Master Your Mortgage: What the Bank Won’t Tell You About Buying the Right Home

by Brighton Gbarazia

Buying a home might be the biggest mistake of your life. Think the bank is giving you a good deal in your mortgage? It’s time to take another look. The mortgage process is one of the most widely accepted—yet least understood—aspects of the home-buying journey for Canadians. In a rush of emotions, you stare at your freshly printed mortgage loan agreement, signing on all the dotted lines, perhaps without fully understanding what you’re agreeing to today, let alone the impact of your decision decades down the road. You trust the process, but what if the bank doesn’t have your best interest in mind? In Master Your Mortgage , Brighton Gbarazia writes out of more than a decade of firsthand experience as a financial advisor and underwriter working for some of the largest banks in Canada to guide you through what they won’t tell you. Master Your Mortgage invites you This isn’t a book about real estate ; it’s a book for real people . Discover the financial freedom that’s within reach in Master Your Mortgage !

Genres: Finance

234 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2022

About the author

Brighton Gbarazia is a financial and real estate expert with over a decade of experience working for some of Canada’s largest banks and credit unions as a financial advisor and mortgage underwriter. As the CEO of Wealth Marathon, Brighton provides sound and straightforward financial advice to young professionals and families in Canada to help them create the kind of wealth and financial success that can only come with long-term planning and proper execution.

Along with his experience in the banking industry, Brighton holds a bachelor of business administration from Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Born in Nigeria, Brighton currently resides in British Columbia. When he isn’t talking about money, you’re likely to find him planning his next international trip or running in the nearest half-marathon. To learn more about Brighton and Wealth Marathon, visit www.wealthmarathon.com.

Reviews

[Literary Reviewer]

Master Your Mortgage by Brighton Gbarazia is an ideal book for prospective home buyers and people in the mortgage industry. Brighton Gbarazia writes a comprehensive buyer’s guide for anyone interested in a mortgage and shares tips, ideas, and tricks on how to get the best deal when you invest in real estate. How do banks operate and review an application for a mortgage? What are the dos and don’ts of mortgages? Brighton Gbarazia shares his experiences as a real estate expert, guiding the readers on what to look for when shopping for a new home or investment property.

This informative guide is a serious but important read that doesn’t hold back from the grim realities of the situation. Brighton Gbarazia shares his knowledge on spot deals that are too good to be true and how buying property without experience can place some new homeowners in a vulnerable position and at the mercy of swindlers and scams.

As an immigrant to Canada, Brighton Gbarazia shares his background in real estate, experience in dealing with banking, and his passion for helping people make well-informed decisions. The author demonstrates a clear knowledge of the industry and his commitment to helping people navigate through the process of buying a home. Throughout the book, he also shares personal experiences and situations, including a bit about his family life and the goal of helping people succeed.

I learned a significant amount about owning property and how to get the best deal. The book thoroughly covers crucial topics related to the complex world of real estate in a way that keeps the reader engaged and eager to learn about mortgages. His real-life scenarios are well integrated into the book, which makes it more interesting to read and stay engaged. The author also incorporates a sense of humor to keep the subject light-hearted at times while staying on point throughout the book.

I recommend Master Your Mortgage: What the Bank Won’t Tell You About Buying the Right Home for its comprehensive coverage and personal touch in dealing with the real estate industry. This enlightening book tells you exactly what to look out for, and how to apply for a mortgage to avoid the pitfalls of hidden costs, and other issues that can arise with the responsibility of homeownership.

[Ravajappa Gouda]

The book covers Canada specific mortgage laws, does not apply to US laws. Towards the end, the author recommends for more frequent mortgage payments with acceleration, that is clearly not applicable in US. One could still have a monthly payment and make additional principal-only payments that will accelerate automatically (assuming there is no pre-payment penalty which by default most of the loans are.)
Not a whole lot of information I learnt. Though I agree with the author, in general, don't buy into real estate agent's optimism or into their euphoric sales pitch.

[Foroiane]

There are a few things the bank might not emphasize. First, choose carefully, not just the home, but also the neighborhood and future resale potential. The bank may focus on what you can afford now, but consider long-term costs like maintenance, property taxes, and potential market changes. It’s also important to explore different mortgage options; don’t just settle for the first offer. If you need more personalized advice, you can contact MetaBank or another financial institution to discuss your options.

[Erica Bueno]

Great book I highly recommend it. It’s a very good book for anyone purchasing a home or getting into the real estate industry to have additional knowledge to relate to your customers.

[Kim]

The author is based in Canada which has different mortgage requirements, etc. than the United States. With that said, he has quite a few awesome tips and suggestions for any homebuyer.