people ask before they hit start.

You answer five quick questions — what's changed, when you renew, roughly what rate you're on, how the payment feels, and what a win would look like. We turn that into a verdict on the spot: either you're on track (and we say so), or one of the eight things above is worth a 15-minute phone call. No documents, no branch, no bankers' hours.
Yes. The tool is free, the call is free, and so is the plan that comes out of it. We're paid by the lender when a mortgage funds — so the checkup, the comparison shopping and the pre-approval cost you nothing, whether you're already a Hello client or not.
Nope. Any Alberta homeowner, any lender. If you are a client, you already get Monthly Homeowner Reports and a yearly review from us — this just lets you start the conversation whenever you want.
Then you're on track, and we'll leave you alone. No invented reasons to book a call. We'll point you at the two or three things worth watching and you can set a renewal reminder so the bank's letter never gets a head start.
Yes. Inside 120 days of renewal, a switch is typically free — the new lender covers the legal and appraisal costs. Mid-term, there's a penalty (three months' interest on most variables, IRD on most fixed) and the math decides whether it's worth it. We run that math before you do anything.
Depends what it finds. Half a point on $400,000 is about $110 a month. Rolling $30,000 of card debt into the mortgage is often $600 a month or more. Switching to accelerated bi-weekly takes three to four years off the mortgage. And some years the honest answer is 'nothing to do here' — which is also a win.
They're stored securely and used for one thing: getting your review ready. No lists, no selling your info, no surprise phone calls from someone you've never heard of.

Two minutes now. Zero surprises later.

Find out if your mortgage is still winning for you. If it is, great — go enjoy your weekend. If it isn't, you'll know exactly where the money's hiding, and we'll go get it together.

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